The Alter-Imperial Paradigm: Empire Studies & the Book of Revelation

315 Pages·2016·5.27 MB·English

by  Shane J. Wood

The Alter-Imperial Paradigm
Biblical Interpretation Series
Editors in Chief
Paul Anderson (George Fox University)
Yvonne Sherwood (University of Kent)
Editorial Board
A.K.M. Adam (University of Oxford)
Roland Boer (University of Newcastle, Australia)
Colleen M. Conway (Seton Hall University)
Jennifer L. Koosed (Albright College, Reading, USA)
Vernon Robbins (Emory University)
Annette Schellenberg (Universität Wien)
Carolyn J. Sharp (Yale Divinity School)
Johanna Stiebert (University of Leeds, UK)
Duane Watson (Malone University, USA)
Ruben Zimmermann (Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz)
Volume 140
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bins
The Alter-Imperial Paradigm
Empire Studies & the Book of Revelation
By
Shane J. Wood
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wood, Shane J.
 The alter-imperial paradigm : empire studies & the book of Revelation / by Shane J. Wood.
  pages cm. — (Biblical interpretation series, ISSN 0928-0731 ; Volume 140)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-30802-2 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-30839-8 (e-book : alk. paper)
1. Bible. Revelation—Postcolonial criticism. 2. Imperialism—Biblical teaching. 3. Scott, James C. I. Title.
 BS2825.52.W66 2015
 228’.06—dc23
2015035170
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issn 0928-0731
isbn 978-9004-30802-2 (hardback)
isbn 978-9004-30839-8 (e-book)
Copyright 2016 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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For Sara,
To the moon and back
∵

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
List of Illustrations x
Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
PART 1
The Emergence of the Alter-Imperial Paradigm
1 The Origins of Empire Studies 31
2 Empire Studies and the Alter-Imperial Paradigm 57
Part 2
The Construction of the Sovereign Narrative and Points
of Conversation
3 The Sovereign Narrative of the Roman Empire 77
4 The Date of the Book of Revelation pt. 1: The External and Internal
Evidence 110
5 The Date of the Book of Revelation pt. 2: The Socio-Historical Context
of the Flavian Dynasty 132
Part 3
The Alter-Imperial Paradigm and the Book of Revelation

6 An Alter-Imperial Interpretation of Revelation 20:7–10 189
7 The Alter-Imperial Paradigm: Revelation and Empire Studies 217
viii contents
Appendix A: The Relation of Dominance and Resistance
from James C. Scott Adapted by Shane J. Wood 245
Appendix B: The Relation of Dominance and Resistance
from James C. Scott with Key Elements Added by Shane J. Wood 246
Appendix C: The Dynamics of the Subject Narrative
by Shane J. Wood 247
Bibliography of Works Cited 248
Index of Modern Authors  273
Index of Ancient Sources 278
Acknowledgements
To adequately express gratitude to everyone involved in this journey from dis-
sertation-to-publication strikes me as potentially insuperable. Yet, I could not,
in good conscience, allow the reader to move into the content of this work
without acknowledging that this venture was anything but individual; like
many valuable things in life, this project reflects community.
First, I would like to thank everyone who read and offered invaluable insights
on the various iterations of this manuscript, specifically: Mike Ackerman,
Michael DeFazio, John Hunter, Chris Keith, Matthew Novenson, Meri Rogers,
Jessica Scheuermann, and Doug Welch.
Special thanks to Zach Taylor for his incredible work on gathering the vari-
ous images and the corresponding copyrights. Additionally, I would like to
thank Classical Numismatic Group Inc., ACR Auctions, James Steakley (in part-
nership with WikiMedia), and Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Inc.
for kindly allowing the reproduction of their respective artifact images. Travis
A. Markel (Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.) went above and beyond in his
assistance, for which I am truly grateful.
My brothers, Justin and Jordan Wood, deserve an inordinate amount of grat-
itude due to the hours of discussion, revision, and even domicile intrusion for
weeks at a time to write. Without you, this project, like life, just would not be
what it is.
I am also indebted to my community of mentors, friends, and family, who
believed in me and challenged me, at times, in spite of me: Chris DeWelt,
Nathan Horton, Josh Huckabay, Robert A. Lowery, Mark E. Moore, Josh Quade,
and my parents. I hope this makes you proud.
To my advisor par excellence, Helen Bond, thank you for amiably guiding
this work from its inception. Your gracious critiques and persistent support
brought this project to maturation and, at times, redeemed my sanity.
I would also like to thank Paul Anderson and Liesbeth Hugenholtz for
patiently and enthusiastically directing me through the publication process
with Brill.
Finally, I dedicate this work to my wife, Sara, and my four children: Zion,
Paige, Maddox, and Robert. Words are not enough to express my gratitude for
your unmatched love, adventurous spirits, and resilient strength throughout
this journey. You keep me grounded, you keep me smiling, and for reasons
more numerous than the words of this monograph, this work belongs to you.