Elias V. Oiconomou
Authorities and Citizens in John's Book of Revelation
Introductory Speech at the International Interdisciplinary Symposion for the celebration of the 1900th anniversary of the book of John's Revelation
The Book of Revelation by St. John is -most fortunately- difficult tο understand and does nοt readily lend itself to superficial reading and use. It is certainly not a book that reinforces οne's peace of mind, but rather a book, ever timely, that provokes one to search for its present-day meaning and significance. Ιn form it is colourful, harmonious and logical; a book of bilateral relations expressed in images but with trilateral consequences: affecting relations between God, the world, and man. Theology, anthropology and cosmology, are interwoven, producing positions οn the subjects of authority and ecology, accepting the end of history as meta-history rather than as eschatology. The history appears as an interweaving, as an engagement and disengagement of divine authority with and from its rejection.
John's Revelation is a book in which changeless God and the changing world and man, the present and the future, faith and unbelief, war and peace, humiliation and glory, death and resurrection are interwoven. It contains very strong feelings -some expressly stated and others implied through the horrific images of beasts.
Semiotics expressed through images as a primary means of communication demands nο special education. Ιt is, as St.Basil the Great points out[1], suitable "διά τους ιδιώτας ανθpώπους" for the illiterate. Nevertheless, this method, as already pointed out by Aristotle is the one most preferred [2], and is, according to the pronouncement of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 A.D.) taught by God Himself. Speech οn the other hand, precisely because it requires special education, is of necessity a method of communication for well-educated people.
Ιn Alexandrine and Roman times, the Hellenized Near East communicated in two semiotic systems: the popular: with the use of images[3], and the learned and abstract. The so-called "Apocalyptic Literature" uses the popular and image-filled semiotic system, which implies, or is identical with that which is called allegory. St.John's Revelation is indeed the Great Allegory.
Οn the contrary, Post-Apostolic Christian literature systematically avoided the use of popular semiotics, the old technique of communication, for the additional reason that its use was often abused and frequently equated with idolatry.
Divine things are always expressed in a condescended way. God's condescension towards men and His communication within the human framework is called "Revelation". Οn the other hand, the understanding and interpretation of the form of "condescending" Revelation in a God-befitting manner requires a divine, spiritual ascension.
Ιn the tenth century, Arethas, Bishop of Caesarea, a systematic commentator of St. John's Revelation, defined the meaning of Revelation in three ways. First, Revelation is the disclosure of secret mysteries through the illumination of the mind of the soul by divine enlightenment, either through dreams or in an awakened state, through visions[4]. Secondly, it is allegorical interpretation through which, "the heavenly gate", to which St. John refers to at the beginning of the narration of his vision (4,1) and which while not perceptible, becomes so to the Evangelist who needs must see what transpires in heaven through an open door[5]. Thirdly, it is again allegorical interpretation through which the prophet is summoned to ascend to heaven, not as to a place but rather as an elevation of his mind above all that is earthly and human[6].
The images in the Book of Revelation represent mankind before and after Christ and in Christ. The book's position in the end is that the history of faith is not subject to the historical scheme of "rise and fall"; hence there shall be nο post-Christian era, but rather the era of Christian fulfillment in which Christ and the faithful universally triumph.
Society is depicted as being in a chaotic state, since a variety of despotic powers oppress mankind and claim divine authority and the exclusive right to dominate people, i.e. as if gods, they impose man's dominion over man[7].
The commentator of St. John's Revelation has difficulties in transposing every single stone of a mosaic created almost two thousand years ago and depicting the iconographic ideas of the saint's vision into modern historical and social terminology and into present-day reality. The discovery of corresponding elements between past Semiology and that of the present-day runs the significant risk of one's coming to a wrong conclusion, to disimformation - something condemned by Revelation itself[8].
Keeping in mind then that the use of images as a communication system is already wide-spread, we can see why the persistence in using this communication system in the Book of Revelation is both necessary and very modern.
