John's Use of the Old Testament in Revelation

448 Pages·1998·7.12 MB·English

by  Gregory K. Beale

JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
166
Executive Editor
Stanley E. Porter
Editorial Board
David Catchpole, R. Alan Culpepper, Margaret Davies,
James D.G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans, Stephen Fowl, Robert Fowler,
Robert Jewett, Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, Robert W. Wall
Sheffield Academic Press
John's Use of the Old
Testament in Revelation
G.K. Beale
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 166
Copyright © 1998 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
Mansion House
19 Kingfield Road
Sheffield Sll 9AS
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
and
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain
by Bookcraft Ltd
Midsomer Norton, Bath
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
ISBN 1-85075-894-8
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 7
Abbreviations 9
CHAPTER 1 13
Introduction: Recent Discussion and Debate about the Use
of the Old Testament in Revelation
CHAPTER2 60
The Various Ways John Uses the Old Testament
CHAPTER 3 129
The Influence of the Old Testament upon the Eschatology of
Revelation
A. The Eschatology of Revelation in Relation to the Rest 129
of the New Testament: The 'Already and Not Yet'
B. The Interpretation of Revelation 1.19: Its Old Testament 165
Background and its Disputed Significance as an
Interpretative Key to the Whole Book
C. The Problem of the Temporal Scope of the Sevenfold 192
Series of Trumpets and Bowls in the Light of Relevant
Old Testament Background
D. The Use of jlUcr't'f)ptov in the Apocalypse and Elsewhere 215
in the New Testament Against the Old Testament-
Jewish Background
E. The Old Testament Background of Revelation 3.14: The 273
Already and Not Yet New Creation of Revelation
CHAPTER 4 295
The Influence of the Old Testament upon the Symbolism of
Revelation
A. Symbolism as the Predominate Mode of Communication 295
6 John's Use of the Old Testament in Revelation
in Revelation: the Old Testament Background of
Revelation 1.1
B. The Hearing Formula in the Letters of Revelation and its 298
Implications for the Purpose of Symbolism in the
Visionary Portion of the Book
CHAPTER 5 318
The Influence of the Old Testament on the Grammar of Revelation:
Solecisms in Revelation as Signals for the Presence of Old Testament
Allusions (A Selective Analysis of Revelations 1-22)
CHAPTER6 356
The Bearing of the Old Testament on the Interpretation of the
Millennium in Revelation 20.1-7
Bibliography 394
Index of References 412
Index of Authors 439
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book has been inspired by my research over the last twenty years
on the Book of Revelation, and especially by a commentary on Revela
tion which has dominated the second decade of my research. My work
on John's Revelation began formally when I commenced doctoral work
at Cambridge University in the Fall of 1977. John Sweet was my su
pervisor during most of my time at Cambridge, and he has continued
throughout the years to provide helpful advice and comment on my on
going work. I am grateful to him for his help, which has also made its
impact on the present monograph.
Even before beginning doctoral work, I had the privilege of studying
under S. Lewis Johnson during Seminary days. It was he who originally
suggested to me that the use of the Old Testament in Revelation might
be an excellent area to study for doctoral research. Little did I know
that I would spend twenty years studying this important yet difficult
subject. His method of studying the use of the Old Testament in the
New has been formative for my own approach, and I have passed it
down to my own students at Gordan-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Thank you, Dr Johnson.
I am also grateful to many of my past students at Gordan-Conwell
who have sat through my lectures and read some of my work, and who
have made helpful comments which have caused me to reflect further
with profit on John's Apocalypse. I am particularly grateful to Eliza
beth Shively, Juan Hernandez Jr., Joel White, Jeffrey Herron, Erik
Panikian, Janling Fu, David Smith, Dan Gurtner, Hunter We'imar, Scott
Foster and John Lin who helped with proofreading; John Lin was espe
cially helpful with the production of the final manuscript. In addition,
Meredith Kline, Jr, and Freeman Barton of the library staff offered in
valuable assistance in obtaining interlibrary loans and other material
from the library.
To God be the glory.
MATERIAL IN THIS VOLUME PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
Chapter 2 (The Various Ways John Uses the Old Testament) is a major revision of
'[The Use of the Old Testament in] Revelation', in D.A. Carson and H.G.M.
Williamson (eds.), It is Written: Scripture Citing Scripture: Essays in Honor of
Barnabas Lindars (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), pp. 318-36.
Chapter 3, section A (The Eschatology of Revelation in Relation to the Rest of
