Revelation: A Continental Commentary

286 Pages·1993·17.138 MB·English

by  Jurgen Roloff

A CONTINENTAL COMMENTARY

JURGEN ROLOFF
THE REVELATION
OF JOHN
A Continental Commentary
Translated by
John E. Alsup
FORTRESS PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS
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Theology oft he Psalms
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Obadiah and Jonah
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Hans Walter Wolff
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Galatians
Dieter Luhrmann
THE REVELATION OF JOHN
A Continental Commentary
First Fortress Press edition 1993.
Translated from Die Offenbarung des Johannes, second edition, published by Theologischer
Verlag ZOrich in the ZOrcher Bibelkommentare series.
Copyright © 1984, 1987 by Theologischer Verlag ZOrich. English translation copyright ©
1993 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, Minneapolis.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this
book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the
publisher. Write to: Permissions, Augsburg Fortress, 426 S. Fifth St., Box 1209,
Minneapolis, MN 55440.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version
of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roloff, JOrgen.
[Offenbarung des Johannes. English]
Revelation: a continental commentary / JOrgen Roloff; translated
by John E. Alsup.-Ist Fortress Press ed.
p. cm.-(A Continental commentary)
Translation of: Die Offenbarung des Johannes.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-8006-9560-6 (alk. paper) :
I. Bible. N.T. Revelation-Commentaries. I. Bible. N.T. Revelation.
English. New Revised Standard. 1992. II. Title. III. Series.
BS2825.3.R6513 1993
228'.077-dc20 92-35669
CIP
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National
Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z329.48-1984.
Manufactured in the U.S.A. AF 1-9618
97 95 94 93 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Contents
Preface vii
Abbreviations IX
INTRODUCTION 1
History of Influence 1
Apocalyptic and Apocalypses 3
Revelation-an Early Christian Apocalypse? 5
The Epistolary Character of Revelation 7
Author and Original Situation 8
Language and Style 12
Tradition and Interpretation 13
Regarding the Challenge of Interpretation 14
Structure and Organization 15
COMMENTARY 18
Foreword (1:1-3) 18
Epistolary Opening (1 :4-8) 22
Commissioning Vision (1 :9-20) 30
The Seven Circular Letters (2:1-3:22) 41
To the Church in Ephesus (2: 1-7) 43
To the Church in Smyrna (2:8-11) 47
To the Church in Pergamum (2: 12-1 7) 50
To the Church in Thyatira (2: 18-19) 53
To the Church in Sardis (3: 1-6) 57
To the Church in Philadelphia (3:7-13) 60
To the Church in Laodicea (3: 14-22) 63
The Appearance of God (4:1-11) 67
v
Contents
The Lamb and the Sealed Book (5: 1-14) 74
The Visions of the Seven Seals (6: 1-8: 1) 83
The First Four Seals (6: 1-8) 85
The Fifth Seal (6:9-11) 88
The Sixth Seal (6: 12-17) 91
The Preservation of the Church (7: 1-17) 94
The Seventh Seal (8:1) 101
The Visions of the Seven Trumpets (8:2-11: 19) 103
Preparation (8:2-6) 106
The First Four Trumpets (8:7-13) 109
The Fifth Trumpet (9:1-12) 113
The Sixth Trumpet (9: 13-21) 117
The Mission of Prophecy in the
Context of the End Event (10: 1-11) 121
The Measurement of the Temple
and the Two Witnesses (11:1-14) 127
The Seventh Trumpet (11: 15-19) 136
Second Series of Visions:
The End Event as God's Struggle
with His Adversary (12: 1-19: 10) 139
The Woman, the Dragon, and the Child ( 12: 1-18) 141
The Beast from the Sea and Its Power (13: 1-10) 153
The Beast from the Earth (13: 11-18) 160
The Lamb and the 144,000 on Zion (14: 1-5) 169
View toward the Judgment (14:6-20) 173
The Visions of the Seven Bowls (15: 1-16:21) 180
Preparation (15: 1-8) 181
The Pouring Out of the Seven Bowls (16: 1-21) 186
The Execution of Judgment
on the Great Evil City (17: 1-19: 10) 193
The Harlot Babylon and the Beast (17: 1-18) 194
The Judgment over the Great City (18: 1-24) 202
Hymnic Finale (19: 1-10) 209
Concluding Visions: The Consummation
of God's Plan for History (19: 11-22:5) 214
The Return of Jesus as Judge of the World (19: 11-21) 216
The Thousand-Year Kingdom and the
Destruction of Satan (20: 1-10) 222
End of the World and Universal Judgment (20: 11-15) 230
God's New World (21:1-22:5) 233
God's New Act of Creation (21:1-8) 234
The Perfected Salvation Community (21:9-22:5) 239
The Conclusion of the Book (22:6-21) 248
Select Bibliography 255
Index of Biblical References 259
Subject Index 271
VI
Preface