Revelation contains an unbroken iconographic and symbolic speech, almost in the nature of a "telecast" about cities and citizens, theological and natural events, wars and glory, history and post-history, authorities and natural catastrophies, et al. in which the eternal and heavenly Divine Liturgy, in which both angels and men participate, holds first place.
The main theme of this Book is the articulation of AUTHORITY[9], written in capital letters. It is the revelation of the real, eternal, and perfect authority of God, which, though at times doubted and fought against, ever prevails[10]. The Book of Revelation thus becomes a manual οn Meta (Post)- authority.
While the Apostle Paul presents, in all its complexity, the subject of what the relationship of Christians ought to be vis-a-vis secular authority in a positive manner (Rom. ch. 13), the Book of Revelation views the subject from a vantage point transcending secular authority11 and sees this authority to be an hybris against divine authority[12].
The semiology through the use of images, found in the book of Revelation has a multicultural provenance (Judaic: both from the Old Testament writings and from Apocalyptic literature; Egyptian, Astrological Religions etc.). The varied origin of this semiological material (vocabulary, expressions, images, etc.) was used by the author in a manner similar to the way the architectural parts of ancient Greek temples were employed. Ιn such temples thus constructed was Christ finally worshipped; through John's semiology Christ the Pantocrator, Lord of the Universe, doubted and fought but prevailing in the end, is preached.
The clearly artistic and complex -because of the vision's forceful inspiration- interweaving of biblically endogenous and exogenous lingual element's is incorporated in a Trinitarian, Christocentric and ecclesiological, i.e. a Christian, synthesis and essentially distances itself from the ideological and religious framework of its provenance.
Ιn the Book of Revelation John's field of vision, when referring to the seven Churches of Asia Minor, appears to be regionally and geographically concrete and influenced by direct and historical experience (Rev. 3-4); however it is transformed into an all-embracing over-view when drawing from the spiritual experience of the vision (Rev. 5ff.) and then the authorities clearly take οn a super-local dimension and range and become ecumenical and universa[13].
The spiral evolvement of the consequences brought about by the unsealing of the seven seals is evident. The seventh seal, however, does not, as one might imagine from the way in which the related vision begins and from its linear view of history, constitute the end of history. Tο the contrary, it constitutes a culmination of the world's crisis. This is preceded by a new basis for the further spiral evolvement of the seventh seal, i.e. a reference to God's people and to His Throne (7,1-17).
This new spiral unfolding includes the unity of the sounding of the seven Trumpets (8,2-11,19).
The rigid position of the entire historical scheme after Christ of the book of Revelation makes the middle position (Rev.ch.12) held by the woman about to bear a child, i.e. the Theotokos and the Christ-child, difficult to explain.
Ι. The Morphology of Authority
The morphology of authority refers, in a bi-polar way, to the ontology of God, Who is the unique transtemporal ruler of heaven and earth, and to the phenomenology of the authority of the ungodly power, which historically is in conflict with the ontological divine authority, and which, although successful οn the historico-social plane, is in the end both defeated and bound[14]. Consequently, the first distinction made by the Evangelist-prophet St. John is that between timeless, and therefore eternal, divine authority, which prevails in all three dimension of time, and the beastlike, satanic authority, which is opposed to, and seeks in every way to abolish and destroy divine authority. Obviously then, the preface and epilogue of the spiral and evolutionary course followed in this dispute with divine authority over the world unfolded in the main part of the vision coincide. The evident conclusion is that authority is divinity's service to, and functioning in, the world and in history, and requires man's participation as well.
More specifically,
A. The Authority of the Eternal: The Throne in heaven
The first authority mentioned, by way of introduction, is that of eternal God. It is depicted by a heavenly throne of exceptional splendour, upοn which God is seated15. This is the fascinosum of the Philosophy of Religion. Arethas[16] explains that God, being indescribable, is symbolized both by a jasper stone, signifying that which flourishes and is therefore eternal and life-bearing, and by a sard stone, signifying that which is terrible, the tremendum of the Philosophy of Religion.
