Victim to Victor: The Appeal of Apocalyptic Hope
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Revelation’s Context
2.1. Author and Date
2.2. The Political Setting of Revelation
2.3. The Theological Setting of Revelation
3. The Lamb as Victor
3.1. Slaughtered, Not Sacrificed
Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered (hōs esfagmenon), having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Rev 5:6).
3.2. Christus Victor as an Image of Hope
4. Issues for Contemporary Readers
5. Conclusions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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1 | |
2 | |
3 | See for example, Rev 17:15–17. Additionally, those who oppress others face the harshest divine judgement (Rev 20:10). |
4 | |
5 | While the majority of scholars support a late first century date, the dating of Revelation has traditionally been split between an earlier date during Nero’s reign (66–68 CE) and a later date under Domitian (90–96 CE). For fuller discussions of dating see (Aune 1997, pp. lvii–lxx), and (Koester 2014, pp. 71–79). |
6 | For a discussion of the various “Johns” who have been associated with Revelation see Aune, Revelation 1–5, xlviii–lvi. |
7 | Numbers have symbolic significance in apocalyptic texts with seven indicating perfection or completeness. Each of the seven communities is given a message from the risen Christ that serves to encourage, rebuke, or remind them of their calling and task, as well as God’s promise to them (Rev 1:4 11; 2:1, 8, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). |
8 | (Friesen 2001). |
9 | See for example, Mark 12:14–17/pars; John 19:12–15; Acts 17:7, 25:8; Phil 4:22; 1 Peter 2:13–17. |
10 | The origins of Jewish apocalyptic literature are complex and debated, but the earliest extant Jewish apocalyptic texts address the rise of Hellenism and the religious persecution of the Jewish people that ensued. These include texts such as Daniel, 1 Enoch, and later 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, and Revelation. |
11 | |
12 | See for example, (Johns 2015) and (Middleton 2018). |
13 | The seven horns denote perfect power and his seven eyes an omnispective gaze rivalling that of any human emperor. See (Whitaker 2015, pp. 115–17). |
14 | By contrast, the gospel writers, Paul, and other New Testament authors use more cultic language, such as thuō, to describe Jesus’ death. |
15 | The lamb as a metaphor for Jesus in Revelation is very complex. While I am arguing here (agreeing with Johns) that the Christological emphasis is on the lamb as victim turned victor rather than a sacrifice for atonement, both aspects are present in Revelation’s lamb imagery and cultic resonances cannot be completely ignored. See (Johns 2015, pp. 108–51). |
16 | Extending the argument of (Trites 1973, pp. 77–80). |
17 | See Revelation 17:6 where the “Whore of Babylon,” an image for Rome, is accused of being drunk with the “blood of the witnesses/martyrs.” While these are not named, the reference to blood indicates that they too have died for their witnessing. |
18 | |
19 | |
20 | See Exodus 12. |
21 | (Rutledge 2015, p. 360). See (Aulén 1931). |
22 | |
23 | |
24 | |
25 | (Darden 2015, pp. 121–34), is critical of Revelation’s violence. See also (Carey 2015, pp. 295–306). |
26 | |
27 | It is important to note that Christ’s army is not a human army. John does not call his hearers to violent action nor imagine a human revolt. The retributive violence is God’s along with the host of heaven. See (Carey 2015, pp. 304–5) and (Koester 2014, p. 763). |
28 | The author is drawing upon Ezekiel 39 in using this image of birds feasting upon the bodies of dead soldiers. Stavrakopoulou describes it as corpse abuse, arguing it functions as an appeal to fears about proper care for the dead. See (Stavrakopoulou 2010, p. 69). |
29 | (Schüssler Fiorenza 1998, p. 73; Johns 2015, p. 122; Middleton 2018), acknowledges this semantic probability but says it does not rule out cultic resonances (72). |
30 | (Collins 1984) and (Pippin 1992) both address the cathartic aspects of the text. |
31 | |
32 | Cited in (Rowland 2003, pp. 10–12). |
33 | (Moss 2013). |
34 | |
35 | |
36 | Cited in (Moss 2013, p. 259). The idea that there is a “war on Christianity” has found traction in several western countries. |
37 | By “persecuted” here I mean to indicate the perception of being under attack precisely because of one’s sense of martyrdom, not because one is actually under attack. It is a way for those with enormous power to negate that power and appeal to victimhood as a very effective rhetoric strategy. This is not to negate the reality that there are Christian communities in places like Egypt, Pakistan, and China who face tangible and terrifying persecution. The difference is those Christians are minorities in their communities and do not have political power and influence. |
38 | For example, the Branch Davidian doomsday cult interpreted Revelation to indicate they were in the last days and engaged in holy war when they clashed with authorities in
Waco, Texas. Almost 80 people died including a number of children. |
39 | |
40 | |
41 | (DeSilva 2009, pp. 82–85). Scholars have variously identified Revelation’s rhetoric as deliberative, epideictic, and forensic. While arguably traits of all three are present, I agree with deSilva that the emphasis is on deliberative. |
42 | |
43 | (Newheiser 2019, p. 16), refers to hope as a “discipline of resilience.” Newheiser is not addressing the text of Revelation (that application is my own). Yet, conceptualizing hope as a discipline that enables people to endure suffering without sinking into despair and inaction is one that works well with the rhetoric of Revelation. For a fuller description of this function of hope see (Newheiser 2019, pp. 63–84). |
44 | See (Royalty 1998). |
45 | |
46 | |
47 | Ostwalt points out that contemporary films like Waterworld have secularized these Christian apocalyptic expectations. In Waterworld, for example, humans living on a flooded, post-apocalyptic, ecologically-devastated earth, seek out “paradise.” Paradise, construed as rare dry land, is found by human heroes who destroy evil opponents and repopulate dry land themselves. In Revelation, conversely, the destruction of evil and establishment of “paradise” is credited to divine action alone. See (Ostwalt 2003, pp. 177–79). |
48 | (Blount 2009, pp. 70–84), who argues for the lamb as powerful but non-violent. See a discussion of various approaches to Christology and violence in the new introduction to (Johns 2015, pp. i–ix). |
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Whitaker, R. Victim to Victor: The Appeal of Apocalyptic Hope. Religions 2020, 11, 455. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11090455
Whitaker R. Victim to Victor: The Appeal of Apocalyptic Hope. Religions. 2020; 11(9):455. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11090455
Chicago/Turabian StyleWhitaker, Robyn. 2020. "Victim to Victor: The Appeal of Apocalyptic Hope" Religions 11, no. 9: 455. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11090455