An Apocalypse for the Church and for the World

by Herms, Ronald

• ISBN13: 9783110193121
• ISBN10: 3110193124
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-11-01
• Publisher: De Gruyter

Summary

This monograph examines the problem of universally inclusive language in the book of Revelation and the resulting narrative tension created by narrowly exclusive language. Analysis is conducted by placing relevant texts within their literary-narrative context and through consideration of how the author understood and appropriated biblical traditions. By including an examination of four early Jewish documents with similar features, a contextual picture emerges which allows a fuller understanding of Revelation's distinctive approach toward the problem of the fate of the nations to emerge.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Table of Contents	p. ix
Abbreviations (Publication and Standard)	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Description of the Problem	p. 1
Identifying the Issues	p. 2
Purpose of the Present Study	p. 3
History of Interpretation	p. 5
Source Criticism	p. 5
Wilhem Bousset	p. 6
R.H. Charles	p. 9
Josephine Massyngberde-Ford	p. 10
Ulrich B. Muller	p. 12
David Aune	p. 14
Mainstream Commentaries on Revelation	p. 19
Martin Kiddle	p. 19
Robert Mounce	p. 22
G.B. Caird	p. 24
John Sweet	p. 26
Literary-Narrative Approaches to Revelation	p. 28
David L. Barr	p. 29
Eugene Boring	p. 31
Leonard Thompson	p. 34
Richard Bauckham and the 'Conversion of the Nations'	p. 37
Method and Assumptions	p. 44
Early Jewish Literature	p. 50
Introduction	p. 50
Qumran - Eschatological Dualism and the Fate of the Nations	p. 52
Tobit	p. 61
Introduction	p. 61
Textual Unity and the Authenticity of Tobit 13.1-14.15	p. 62
Literary Context and Narrative Development: An Intentional Boundary Shift?	p. 67
Development of Biblical Traditions in Tobit	p. 74
Summary	p. 76
Similitudes of Enoch (1 Enoch 37-71)	p. 78
Introduction	p. 78
Literary Structure	p. 80
Group Identification and the Use of Epithets	p. 82
'The Watchers'	p. 83
'Those who dwell on earth'	p. 84
'Sinners'	p. 84
'The Kings and Powerful of the Earth'	p. 84
'Others'	p. 85
Universal Traditions in the Similitudes	p. 86
1 Enoch 48.4-5	p. 87
1 Enoch 50.1-5	p. 90
Scenes of Universal Worship	p. 95
Summary	p. 97
4 Ezra	p. 98
Introduction	p. 98
Literary Structure and Narrative Development	p. 100
Theories Related to Theological Tension in 4 Ezra	p. 104
Transformation as the Interpretive Key to 4 Ezra	p. 106
Universal Traditions in 4 Ezra	p. 108
4 Ezra 6.25-28	p. 108
4 Ezra 11.38-12.34	p. 111
4 Ezra 13	p. 114
Summary	p. 119
Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 85-90)	p. 120
Introduction	p. 120
Narrative Development in the Animal Apocalypse	p. 122
The Role of the Gentile Nations in 1 Enoch 90.16-38	p. 130
Summary	p. 135
Synthesis	p. 136
Preliminary Matters in the Book of Revelation	p. 138
Introduction	p. 138
Critique of Bauckham's Thesis	p. 139
The Question of Genre	p. 145
Structural Analysis of Revelation	p. 147
Narrative Development in Revelation	p. 154
The First Series of Visions (1.9-3.22)	p. 155
The Second Series of Visions (4.1-16.21)	p. 158
The Third Series of Visions (17.1-21.8)	p. 161
The Fourth Series of Visions (21.9-22.5)	p. 166
Universal Traditions in the Book of Revelation	p. 169
Introduction	p. 169
The Contextual Matrix for the Present Study	p. 169
Organization and Interpretive Aims	p. 170
The Nations/Gentiles ([characters not reproducible])	p. 172
Introduction	p. 172
[characters not reproducible] in Biblical Traditions	p. 172
The Four-fold Formula in Revelation	p. 173
Literary-Narrative Function of [characters not reproducible] in Revelation	p. 174
[characters not reproducible] as a Neutrally Collective Term	p. 175
[characters not reproducible] and the Faithful Community	p. 176
[characters not reproducible] as Humanity set against God	p. 178
Psalm 2 as an Interpretive Template in Revelation	p. 178
[characters not reproducible] in Scenes of Eschatological Vindication	p. 181
'The Inhabitants of the Earth'	p. 185
Introduction	p. 185
'The Inhabitants of the Earth' in Biblical Traditions	p. 186
Literary-Narrative Function of 'the Inhabitants of the Earth'	p. 187
Related Terms and Group Labels in Revelation	p. 189
Introduction	p. 189
[characters not reproducible]	p. 190
[characters not reproducible]	p. 191
[characters not reproducible]	p. 194
'The Kings of the Earth'	p. 197
Introduction	p. 197
'The Kings of the Earth' in Biblical Traditions	p. 200
Apocalyptic Convention and Political Polemic	p. 205
Linguistic Field of Reference	p. 206
Literary-Narrative Function of 'the Kings of the Earth'	p. 207
Rev 1.5	p. 208
Rev 6.15-17	p. 217
Rev 10.11	p. 224
Rev 16.14-21	p. 225
Rev 17.1-19.21	p. 227
Rev 21.24-26	p. 241
Isaiah 60 in Two Early Jewish Documents	p. 246
Summary	p. 253
Synthesis and Conclusions	p. 257
Review of Stated Aims	p. 257
Observations on Early Jewish Literature	p. 258
Observations on the Book of Revelation	p. 259
Outlook and Prospects for Further Research	p. 260
Bibliography	p. 262
Index of Authors	p. 273
Index of Topics	p. 276
Index of References	p. 279
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