The worldly authorities that follow can be distinguished as being either lesser[17] or greater. Lack of time forces us to deal only with the latter18.
Β. The Authority of the Dragon and the Beasts
Four beast-like authorities appear in the Book of Revelation as authorities which either possessed or struggle to possess and claim as theirs world dominion as empires. It is noteworthy that the symbolic semiology of these authorities does not include horsemen as symbols but rather a dragοn for the first authority and beasts for the second and third authorities. The "iconography" of the fourth authority is complex and depicts a coman seated upοn a beast. The beast-like symbolics give one presentiment about the character of domination.
1.The Authority of the huge fiery dragon (Rev. 12,3-4, 7-9, 10-18).
The dragon is also called "the ancient serpent" [19], the "Devil and Satan". The term "Devil" signifies the slanderer and the misrepresentation of the truth; what in current language is called misinformation. It is he who "deceives all the world". He appears suddenly beyond earthly reality, "in heaven". This dominating regime possesses seven heads with ten horns, seven crowns and a tail. With its tail it drags a third of the stars out of the sky and casts them down to earth[20].
The huge, fiery dragon's intention is to exterminate the awaited Child, to whom the woman in labour is about to give birth: the Child who will become the universal powerful ruler[2l]. According to the ancient exegetes[22], it is about a preventative act born from the anxiety of a wicked power such as Herod's authority.
This intention, however, is not realized because the newborn Child is saved from the threat and his mother is protected in a desolate place revealed by God[23].
A war then breaks out in heaven between Michael's angelic forces and the angels of the dragon. The forces of the dragon are defeated, and he and his angels are casted down to earth. Thus God remains the indisputable rule of heaven[24], while the dragon is forced to make the earth the base of his activities.
Despite all this, the dragon continues to pursue the woman οn earth as well. He is, however unsuccessful because she acquires the wings of an eagle and thus escapes from danger. The dragon recourses to the natural element of water in order to drown her but fails, the woman being aided by the earth, which opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Thus is the natural environments' participation in her rescue underlined.
This failure nοw enrages the dragon, who nοw turns to the rest of her descendants. These are the people who obey God's commandments and who testify unto the truth revealed by Jesus[25]. According to Arethas the commentator, the allegory here refers to the Church: to "the persecution of the Church"[26]. If we change the deductive course of the story to an inductive one, then the earthly war of the dragon against the faithful and the Church is seen as a reaction against his initial and super-historical vanguishment by God -a reaction with temporary results. The conclusion is evident. This authοrity is οnly outwardly and temporarily powerful since, in reality, it has already been defeated ontologically and eschatologically.
The designs against this authority begin before the birth of the Child, before the birth of Christ. The prophet observes that the dragon stands οn the sand of the sea as if expecting to give up his power and plans to another authority. And a new figure does indeed appear, but not a new authority.
2. The Authority of the beast of the sea.
It is the authority which comes from the sea and therefore "the sea- power" authority. It is not a protogenous authority but one that receives and accepts authority from the dragon[27]. It is enrusted with military power, dynastic dignity and title, and broad authority. The meaning of the authority given is evident, as is the peaceful handing down of despotic authority from one power to another. Ιn regard to the Messiah[28], the succeeding authority undertakes to implement the programmed plans and aims of its predecessor.
As characteristics of this new authority after the Messiah's birth and salvation the prophet mentions the "ten horns" with the "ten crowns" οn them and the "seven heads", as well as its beast-like qualities, i.e.its resemblance to a leopard with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion[29].
Its resemblance to a leopard obviously symbolizes its rapacity; the feet of a bear, its overwhelming power and the mouth of a lion, its power of extermination and destruction. One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow[30], but its wound was apparently not mortal since it had been healed3l. Here we clearly discern an imitation or an usurpation of Christ the Lamb. The beast's salvation causes universal admiration[32], and people submit themselves to him, worshipping both authorities, that of the beast and that of the dragon.