Every interpretation of a biblical text is a dialogic process. The text
becomes an active participant only when the interpreter addresses ques
tions to it. During the dialogue such questions must be appropriate for
the substantive concern expressed by the text. At the same time, however,
the questions ofthe interpreter inevitably reflect his or her own situation
arid historical perspective. While working on the Book of Revelation, I
have learned that this book has a great capacity to answer questions that
have a special urgency for the Christian community today, such as those
of our relationship to creation and of the political dimensions to Chris
tian faith. Other issues that the text addresses may seem less urgent, but
only because we are unavoidably indebteded to our historical moment.
I have tried to make clear that Revelation is not an abstract
monologue but presents the results of a vital interaction between the
author and concrete communities of faith. For this emphasis on the
significance of the book's epistolary elements, I was able to draw on the
conclusions reached by my student Martin Karrer in his dissertation
"Die Johannesapokalypse als Brief." In recent years Karrer has con
tributed much to the emergence of this interpretation with his sug
gestions and perceptive criticism, for which I thank him heartily here.
VB
Abbreviations
Old Testament Apocrypha
1, 2 Mace. 1, 2 Maccabees
Sir. Book of Sirach
Tob. Book of Tobit
Wis. Wisdom of Solomon
Jewish Writings, Second and First Centuries B.C.
Asc.Isa. Ascension ofI saiah
1 Enoch Ethiopic Enoch
Jub. Book ofJ ubilees
LXX Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament)
3 Mace. 3 Maccabees
lQH Thanksgiving Hymns from Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls, Cave 1
lQM Qumran War Scroll
lQS Qumran Rule ofD iscipline
4Qpatr Qumran Blessings oft he Patriarchs, Cave 4
4QpHab Qumran Commentary on Habakkuk
4QTestim Qumran Testimonia, or collection of testimonies
Sib. Or. Sibylline Oracles (Jewish propaganda document, with
Christian emendations)
T. Dan Testament ofD an, in Testimony oft he Twelve Patriarchs
T. Jud. Testament ofJ udah
T. Levi Testament ofL evi
T.Naph. Testament ofNaphtali
Jewish Writings, First-Third Centuries A.D.
Apoc. Abr. Apocalypse ofA braham
2 Apoc. Bar. Syriac Apocalypse ofB aruch
Apoc. Elijah Apocalypse ofE lijah
As. Mos. Assumption (Ascension) ofM oses, an apocalypse
Ber. Berakot, a tractate in the Mishna
IX
Abbrep;at;ons
Gen. R. Genesis Rabbah
Exod. R. Exodus Rabbah
2 Enoch Slavonic Enoch. an apocalypse
4 Ezra (or 2 Esdras), an apocalypse
Jos. Ant. Antiquities oft he Jews. by Josephus (c. A.D. 37-100), a Jewish
historian
Jos. J. W. Jewish Wars. by Josephus
Mek. Mekilta. a rabbinic commentary on Exodus
Philo Spec. leg. De specialibus legibus. by Philo, a Jewish philosopher and
biblical interpreter, a contemporary of Jesus
Non-Christian Greek and Roman Writings
Dio Chrys. Oratio Speeches. by Dio Chrysostom (c. A.D. 40-120), a popular
cynic-stoic philosopher
Lucian Syr. dea De syria dea. by Lucian (c. A. D. 120-180), a Greek writer
Ovid Metam. Metamorphoses. by Ovid (43 B.C.-C. A.D. 18), a Roman poet
Pliny Epist. Epistles. by Pliny the Younger (c. A.D. 61-112), a Roman
rhetorician and statesman
Suet. Dom. Life ofD o miti an. by Suetonius (c. A.D. 75-150), a Roman
historian and author of the biographies of the Caesars
Suet. Nero Life ofN ero. by Suetonius
Tac.Ann. Annales, by Tacitus (c. A.D. 55-120), a Roman historian
Tac. Hist. Histories. by Tacitus
Christian Writings,
First-Second Centuries A.D. and Later
Barn. Epistle ofB arnabas. by one of the Apostolic Fathers
I Clem. I Clement
Did. Didache. a book of church order, written in Syria at the end of
the first century
Eus. Hist. eccl. Church History. by Eusebius (c. 263-339), bishop of
Caesarea
Herm. Vis. Visions. by the Shepherd of Hermas (fl. in Rome in first half
of2d cent.), an apocalypse
e.o.
Hippol. Church Order (or Apostolic Tradition), by Hippolytus (c.
160-235)
Hippol. Frag. Gen. Fragments on Genesis. by Hippolytus
Ign. Eph. Epistle to the Ephesians. by Ignatius (martyred in Rome c.
110), bishop of Antioch
Ign. Magn. Epistle to the Magnesians. by Ignatius
Iren. Adv. haer. Against Heresies. by Irenaeus (died c. 202), bishop of Lyon's
Justin Apol. Apology. by Justin Martyr (died c. 165)
Justin Dial. Dialogue with Trypho. by Justin Martyr
Mart. Pol. Martyrdom ofP olyc arp
Pol. Phil. Epistle to the Philippians. by Polycarp (martyred c. 155),
bishop of Smyrna
Modern Works
ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers
Hennecke E. Hennecke, New Testament Apocrypha in German
Schneeme1cher
Wilson
x