The intention of this thesis is to re-examine the influence of the text and language of the OT on the book of Rev. A re-examination is necessary because previous attempts have been sketchy and incomplete, because a variety of opinions have been advanced, and because no over-all explanation has been generally admitted. The thesis is divided into two parts, of which the first deals with the language of the Apoc. In this part the 'ungrammaticisms' of Rev are considered. Evidence is advanced that the only theory which is able to explain the author's unique literary style is that of conscious imitation of OT Hebrew. Other theories fail to meet the facts of the case. Thus the view of C.C. Torrey that the Apoc was translated from an Aramaic vorlage makes no allowance for the predominantly Hebrew character of the language. Again, R.B.Y. Scott's view that the book was translated from Hebrew does not account for the deliberate character of so many of the Hebraisms, nor for the fact that most of the rules broken are faithfully observed elsewhere in the book. Similarly, R.H. Charles' view that the author was writing in Greek, but thinking in Hebrew stumbles at the sarnefacts as doe s Scott's. The true explanation, that the author deliberately modelled his language on the pattern of OT Hebrew, was discerned by C.F. Burney amongst others. This theory is supported by every departure from correct grammatical and lexical usage to be found in the Apoc. In the second part of the thesis all the verbal allusions to the OT are examined and compared with the Greek versions. From this it is concluded that the author habitually used the original Hebrew {to the virtual exclusion of the LXX. In addition he occasionally cited the l'argums and other rabbinic sources. This conclusion agrees with that of A. Vanhoye from a study of the allusions to Ezekiel in Rev. The view of H.B. Swete that the author used the LXX exclusively is shown to be false. So also is that of R.H. Charles that he cited the LXX in addition to the Hebrew. Likewise, Charles' opinion that he made use of a pre-Theodotionic Greek text is unsupported by the evidence. Finally, the view of H.B. Swete and D.A. Schlatter is confirmed that the author made no verbal allusion to Jewish apocalyptic literature outside the OT.

It is important at the beginning of this work to offer some indication of the range of possibilities still open to the interpreter of the Book of Revelation. Some methods of interpretation have a remarkably long history of active use; others have moved in and out of fashion in a way that is not unrelated to the history and internal politics of the Christian Church; others are comparatively modern, being based on the scientific techniques of nineteenth and twentieth century criticism. In presenting a catalogue of possibilities, it is necessary to stress that such methods are not by any means mutually exclusive options. The history of criticism sometimes tends to give this impression, as do the individual proponents of one particular theory, when they advocate it at the expense of another. But the remarkable feature of any survey of recent commentaries, as, for example, the one offered by Andrd Feuillet, is that the comments made, to indicate the characteristics of this or that work, highlight first one aspect and then another of the total story about the Book of Revelation. One writer is interested primarily in its contemporary relevance, another in its literary unity, another in its eschatological themes, another in its historical allusions. But more than one of these emphases could be combined in a more comprehensive study of the Book.

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This thesis aims to provide a strong case for the dating of the Book of Revelation to the year 39 CE, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Gaius Caesar, otherwise known as Caligula. This places it far earlier than either the Irenaeus-attested 95 CE, or the Preterist pre-destruction of Jerusalem of 69 CE. This thesis will show how the two cryptic clues in Rev. 13:18 and Rev.17:9-11 concerning the Beast can both be applied to Caligula, if the recently discovered Oxyrhynchus papyrus that reads the number of the Beast as 616 is used instead of the more popular, but arguably later, 666 and if the name Gaius Caesar is acknowledged to refer to both Caligula and one of his predecessors, Julius Caesar. Historical-critical methods will be applied to identifying the False Prophet of Revelation and three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as historical personages figuring in the events leading up to the proposed composition date. By suggesting that the author of the book, John, used the fraudulent literary technique of vaticinium ex eventu, prophecy after the event, it will be shown that these real people operated in three of the four quarters of the ancient world, each in his own area and in the corresponding season of the year, in correct sequence. The Fourth Horseman will be shown to be a genuine attempt at prophecy that failed. A seldom-considered crucifixion date will be used to fit the time periods of this thesis perfectly into the long-term Daniel Seventy Weeks prophecy. Astronomical placement of planets in constellations will show how the cosmic statements in the Book of Revelation can also be used to pinpoint dates leading up to John's end-time. This thesis presents a case for dating the Book of Revelation as the earliest of the New Testament canon.