The satanic element in this absolute authority is precisely its demand that it be accepted and worshipped as a deity[33]. This demand is expressive of the pseudotheological ideology characteristic of a despotic state.
After universal submission, the authority's atheistic blasphemy is revealed: the unrevealed "blasphemous names" obviously refer to the calling into doubt of God's existence (literally, of His name), the sanctity of His temple (of His tent) - since questioning the meaning and the existence of the holy place is a way of waging polemics against the faith -and life after death (literally, those who have pitched their tents in heaven)[34]. These are the three well-known axes around which the antireligious polemic revolves and which are usually diachronically applied. We have here the arrogance of authority[35]. This authority provokes a war "against the Saints" and defeats them. This victory strengthens its universal power[36] and is followed by the demand that it be worshipped by all the people living οn earth, who do not number themselves among those who believe in Christ[37].
3. The Beast-like Authority of the Beast of the Earth (Planetarchy).
Contrary to that of its predecessor, the regime of the second beast- like authority is aboriginal and native[38]. It is symbolically characterized by two horns as opposed to the ten horns of the beast of the sea (Rev 13,1 ), and resembles the Lamb, but speaks "like a dragon". The image is indicative of craftness.[39] Here the regime has been transformed into one that appears mild and religious, but manifest itself in a beast-like manner "speaking like a dragon". It reverts to that quality of the dragon[40] cast down to earth and exercises the powers of the first but weakened beast[41], that with authority of the sea[42]. It universally imposes the worship of the first beast healed of its mortal wound[43]. It employs impressive technical means of deception[44] and imposes the fashioning of images of the first wounded but healed beast and decrees that all those who do not worship the image-idol of the beast be put to deat[45]. Ιn other words, it deifies the authority that preceded it and imposes upοn every class of people[46] complete religious and political submission with a specific and evident sign of subjection to the regime in power, placed "οn their right hand or the forehead"[47]. It threatens those who do not accept this specific mark of submission with the penalty of not being able to carry οn commercial transactions[48]. Given that the system of survival is realized through "buying and selling", the tight control, expressed herein as complete religious submission to the authority of the beast[49] suggest a self-deified state authority that uses its absolute control, that which today we call "the market" to impose and establish itself.
Tightly regulated economy appears in the Book of Revelation as a practical consequence of self-deified authority. Οn the contrary real divine authority does not strictly exercise a controlled economy, since God "makes His sun rise οn the evil and οn the good, and sends rain οn the righteous and the unrighteous"[50].
John records the symbolic code number of the despotic being as the number of a human being and not of a demon[51].
There is a rich bibliography[52] reflecting the futile efforts to decode the number of this cryptographic system which is in one way or another inaccessible. For the historical method of interppretation the Emperor Dometian (8l-96 A.D.) - as well as others also -who in official documents was put forth as "Lord" and as "God"[53], seems a reasonable choise. He used to punish cruelly all those who refused to conform to his demand that has to be honored as a god. Thus, he punished Flavius Clemens, who was a consul and his uncle by having him hanged, and accused his wife Domitilla of atheism and had her exiled.
For the citizen of today's modern world and century, for today's man, who in amazement searches for analogies and similarities scattered throughout former and present times, the name of the historical person implied as embodying this cruel despotism spoken of in Revelation is not so important. More important is the clarification of the quality of that authority. What is foremost is the seeking out of its authoritarian quality, authority in rem and not in personam. Herein lies the difference between the historical examination and view of Revelation and the symbolic correspondence of its synthesis. The individuals pass οn, but the antireligious and the despotic outlook and mind-set can revive and be expressed each time by or with new individuals.
The factor of time, which is considered by the historical method of interpretation to be its main purpose, is theologically unattainable; Christ excluded all possibility of man's being able to know the time of history's completion[54].
4. The Authority of Babylon (Rev. l7,l - l8, l - 24).
This authority is shown by one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls of the anger of God. It is described as "the sin of the great prostitute"[55]. It concerns the typology of the multi-national State established upοn a multitude of peoples[56] and which obtains the cooperation of the kings of the earth and evokes the enthusiasm of the population[57].
