Parables of War: Reading John's Jewish Apocalypse (Studies in Christianity and Judaism Series, 10)

271 Pages·2001·28.34 MB·English

by  John W. Marshall

Parables of War
Reading John's Jewish Apocalypse
Studies in Christianity and Judaism /
Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme : 10
Studies in Christianity and Judaism / Études sur le christianisme et le
judaïsme publishes monographs on Christianity and Judaism in the last two
centuries before the common era and the first six centuries of the common
era, with a special interest in studies of their interrelationship or the cultural
and social context in which they developed.
GENERAL EDITOR: Peter Richardson University of Toronto
EDITORIAL BOARD: Paula Fredriksen Boston University
John Gager Princeton University
Olivette Genest Université de Montréal
Paul-Hubert Poirier Université Laval
Adele Reinhartz McMaster University
Stephen G. Wilson Carleton University
Studies in Christianity and Judaism /
Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme 10
Parables of War
Reading John's Jewish Apocalypse
John W. Marshall
Published for the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion /
Corporation Canadienne des Sciences Religieuses
by Wilfrid Laurier University Press
2001
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social
Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada, We acknowledge the financial support of the
Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program
for our publishing activities.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data
Marshall, John W. (John William), 1966-
Parables of war : reading John's Jewish Apocalypse
(Studies in Christianity and Judaism = Études sur le christianisme et le judaïsme
ESCJ; v. 10)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-88920-374-1
1. Bible. N.T.—Revelation—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Jewish parables.
3. Bible—Parables. I. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion. II. Title.
III. Series.
BS2825.3.M37 2001 228'.06 C2001-903141-6
© 2001 Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion / Corporation Canadienne des
Sciences Religieuses
Second impression 2002
Cover design by Leslie Macredie. Cover image: The Arch of Titus in the Forum
Romanum, from the collection of John G. Gager. The Arch of Titus depicts the
triumphal procession of 71 CE. Legionaries bear the spoils of Jerusalem's Temple: the
menorah, the silver trumpets and the altar of the shew-bread. Josephus (War 7.5.6)
offers an account of the procession.
Θ
Printed in Canada
Parables of War: Reading John's Jewish Apocalypse has been produced from camera-
ready copy supplied by the author.
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be
reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or
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Order from:
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http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Aporias: Passages Without Passage
3. Meanings: Names and Paths
4. Terms: The Supplement and/or the Complement........
5. Taxonomy. The Sine Qua Non of Christianity?
6. Narratives: John(s) Becomes a Christian (Document)
7. Names: Choosing Categories
8. Date: That Long Year
9. Location: Diaspora in War
10. Parables I: Standing Fast Among the Nations....
11. Parables II: Defending the Holy City
12. Results: Judaism in Asia and Devotion to Jesus ..
Epilogue —
Bibliography
Subject Index
Ancient Sources Index ...
Modern Authors Index
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have many debts to acknowledge. John Gager» Martha Himmelfarb,
and Elaine Pagels shepherded this project in its first incarnation as a
dissertation at Princeton University. Through the substantial work of
transforming it into a book I came to realise more and more the influence
they have had on me and my work as friends, teachers, and colleagues.
Leigh Gibson provided able and invaluable commentary and encouragement
through the life the project. David Frankfurter, J. Christian Wilson, and
Edith Humphrey generously read the manuscript in one form or another and
provided helpful and well-meaning criticisms. Peter Richardson revealed
the myriad skills of a series editor as a scout, an editor, a guide, and a
colleague and helped this project in all those roles. Stephanie Fysh edited
the final manuscript with great skill and to its great improvement. This
book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and
Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Pamela Klassen has seen all sides of this project and believed in it and in
me steadfastly. She has also contributed it to it, with challenging discussion
and supportive insight. My daughters, Magdalene and Isabel, have been a
sustaining joy throughout a work that began before they were born.
For Pamela
vii
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1
INTRODUCTION
The "long year" looked like the last year, the last of all years, even to the
Roman historian Tacitus.1 Consider the way the world looked then to a Jew
in the Diaspora. From the island of Patmos in 69 CE, a Jew named John
looked to the east and saw the holy city of Jerusalem besieged by the armies
of Rome but standing valiantly, awaiting its deliverance. Beyond Jerusalem,
the ghost of Nero—or a Nero who never really died—threatened to lead the
armies of Parthia against his former dominions.2 Looking to the west, John
saw the convulsions of the great beast that was Rome: war raged on Italian
soil, each emperor slew his predecessor, each so-called ruler of the world was
unable to rule even his own city. It appeared that the Empire was drunk on
its own corruption, lurching toward its dissolution. As he looked around the
province of Asia, John saw the army of the latest pretender leaving the siege
of the holy city of Jerusalem and marching on to assault the great city of
Rome. Myriads of soldiers under the command of Gaius Licinius Mucianus
traversed the province of Asia on their way to install the fourth emperor of
the year. Closer still to home, John saw his own Jewish community living
dangerously among the nations, derided and scapegoated by their
neighbours over the war in Judea, tempted to abandon the commandments
of God for the ways of the nations.
1 These two descriptions, "long" and "last," proceed from Tacitus: "that one long year of
Galba, Otho, and Vitellius" (atque ilium Galbae et Othonis et Vitelli îongum et unum
annum; Dialogue 17) and "the year that was going to be his [Galba's] last and for the
state almost the end" (annum sîèi ultimum, rei publicae prope supremum; Histories 1.11).
2 "About this time [summer 69 CE] Achaia and Asia were terrified by a false rumour of
Nero's arrival. The reports with regard to his death had been varied and therefore
many people imagined and believed he was alive" (Sub idem tempus Achaia atque Asia
falso exterriiae velut Nero adventaret, varia super exitu eius rumore eoque pluribus vivere
eum fingentibus credentibusque, Tacitus, I-fistories 2.8).