The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. Two possible dates are commonly suggested for the writing of the book of revelation. But he didnt specifically identify himself as john the apostle. Critics argue that the language of revelation is far too different from the gospel of john to have been written by the same author. Book of revelation simple english wikipedia, the free. Apr 16, 2011 the author of the book of revelation identifies himself as john, and the book has been traditionally credited to john the apostle. Jan, 2018 minilecture on the book of revelation as part of the course about the apocalypse. Daniel, ezekiel, isaiah the sociocultural background to the book of revelation second essay options. The was the title given to the book in the latin vulgate 3. The authorship of the book of revelation standard bearer. The greek form of this name represents a common hebrew name yochanan, which identifies the author as a jew. In fact it is the only portion of the new testament to which jesus gives his endorsement, and affixes his signature, saying at its closei jesus have sent mine angel to. Nov 14, 2017 while there were skeptics, even early on, about the authorship of the text most likely due to the apocalyptic nature of the book, the general consensus was that john the apostle was the author.
Exegetical essay on one or more passages in revelation related to empire andor ecology. The authorship of the johannine worksthe gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelationhas been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. We will attempt to read revelation in the way it may have been read or heard by the firstcentury christian inhabitants of asia minor. Whoever that john was has been a subject of debate. When approaching the issue of the authorship of the book of revelation, we should bear these two factors in mind.
Jun 24, 2012 the authorship date of the book of revelation. Second, attacks upon the apostolic authorship are often. It is the vocabulary and style of the gospel of john, the johannine epistles, and revelation that scholars generally point to as decisive evidence against common authorship. It is in these four passages that the author refers to himself as john. Lets consider two of the central arguments surrounding this debate. The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. The date of the book of revelation richard wayne garganta. Gospel of john, three epistles of john, and revelation. There is different language between revelation and the gospel of john. Mar 07, 2012 on the book of revelation s authorship john apparently was not only a jewish prophet, but he was a follower of jesus of nazareth, who of course had been crucified about 60 years earlier. There are differences in style between revelation and johns other writings, but they are insignificant and do not preclude one man from writing both.
The debate of authorships source started, because, the author of the book of revelation calls himself john in 1. The book of revelation has fascinated both believers and unbelievers ever since it was written. Dating the authorship of the book of revelation the. It is one of the most difficult to understand books because of its prophetical nature, inexplicable and. Revelation a study guide about the book of revelation. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself as john, and the book has been traditionally credited to. When john wrote the gospel he clearly identified himself as the john who is. John was the only disciple present at the cross when christ was crucified. That is the internal evidence of the book and the external testimony of early church fathers. It is these and other questions surrounding the date that is the point of focus for this writing. Useful bible studies revelation commentary study guide. The vision which opens the book and the verse that organizes it. But this is absolutely not the case with the book of revelation. The traditional view holds that john, the apostle, was the author of revelation.
This does not necessarily indicate that this john was john the apostle. This post starts a series through the book of revelation. Before starting in revelation 1 i want to give plenty of explanations for the authorship, textual design, interpretation, date, themes, and outlines for the book of revelation. It is one of the most difficult to understand books because of its prophetical nature, inexplicable and unfamiliar extravagant symbolism. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself as john, and the book has been traditionally credited to john the apostle. Even in the early church there was not complete agreement over who wrote the book. John found expression in the book of revelation, also called the apocalypse, the last of the 27. His testimony is also very helpful, because irenaeus was a disciple. The author of the book of revelation christopher l. Some tradition has up until recent times regarded the date revelations authorship to be around 95ad. Other church fathers such as dionysius of alexandria, eusebius.
Many of the books original readers were still alive during the lifetimes of justin martyr and irenaeus, both of who held to apostolic authorship. He suggested that the author was a certain john the presbyter, whose name appears elsewhere in ancient writings. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. Brian chilton investigates the author of the book of revelation. In addition to providing an overview of each book, topics such as authorship, audience, theology, major themes, presenting problems, and pastoral strategies are discussed in depth. Four reasons exist as to why one should accept johannine authorship of. I have come to understand that the majority of the book of revelation was written regarding events that took place at the destruction of jerusalem in ad 70. Dionysius challenged the traditional view that john. In the case of most books of the bible, determining the date of its authorship, while certainly important, is not necessarily crucial to its interpretation. Although the authorship of john the apostle is still defended in conservative circles, scholars outside of these circles commonly reject it and reject the idea that one author is responsible for the gospel of john, the three johannine epistles. On the question of authorship, critics differ, as follows. What bearing does the time of the writing have on the interpretation of the book. Jan 01, 2019 the book of revelation presents its author as john. The scope of the book in your hands is not able to adequately address this topic.
Writers of commentaries and new testament introductions uniformly report that the authorship of revelation is a controversial issue. The book of revelation, often called the book of revelations, revelation to john, the apocalypse of john, the revelation, or simply revelation, the revelation of jesus christ from its opening words or the apocalypse, is the final book of the new testament, and therefore also the final book of the christian bible. While there were skeptics, even early on, about the authorship of the text most likely due to the apocalyptic nature of the book, the general consensus was that john the apostle was the author. The authorship of revelation part 1 arming for armageddon.
Although many today follow dionysius in his view of authorship, the external evidence seems overwhelmingly supportive of the traditional view. Dating the authorship of the book of revelation the poached. Authorship, occasion, and date the opening verses of the book of the revelation plainly claim the book was written by john, identified almost universally in the early church as the apostle john. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. Jesus asked john to take care of his mother john 19.