After the introductory characterizations, the prophet is carried "by the Spirit" to the desert. There the authority is depicted as a woman sitting upοn a scarlet beast. Hence, she, too, expresses the beast-like authority. The prophet emphatically states that this beast "is full of blasphemous names", that is, insults against God. It consists of ten kings[58] and lies οn seven hills, or "heads"[59]. The woman-like authority is clothed in purple and scarlet dress, adorned with gold, jewels and pearls (Rev. 17,4). Ιn her hands shed holds a gold cup filled with "abominations" and the impurities of her fornication (Rev. 17,4).
This authority is called "Babylon"[60]. It also has the name of "the mother of fornication", i.e. the source of religious syncretism[61]and idolatry[62]. It signifies the universal authority[63] of confusion and the leveling of all values[64]. This empire will destroy itself by the God- inspired undermining wrought by its allies, who will hate and ravish it, and by fire raise it to the ground[65].
C. The regime that will finally prevail:
The New Heaven and the New Earth
The new God-befitting authority ("see, the tabernacle of God is among men"), corresponds to nature which has been completely renewed: "the new heaven and the new earth" seen by John. It is an authority of complete renewal: "nοw Ι make old things new" (Rev.21,5), because it is a full authority: "Ι am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end".
Life flows from the throne (i.e. the authority of God) as a river creating an ever-green ecological environment (Rev. 22, 1-3), a society worshipping God and having a continuous vision of Him: "they shall see His face" (Rev. 22,4), i.e., a society in which the faithful shall live forever in eternal divine light (Rev. 22,5).
The dialectic of the authority does not, in accordance with the usual scheme, end up in a synthesis of the antithesis to a thesis, but in the thesis about the eternal authority of God, in which those who strove in a God-pleasing manner οn earth participate.
_________________________
Notes
1. Mansi 13,20.
2. "An indication of this is our esteem for the senses, most of all the sense of sight" (Metaphysics, Ι, Ι).
3. The relationship between myth and word: Myth is a narrative and iconographic semiology. Ιt expresses its ideas as history; it is another form of word. The word is the result of the induction of the historical narrative to abstract expression (philosophical) i.e. without the conscious use of an image. The distinction between myth and word is chiefly a matter pertaining to the semiotic system.
4. "And revelation is the manifestation of the secret mysteries, through the enlightenment of the soul's princely faculty, through divine oracles, either through visions or as from divine illumination", (P.G. 106, 501).
5. "Not because he saw a perceptible door opened in heaven... but because thus it appeared to the Evangelist, as if it were necessary to look through an open door in order to see what was within'; (P.G. 106, 565).
6. "'Ascend here', she does not mean to a certain place, but that one should lift his mind up from the mundane and human" (P.G. 106, 565).
7. The time element in the Johannine vision is spherical with a triparte axis.
8. Cf. p.69, about the authority of the fiery dragon.
9. The expresis verbis Semiology of the book includes the terms, authority, king, kingdom as well as throne, city, sit upοn, potentates, chiliarchs, etc. cf. 16,6. The concept of dynasty is implied from the text, while the concept οf empire is expressed periphrasitically: by the number of kingdoms subjugated to the authority mentioned.
10. Οscar CulΙmann (Der Staat im Neuen Testament, 1961 p.52) believes that the problem of the State is posited in the Book of Revelation.
11. Cf. Cullmann, op. cit. p.52
l2. Indirectly in its ancient Greek sense, directly in the neo-Greek sense of blasphemy ("names of blasplιemy" et. Sim)
13. The authorities that appear in the Book of Revelation as a vision of the Prophet of what transpires in heaven are manifested and refer to the entire earth where the citizens who suffer their consequences reside.
14. Rev. l,9fl. and 20, 1 fl. in combination.
15. Rev. 1,9: "... and there in heaven stood a throne with one seated οn the throne. And the one seated there looks like jasper... and by your will they existed and were created" (4,2-11).
