Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation or The Apocalypse of John ({{IPA2|??p?k?l?ps}}, from Greek {{polytonic|??????????}} "revelation"), is the last book of the New Testament in the Bible. It is the only biblical book that is wholly composed of apocalyptic literature. Some Protestant evangelicals refer to the book as The Revelation of Jesus Christ (as the first verse states verbatim), arguing John may have recorded the revelation, but was not the originator. The book is frequently called by the incorrect name "Revelations". However the actual title of the book is Revelation, or the Revelation to John, as it is rendered at the beginning of the book.

Major Schools of Interpretation

There are several schools of thought concerned with how the symbolism, imagery, and contents of the Book of Revelation should be interpreted.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The Biblical prophecy school of thought holds that the contents of Revelation, especially when interpreted in conjunction with the Book of Daniel and other eschatological sections of the Bible, constitute a prophecy of the end times. This school can be further subdivided into the preterist view, which sees the book concerned with 1st century events; the futurist view, which applies all the events in the book into the end times; and the historicist view, which regards the book as spanning history from the first century through the second coming.
• A second Biblical Prophecy school of thought exists, believing that Revelation is merely a rewrite of the various prophetic books of the Old Testament and that it was originally located at the end of the old Testament with several other, since removed, prophetic books. This school also maintains that many of these same prophetic books are merely rewrites of each other in the same way that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are.
• The historical-critical approach, which became dominant among critical scholars of religion since the end of the 18th century, attempts to understand Revelation within the genre of apocalyptic literature, which was popular in both Jewish and Christian tradition since the Babylonian diaspora, following the pattern of the Book of Daniel. There is further information on these topics in the entries on higher criticism and apocalyptic literature.
• Recently, aesthetic and literary modes of interpretation focus on Revelation as a work of art and imagination, viewing the imagery as symbolic depictions of timeless truths and the victory of good over evil.
• The Ebionites and other Essene and Primitive churches regard Revelation as a description of the Destruction of The Temple in A.D. 66 and the subsequent Imperial Roman persecution of Jews and Christians.
• The "Patristic Interpretation", or the view held by St. Augustine, Jerome, and other early Church Fathers, views Revelation as an attempt to describe a spiritual reality and heavenly worship and compare it to the liturgy of the Christian Church. Although all-but-forgotten today, this interpretation is alluded to in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and has been avidly promoted by modern scholars such as Scott Hahn.

These schools of thought are not mutually exclusive, and many Christians adopt a combination of these approaches in the manner they find most meaningful. However, certain tendencies may be observed. The Biblical Prophecy school of thought is popular among Protestant fundamentalists, other evangelicals (many of whom also find value in the other approaches), and amongst Rastafarians, who interpret the book very differently from fundamentalist Christians but definitely belong to the Biblical Prophecy school. (Rastafarians believe Haile Selassie I to be the Messiah and God incarnate). Members of more mainline and liberal churches tend to prefer the historical-critical and aesthetic approaches. Moreover, Roman and Orthodox churches have delimited their own specific positions on Revelation.

Related Topics:
Protestant - Fundamentalists - Evangelicals - Rastafarians - Haile Selassie I - Messiah - God - Incarnate - Roman - Orthodox

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~