Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary

925 Pages·2014·9.17 MB·English

by  Craig R. Koester

Revelation
volume 38A
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THE ANCHOR YALE BIBLE
Revelation
A New Translation with
Introduction and Commentary
CRAIG R. KOESTER
THE ANCHOR YALE BIBLE
New Haven & London
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bible. Revelation. English. Koester. .
Revelation : a new translation with introduction and commentary / Craig R. Koester.
pages cm.— (Th e Anchor Yale Bible ; volume A)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN ---- (alk. paper)
. Bible. Revelation—Commentaries. I. Koester, Craig R., – II. Title.
BS..A  .N vol. A
[BS]
′.—dc

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Th is paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z.– (Permanence of Paper).
         
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the fi rst and the last,
the beginning and the end.
—Rev :
Of the Father’s love begotten, ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega, he the source the ending he,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see, evermore and evermore.
—Prudentius (ca.  CE)
Th e end is not an event but a person.
—G. B. Caird
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Contents
Preface xiii
List of Illustrations, Maps, and Tables xvii
List of Abbreviations xix
Secondary Sources xix
Greek and Latin Authors xxvi
Jewish and Early Christian Texts xxxvi
Inscriptions and Papyri xl
revelation: a translation 1
introduction 27
I. History of Interpretation and Infl uence 29
A. Revelation from  to  CE 29
1. Th e West to  30
2. Th e East to  33
3. From  to  35
B. Revelation from  to  39
1. Early Medieval Writers (–) 39
2. S piritual and Th eological
Interpretation (–) 42
3. J oachim of Fiore and the Coming
Spiritual Age 44
4. R evelation as a Continuous Outline
of Church History 46
C. Revelation from  to  48
1. From Erasmus to Luther 48
2. Reformed Tradition 50
3. Radical and Anabaptist Movements 53
4. Roman Catholic Tradition 55
D. Revelation from  to the Present 58
1. Worship and Music 58
2. Futuristic Interpretation 59
3. Historical Criticism 61
4. F rom World War II to Global
Perspectives 63
II. Historical Issues 65
A. Authorship 65
1. John the Apostle 66
2. “John” as a Pseudonym 67
3. John as an Early Christian Elder 68
4. John as an Early Christian Prophet 68
B. Unity of the Text 69
C. Date 71
1. Early Dates (–) 72
2. End of Domitian’s Reign (ca. ) 74
3. Late Dates (–) 78
4. General Period – 79
D. Early Christian Traditions 80
1. Johannine Traditions 80
2. Pauline Traditions 83
3. Synoptic Traditions 84
III. Social Setting of Revelation 85
A. Christian Community and Its
Social Context 86
1. Christian Community 86
2. R elationships with Jewish
Communities 92
3. R elationship to Greco-Roman
Society 93
B. Issues Aff ecting the Readers 96
1. Confl ict with Outsiders 96
2. A ssimilation and Greco-Roman
Religious Practices 99
3. Complacency and Wealth 101
IV. Literary Aspects 103
A. Genre 104
1. Apocalypse 104
2. Prophecy 107
3. Letter 109
viii contents
B. Structure 112
C. Narrative Aspects 115
1. Narration 115
2. Character Portrayal 116
3. Spatial and Temporal Settings 119
4. Plot 121
D. Intertextuality 123
1. Scripture 123
2. Greco-Roman Tradition 126
E. Hymns and Beatitudes 126
1. Hymns 127
2. Beatitudes 130
V. Rhetorical Aspects 132
A. Situation and Strategy 132
1. Revelation’s Visionary Argument 133
2. Emotional Eff ect 134
3. Character of the Speaker 136
B. Language and Style 138
1. Word Pictures 138
2. Writing Styles 139
3. Selected Forms of Expression 141
VI. Text of Revelation 144
bibliography 151
notes and comments 207
Title and Introduction to the Book 209
1. Title 209
2. Introduction to the Book (:–) 210
First Cycle: Christ and the Seven
Assemblies (:–:) 231
3. General Comments on the
First Cycle 231
A. History of Interpretation of
Revelation 1–3 231
B. Literary Characteristics of the
Seven Messages 234
4. Christ Commissions John to Write
(:–) 238
5. To the Assembly in Ephesus (:–) 255
6. To the Assembly in Smyrna (:–) 271
contents ix