Revelation of St. John in Smiths Bible Dictionary
the last book of the New Testament. It is often called the
Apocalypse, which is its title in Greek, signifying
"Revelation,"
1. Canonical authority and authorship. --The inquiry
as to the canonical authority of the Revelation resolves
itself into a question of authorship. Was St. John the
apostle and evangelist the writer of the Revelation? The
evidence adduced in support of his being the author consists
of (1) the assertions of the author and (2) historical
tradition. (1) The author's description of himself in the
1st and 22d chapters is certainly equivalent to an assertion
that he is the apostle. He names himself simply John,
without prefix or addition. is also described as a servant
of Christ, one who had borne testimony as an eye-witness of
the word of God and of the testimony of Christ. He is in
Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ. He is also a fellow sufferer with those whom he
addresses, and the authorized channel of the most direct and
important communication that was ever made to the Seven
Churches of Asia, of which churches John the apostle was at
that time the spiritual governor and teacher. Lastly, the
writer was a fellow servant of angels and a brother of
prophets. All these marks are found united in the apostle
John, and in him alone of all historical persons. (2) A long
series of writers testify to St. John's authorship: Justin
Martyr (cir. 150 A.D.), Eusebius, Irenaeus (A.D. 195),
Clement of Alexandria (about 200), Tertullian (207), Origen
(233). All the foregoing writers, testifying that the book
came from an apostle, believed that it was a part of Holy
Scripture. The book was admitted into the list of the Third
Council of Carthage, A.D. 397.
2. Time and place of writing. --The date of the
Revelation is given by the great majority of critics as A.D.
95-97. Irenaeus says: "It (i.e. the Revelation) was seen no
very long time ago, but almost in our own generation, at the
close of Domitian's reign. Eusebius also records that, in
the persecution under Domitian, John the apostle and
evangelist was banished to the Island Patmos for his
testimony of the divine word. There is no mention in any
writer of the first three centuries of any other time or
place, and the style in which the messages to the Seven
Churches are delivered rather suggests the notion that the
book was written in Patmos.
3. Interpretation. --Modern interpreters are
generally placed in three great divisions: (a) The
Historical or Continuous exposition, in whose opinion the
Revelation is a progressive history of the fortunes of the
Church from the first century to the end of time. (b) The
Praeterist expositors, who are of opinion that the
Revelation has been almost or altogether fulfilled in the
time which has passed since it was written; that it refers
principally to the triumph of Christianity over Judaism and
Paganism, signalized in the downfall of Jerusalem and of
Rome. (c) The Futurist expositors, whose views show a strong
reaction against some extravagances of the two preceding
schools. They believe that the whole book, excepting perhaps
the first three chapters, refers principally, if not
exclusively, to events which are yet-to come. Dr.Arnold in
his sermons "On the Interpretation of Prophecy" suggests
that we should bear in mind that predictions have a lower
historical sense as well as a higher spiritual sense; that
there may be one or more than one typical, imperfect,
historical fulfillment of the prophecy, in each of which the
higher spiritual fulfillment is shadowed forth more or less
distinctly.
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