16. P.G. 106,568.
17. The lesser authorities: the charging horsemen. Charging in sequence, after the opening of each of the first four seals by "the Lamb that appeared to be slain"; individual riders, οn horses of different colours (white, red, black and green, i.e. copper-green) who signify authorities or situations which dominate in society. That which is described is the mounted ruler and the hummiliating effects upοn people of his advancement. Aretha's application of the historical understanding to the first seal (P.G. 106, 588) and his equating the white horse with Christ or with a symbol of the progress "of the Apostolic preaching" possesses nο semiological or meaningful basis. Ιn Revelation Christ is symbolized as "the lamb that appeared to be slain" and not as a horseman, and indeed one of a number of horsemen who inflicted suffering upοn people (Ed . Lοhse , Die Offenbarung des Johannes, NTD 11, 1971, p. 46). The purpose of the first horseman is given: "he came out conquering" and "a crown was given him"; apparently the crown of a victor.
The charging horseman of the second seal (Rev. 6,4) mounted οn a red horse, has as his purpose the great slaughter of men and the removal of peace from the earth. The colour red symbolizes blood, and Arethas of Caesarea, consistent with his interpretation concerning the white horse, considers the red colour to signify the blood of the martyrs. The phrase "so that they would slaughter one another" he believes to signify the lack of harmony, because of which people are led to slaughtering one another.
The charging horsemen of the third seal, mounted οn a black horse holds a scale (Rev. 6,5-6), while from the four beast surrounding the throne of God is heard the interpretative word: "A quart of wheat for a day's pay, and three quarts of barley for a day's pay, but do not damage the olive oil and wine!"
The ancient exegetes such as Arethas of Caesarea (P.G. 106, 598-92), skip over -although they know- the clear meaning of the pricing οf barley as signifying hunger, and interpret the statement alegorically, speaking of divine judgment (the scale) and the ethical differentiation of people. The newer exegetes clearly speak about hunger and esclation of prices from eight to tenfold (Lοhse, p. 46).
The charging horseman mounted οn a copper green horse of the fourth seal is death, who is followed by Hades (Rev. 6,8). The charging horseman mounted οn a copper green horse of the fourth seal is death, who is followed by Hades (Rev. 6,8). Arethas (P.G. 106, 593) interprets this colour as "the symbol of wrath" and the remainder allegorically. Newer exegetes speak οf the death of 25% of the population from cholera, slaughter, hunger and wild beasts, i.e. people will be captured by wild beasts.
The contents of the fifth and sixth seals refer to the subsequent consequences. When the contents of the fifth seal are revealed the souls of the martyrs put to death "for the word of God and for the testimony they had given" (Rev. 6,9) appear and seek retribution. This phrase is precisely similar to that which declares the reason for John's presence in Patmos (Rev. 1,9). The reply is that they must wait a little more for the final judgment of all, righteous and unrighteous, until the other martyrs arrive. They already receive the white garments as a symbol of righteousness.
The sixth seal (Rev. 6,12-17) reveals violent cosmological consequences: a great earthquake, a black (i.e. darkened) sun, a blood-like moon, a sudden fall of stars (meteorites) to the earth, a change in the shape of the sky and geological upheavals.
The harmony of natιιte is done away with and the Cosmos is transformed in chaos.
The natural catastrophes are followed by social consequences: the members of the seven-part social structure: the kings of the earth, the potentates, chiliarchs, the rich, the mighty, the slaves and the freemen are all equated before the danger and seek safe shelter from "the face of the one seated οn the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb" in the caves. Rev. 6,15.
18. Ι choose the chatacterization "lesser" in to distinguish them from the authorities symbolized by beasts.
19. The serpent symbolizes temptation, enmity and deceit.
20. Allegory provokes us greatly to understand the image as indicating the secularization of the intellect, its abandonment of its lofty occupation with theological thought and its focusing upοn materialistic outlooks.
21."whο is to rule all the nations with a rod of irοn" (Rev. 12,5).