The apostolic authorship of the book has, nevertheless, been questioned ever since the time of dionysius of alexandria in the third century. Since the author of the book of revelation does not disclose who he is, apart from the four times he makes reference to himself as john cf. On the book of revelations authorship john apparently was not only a jewish prophet, but he was a follower of jesus of nazareth, who. Those who hold to the view that the author of this book is a certain elder named john deny also that the epistles of john were written by the apostle john and maintain that both the. First, greater emphasis should be placed on the testimony of the early church objective evidence than analysis of internal factors within the text subjective evidence. In fact it is the only portion of the new testament to which jesus gives his endorsement, and affixes his signature, saying at its close.
This area along with many other sections within the confines of introductory material is one that is highly debatable. The author of revelation in this post i want to explain why it is almost universally thought that the same author did not write the fourth gospel and the book of revelation, and then to show why the latter author was almost certainly not john the son of zebedee, jesus close disciple. Apocalypse, from the verb apokalypto, to reveal, is the name given to the last book in the bible. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. There is some disagreement over whether the john who wrote the letters of john, the john who wrote the gospel of john, and the john who wrote the book of revelation are the same person. Jul 04, 2016 before starting in revelation 1 i want to give plenty of explanations for the authorship, textual design, interpretation, date, themes, and outlines for the book of revelation. The greek form of this name represents a common hebrew name yochanan, which identifies the author as a jew the fact that the author makes no attempt to build himself up, but simply refers to himself as john, your brother 1. Todays post looks at the evidence for and against john being the author of the book of revelation. The main debate centers on who authored the writings, and which of the writings, if any, can be ascribed to a common author. Unlike genre, the issue of revelations authorship is more confusing and hotly debated. The author of the book of revelation is the disciple of jesus.
The authorship of the johannine works the gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelation has been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. The book of revelation is a complex text full of imagery, visions of destruction, and gods triumph over evil to name a few. Keener reveals the transitions, the structure, and the benefits of learning to read the bible in context. The very fact that the author of the apocalypse simply calls himself john is a dead giveaway that he was well known throughout the churches in asia minor. The date of authorship for the book of revelation raptureless. Revelation was written when christians were entering a time of persecution. The internal evidence of the authorship is found in four passages in the book of revelation. Some general comments about the book of revelation and its uniqueness. Finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named john the elder wrote the book of revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by john the apostle. The book of revelation was likely written between a. Doc authorship debate on revelation sri a academia. Revelation is often described as a the revelation of john meaning the revelation to john 1. Unlike most apocalypses, revelation does not pretend to be written by some famous religious figure from the distant past.
Book of revelation apocalypse written on patmos island. Irenaeus mentioned johns authorship in his work against heresies, book 4, chapter 18, section 11. Authorship of the book of revelation study archive it has been usual to say that the spanish jesuit alcasar was the founder of the pr. Authorship of the book of revelation study archive the preterist. Minilecture on the book of revelation as part of the course about the apocalypse. Although there is some debate, the author is probably the apostle john of the sons of zebedee. The book of revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for christians of all time.
Authorship of the book of revelation study archive the. This summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of revelation. The authorship debate on revelation the book of revelation is the last book of the new testament and the individual one which is an apocalypse. The structure of revelation and its relevance for interpretation hebrew bible intertextuality in the book of revelation e. The author of revelation repeatedly identifies himself simply as john 1. Barrick, the testimony of jesus in the book of revelation authored. Although a christian work, the apocalypse belongs to a class of literature dealing with eschatological subjects and much in vogue among the jews of the first century before, and after, christ.
Although the authorship of john the apostle is still defended in conservative circles, scholars outside of these circles commonly reject it and reject the idea that one author is responsible for the gospel of john, the three johannine epistles, and revelation. The muratorian fragment, an early document listing most of the books belonging to the new testament, states that the apostle john wrote the apocalypse or revelation. Justin martyr, irenaeus, clement of alexandria, tertullian, cyprian, and hippolytus came to that conclusion. Some modern scholars characterize revelations author as a putative figure whom they call john of patmos. Determining the date revelations authorship biblical. John mark is an unlikely candidate, for no early christian writer believed he wrote revelation, and his book is identified by his surname rather than by the name. In other words, we will examine the ways in which modern new testament. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. A brief survey of support for johns authorship of this letter as well as counter arguments follow. Centuries ago, dionysius encourages a sharp distinction between johns works by emphasizing the quality of the greek in the gospel of john and 1 john and the poor greek of revelation. The authorship of the book of revelation has been ascribed to no less than three men named john. Critics since the 3 rd century ad have challenged that john the apostle wrote this book. The inscription to the book of revelation, in the syrian version, first published by deuteronomy dieu, in 1627, and, afterwards in the london polyglot, is the following, the revelation which god made to john the evangelist, in the island of patmos, to which he was banished by nero caesar.
Four reasons exist as to why one should accept johannine authorship of revelation. The book of revelation presents its author as john. Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. The book of revelation was written by the apostle john revelation 1. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all christians are called to trust in jesus promise, behold, i am with you always, until the end of the age mt 28. Many of the book s original readers were still alive during the lifetimes of justin martyr and irenaeus, both of who held to apostolic authorship. There are differences in style between revelation and johns other writings, but they are insignificant and do. Critics since the 3rd century ad have challenged that john the apostle wrote this book. The apostle john the author of the book of revelation identified himself by the relatively common name john.
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