the New Testament: The 'Already and Not Yet') is a minor revision of 'Escha
tology (of Acts, Hebrews, Catholic Epistles, and Revelation)', in R.P. Martin and
P.H. Davids (eds.), Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 3 (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1997), pp. 330-45.
Chapter 3, section B (The Interpretation of Revelation 1.19: Its Old Testament
Background and its Disputed Significance as an Interpretative Key to the Whole
Book) is a revision of 'The Interpretative Problem of Rev. 1: 19', NovT 34 (1992),
pp. 360-87. (Permission sought.)
Chapter 3, section E (The Old Testament Background of Revelation 3.14: The
Already and Not Yet New Creation of Revelation) was previously published as
'The Old Testament Background of Rev 3.14, NTS 42 (1996), pp. 133-52.
Chapter 4, section B (The Hearing Formula in the Letters of Revelation and its
Implications for the Purpose of Symbolism in the Visionary Portion of the Book) is
a minor revision of G.K. Beale, 'The Hearing Formula and the Visions of John in
Revelation', in M. Bockmuehl and M.B. Thompson (eds.), A Vision for the Church:
Studies in Early Christian Ecclesiology in Honour of J.P.M. Sweet (Edinburgh:
T. & T. Clark 1997), pp. 167-80.
Chapter 5 (The Influence of the Old Testament on the Grammar of Revelation:
Solecisms in Revelation as Signals for the Presence of OT Allusions) is a revision of
'Solecisms in the Apocalypse as Signals for the Presence of OT Allusions (A
Selective Analysis of Rev. 1-22)', in C.A. Evans and J.A. Sanders (eds.), Early
Interpretation of the Scriptures of Israel (JSNTSup, 148; Studies in Scripture in
Early Judaism and Christianity, 5; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997), pp.
421-43.
I am thankful to these journals and publishers for permission to republish
material.
ABBREVIATIONS
AB Anchor Bible
ABD David Noel Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary
(New York: Doubleday, 1992)
AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies
BAGD Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, F. William Gingrich and
Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2nd edn, 1958)
BDF Friedrich Blass, A. Debrunner and Robert W. Funk, A Greek
Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian
Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961)
BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium
BFCT Beitrlige zur Forderung christlicher Theologie
Bib Biblica
BibRes Biblical Research
BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of
Manchester
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BW James A. Brookes and Carlton L. Winbery, Syntax of New
Testament Greek (Washington: University Press of America,
1979)
BZAW Beihefte zur Z4. W
BZNW Beihefte zur ZNW
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
ConBNT Coniectanea biblica, New Testament
CR:BS Currents in Research: Biblical Studies
CTM Concordia Theological Monthly
DM H.E. Dana and J.R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek
New Testament (Toronto: Macmillan, 1927)
EvQ Evangelical Quarterly
ExpTim Expository Times
FzB Forschung zur Bibel
GKC Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (ed. E. Kautzsch, revised and
trans. A.E. Cowley; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910)
GTJ Grace Theological Journal
HDR Harvard Dissertations in Religion
10 John's Use of the Old Testament in Revelation
HNT Handbuch zum Neuen Testament
HSM Harvard Semitic Monographs
HTR Harvard Theological Review
IBS Irish Biblical Studies
ICC International Critical Commentary
Int Interpretation
JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement
Series
JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement
Series
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
LSJ H.G. Liddell, Robert Scott and H. Stuart Jones, Greek
English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 9th edn, 1968)
MHT J.H. Moulton, W.F. Howard and M. Turner, A Grammar of
New Testament Greek, I-IV (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1906-
1976)
MNTC Moffatt NT Commentary
NCB New Century Bible
Neot Neotestamentica
NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament
NIDNTT Colin Brown (ed.), The New International Dictionary of New
Testament Theology (3 vols.; Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1975)
NIGTC The New International Greek Testament Commentary
NovT Novum Testamentum
NovTSup Novum Testamentum, Supplements
NRT La nouvelle revue theologique
NTS New Testament Studies
OTP James Charlesworth (ed.), Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
RB Revue biblique
RevExp Review and Expositor
RevQ Revue de Qumran
RivB · Rivista biblica
RTR Reformed Theological Review
SANT Studien zum Alten und Neuen Testament
SBLSP SBL Seminar Papers
SBT Studies in Biblical Theology
SEA Svensk exegetisk arsbok
SJT Scottish Journal of Theology
SNT Studien zum Neuen Testm:nent
SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series