Revelation: Jewish Apocalyptic Literature

Revelation identifies itself as “both an “apocalypse”…and as prophecy”, making it distinctly different from the rest of the New Testament. “Jewish apocalyptic literature flourished in the centuries following the completion of the OT canon”, and it is scattered throughout the Old Testaments in books such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Apocalyptic literature is full of “visions that dramatize the prophet’s admission to God’s heavenly council”, and convey their meaning primarily through symbolism. John brings a “balanced message of comfort, warning, and rebuke” in Revelation, testifying to the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Apart from the OT literature, Revelation shows a distinct optimism toward the end of days, for “Christ’s death has already won the decisive victory over evil”, with the Kingdom of God already among believers. This book was written in “approximately A.D. 95 on the island of Patmos”, which is still standing to this day. It was written under the emperor Domitian, with Roman authorities exiling John “to the island of Patmos (off the coast of Asia)”. The events in Revelation are also “ordered

according to literary, rather than strictly chronological, patters”, which is part of the reason the book is so heavily debated among Christians.

Authorship

There are three schools of thought regarding the authorship of the Book of Revelation.

Traditionally, John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, is seen as the author of Revelation. He is clearly a well-known and recognized teacher in the church of Western Asia Minor, part of the reason he could address such a letter of significance to these churches. Another possible author, John of Patmos, is supposed by some critics because of the drastic stylistic difference between the four NT books (John, 1, 2, and 3 John) and the book of Revelation. John in Revelation promotes himself as a recorder of this apocalypse, not necessarily as the “apostle that Jesus loved”, causing some to affirm John of Patmos as the author. The third author, suggested by some, is another “John” altogether, possibly a high ranking member or elder of the early

church
While the style is different from John’s other NT writings, there is strong evidence to suggest that John son of Zebedee is the author of Revelation, a conclusion many different scholars have come to suggest. The author of Revelation is clearly a “recognized teacher of the Churches in Western Asia Minor”, and to not identify himself beyond John suggests that he was an extremely well known figure. It is clear, however, that “John of Patmos is [not] identical with the apostle John, son of Zebedee” . Personally, there is strong church tradition to suggest that the author of Revelation is indeed the apostle John, and all of the evidence and church history seems to lead to this same conclusion. Despite the clear distinctions between the “style and theology” of the epistle John and the book of Revelation, many still suggest that John the son of Zebedee is the author of the book of Revelation .

Date and Writing

The Book of Revelation was most likely written after 90 AD, when the Apostle John was an old man. Rome is not referred to as Babylon until after the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD, and throughout the Book Babylon is frequently referenced referring to Rome (17:5 among others). The current condition of the churches in chapters 2-3 also favor a date around 95-96 AD, especially because of their increased persecution during Roman Rule. The writing of Revelation is stylistically different from the Epistle John and 1, 2, and 3 John, and is in the apocalyptic genre. It is prophetic as well, revealing visions about future events in a unique way using similes, metaphors, illusions, and many other literary elements to convey the message. Numbers have meaning, with the number 7 denoting perfection and holiness (3:1, 4:5, 5:6), and the number 6 representing imperfection and the beast (13:18). Color often has symbolic meaning as well, with white representing purity and holiness (7:9, 19:14) and black representing death and destruction (6:5, 6:12). Symbolism is heavily relied upon throughout the entire book as well, with Jesus portrayed as a lamb (5:6), and Satan portrayed as a dragon (12:9).