22. Aretha of Caesarea, P.G. 106, 664.
23. Rev. 12,5-6.
24. Rev. 12,10-12.
25. Rev. 12,17.
26. P.G. 106, 668.
27. "And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authotity . (Rev. 13,2).
28. Cf. 12,4f.
29. Rev. 13,2.
30. Cullmann, οp. cit., pp. 54-55, points out that the imitation of God belongs to the innermost essence of the Devil; he lays claim to all that belongs to God and he reveals himself as possessing divine attributes.
31. Rev. 13,3.
32."of all the eatth" (Rev. 13,4)
33. Cullmann, 55.
34. Rev. 13,6.
35."and Ι will never see grief" (Rev. 18,7).
36."and it was given authority over every tribe and people and language and tongue and nation" (Rev. 13,7).
37. "... whose names has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of the Lamb that was slaughtered" (Rev. 13, 1-10).
38. "... Then Ι saw another beast that rose out of the earth" (Rev. 13,11).
39. Cf. Matth. 7, 15: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves".
40. Rev. 12,13.
41. "and one of its heads seemed to have received a death-blοw, but its mortal wound had been healed" (Rev. 13,3).
42. "... and it exercises all the authority of the first beast οn its behalf " (Rev. 13,12).
43. "and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed" (Rev.13,12).
44. Rev. 13,13-14.
45. "and it deceives the inhabitants of the earth, telling them to make an image for the beast... and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed..." .
46. "and it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave... " (Rev. 13,16).
47. Rev. 13,16.
48. "so that nο οne can buy or sell who does not have the mark, the name of the
beast or the number of its name" (Rev. 13,17).
49. The well-known economologist, Friedrich A. Hayek, stated the following in regard to the above position taken by Revelation when in l974 he received the Nobel Prize: "Financial auditing is not οnly a control of a sector of human life, which can be distinguished from the others. It constitutes a control of the means towards all our aims. And he who possesses the singular control of these means can decide which aims shall be facilitated, which values are to be considered as being 'higher' and which 'lower' -in short, in what men ought to believe and for which goals they should struggle" (See the newspaper "Free Press" (Athens, 24 Feb. l986, p. 9).
50. Matth. 5,45.
5l. "Here is wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six" (Rev. 13,11-18).
52. E.Lohse, 80 ffl.
53. According tο Suetοnius 13, "Our Lord and God commands that.. " (in Lohse, p. 80).
54. "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his οwn authority" (Acts 1,7).
55. Rev. 17,1.
56. Ιn the text the phrase, "[The great whore] who is seated οn many waters" is explained by the phrase, "the waters that you saw, where the whore is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages" (Rev. 17,2; cf. Rev. 17,15).
57. Rev. 17,2.
58. "horns" according to the semiology of the prophet, (see in combination Rev. 17,3 and Rev. 17,12).
59. According tο the prophet's semiology (see in combination Rev. 17,4 and 17,9).
60. The word, according to Old Testament etymology means "confusion".
61. Ιn this way should the term "fornication" as used by the Old Testament be rendered.
62. Ιn this way should the term "abomination" taken from the Old Testament by understood.
63. It includes "peoples"; "multitudes", "nations"and "languages"(Rev.7,15).
64. Rev. 17,18 "the wοman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the eaιth".
65. Rev. 17,16 "and they will hate the whore, and they will make her desolate and naked, and they will devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to carry out His purpose".
ΣΗΜΕΙΩΣΗ
Η ανωτέρω ανάλυση εκφωνήθηκε ως εισαγωγική ομιλία στο Διεθνές και Διεπιστημονικό Συμπόσιο για τα 1900 χρόνια από τη συγγραφή του βιβλίου της Αποκαλύψεως του Ιωάννου στο Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο των Αθηνών το 1995.Η ανάλυση δημοσιεύθηκε στα πρακτικά του Συνποσίου σε δύο γλώσσες (ελληνικά και αγγλικά).Εδώ παρτατίθεται η αγγλική μετάφραση.
ηνη
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