The Relevance of Revelation’s Date and the Imperial Cult for John’s Appraisal of the Value of Christians’ Suffering in Revelation 1–3

• The term “appraisal” has to do with the assigning of value, which can then be exchanged for something else. In his prophetic oracles to the seven churches, John praises the value of the ‘martyr’ Antipas’s faithful witness and resistance unto death (Rev 2:13). John also extols the value and necessity of every Christian’s resisting the imperial cult, heretical leaders, and other dangerous influences. The future tribulation and possibility of reward that John promises to the faithful follows the analogy of Christ who, because he “conquered,” received a seat on his Father’s “throne” (cf. Rev 3:21). This paper argues that John employs the value of continued resistance and suffering—and the penalty of damnation to be incurred if one does not adequately resist—to serve as a basis of exhorting the faithful to the resistance emulated by Jesus, Antipas, and John himself (cf. Rev 1:5, 9). It is further argued that in Revelation a theology of authentication because of withstanding persecution plays a prominent role. Such endurance will confer upon only some would-be followers of Jesus the right to sit with Jesus on a heavenly throne. A discussion of Revelation’s date, genre, and socio-historical context with an eye to the imperial cult in Roman Asia Minor offers a context for the analysis of Revelation 1–3. 

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Religious Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Revelation

Date

Suffering

Nya testamentets exegetik

New Testament Exegesis

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kap (ämneskategori)