The Book of Revelation in British Scholarship

I only have space to comment on a couple of points of interest in these engaging and well-researched essays. The first is the emphasis on visualisation, not only through Christopher Rowland’s discussion of Blake’s artwork but also his discussion of Mary Carruthers, who argues that the “monastic practice of meditation notably involved making mental images or cognitive ‘pictures’ for thinking and composing.” It made me wonder if I was wrong to suggest that Allen’s proposal concerning the consonantal Hebrew text turns John into a scribe or rabbi instead of a visionary prophet. Perhaps we should view it more as a visual activity, where the actual shapes and patterns of the Hebrew text formed new patterns in his altered state of consciousness. There is more to the word “see” than meets the eye!

Second, modern scholars try to apply certain criteria to decide if an allusion or echo is intended but they are at a considerable disadvantage to those who throughout their lives have used the biblical texts for prayer, singing, discussion, preaching, meditation and even as a source of visionary experience. Some of their suggestions may seem to have little foundation in the text but this might be because the connections are now hidden from us. The starting point for many studies today is the list of parallels in the margins of Nestle-Aland but a reception history of the passage could usefully supplement this.

Lastly, reception history forces us to ask the question: What does it mean to say that a book like Revelation is inspired? Is it saying something about the origins of the book, such as whether John was genuinely in touch with God or merely suffering from an over-active imagination? Is it offering some sort of guarantee for the final product, for example, that it is free from the vindictiveness or gender stereotyping that we see in similar works? Or is it saying something about the effects of the book, that it can inspire readers and hearers to acts of courage and self-giving? Some readers of this collection may have definite views on this but questions can be asked of all three. Do we really want to maintain a dichotomy between inspiration and imagination? Can the same words and sentiments be free from vindictiveness in one writing (Revelation) but not in another (1 Enoch)? Has not the book been used to justify violence and bigotry as much as it has inspired courage and self-giving? When I began my doctoral studies on Revelation in 1987, someone said to me that the value of focusing on Revelation is that all of the hermeneutical issues raised by the New Testament are present in Revelation – only more so! It is perhaps why the book remains endlessly fascinating, as this fine collection of essays demonstrates.