This work concentrates solely on the Apocalypse in the Harklean Syriac tradition and is in two parts. The first deals with the manuscripts themselves, establishing what manuscripts are available of the Harklean Apocalypse and giving codicological details of them. Using these manuscripts a Comparative Text is produced of all the witnesses, which is used to show the inter-relationships of the manuscripts within the tradition. Also given is a full description of the Harklean 'critical apparatus' of asterisks, obeli, metobeli and marginalia as is found in the various manuscripts as well as 'Scholia' which also occur in the tradition. Finally, descriptions are given of the Harklean colophons found in two of the manuscripts of the Apocalypse. The second part deals with the methodology of translation from Greek used in this book. It covers grammar (verbal system, prepositions, pronouns, definite article and case system and word order) and use of vocabulary. The work presents an overall picture of the Harklean version as it is found in this book and provides data which can, in the fu ture, be used to establish the Greek Vorlage(n) of the Harklean Apocalypse.

This thesis undertakes a reception-historical study of Patmos within the wider reception history of the Apocalypse. Whilst most recent critical commentaries pay relatively scant attention to the significance of John's island, this survey of the reception of the relevant passage (Rev. 1:9) reveals both the greater prominence accorded to Patmos by earlier interpreters, and the richer diversity of readings the text has provoked. This potential is anticipated in chapter I, whose close re-reading of Rev. 1:9 highlights the extent to which even its literal sense is highly ambiguous, offering diverse interpretative possibilities ripe for exploration. The bulk of the thesis (chapters 2-7) brings together for the first time in a systematic manner a wide range of interpretations, reflecting different chronological periods, cultural contexts and ecclesial commitments. The material is arranged primarily chronologically, and secondarily thematically, to highlight 'genealogical' relationships between interpreters. Concern for wider reception history (rather than the narrower 'history of interpretation') explains the inclusion of visual as well as verbal interpretations (separately in chapter 7), and of popular and marginal alongside magisterial and mainstream readings. Particularly influential or unusual interpreters are considered in greater depth, with closer attention to biographical questions. The final chapter reflects more explicitly on wider implications for the study of Revelation, and for New Testament scholarship in general. Its main conclusions are: 1) that modern commentators are dependent for their questions and conclusions on very specific strands within the reception history; 2) that 'non-literal' (both allegorical and analogical) readings cannot be so easily dismissed. as unscientific interpretations of Revelation; 3) that reception history challenges historical critics to reconsider the role of the imagination, reader participation, and a broader concept of meaning than focus on historical prolegomena; 4) that Patmos as narrative location may have a more fundamental hermeneutical role in Revelation than often acknowledged.

This thesis aims to identify the beast from the sea and the beast from the land in Rev 13. Unlike most modem scholarly approaches, the present thesis engages the topic by investigating the underlying structure of the relationship that links the dragon and the two beasts in Rev 12 and 13. The two beasts allude to Leviathan and Behemoth, and their characteristics allude to those of the four beasts in Dan 7. These allusions, however, can not explain the structure of the relationship that links the dragon and the two beasts. A careful look into Rev 12 and 13 notes that there is a hierarchical structure in the relationship connecting the three figures, in which the dragon is superior to the sea beast, which in turn is superior to the land beast. This hierarchical structure is not found in the biblical and extra- biblical writings but is found exclusively in Revelation. This thesis argues that this unique structure in the relationship reflects the influence of the tripartite ideology that Georges Dumezil discerns in many Indo-European mythological traditions, including the Indic, Scandinavian, Iranian and Roman. According to Dumezil, in this tripartite structure each figure carries a specific role and function corresponding to its hierarchical level. The relationship between the dragon and the two beasts in Rev 12 and 13 fits well with this tripartite ideology not only in terms of the underlying structure of the relationship but also in terms of the function of each figure on its corresponding hierarchical level. Thus, it is plausible that the relationship between the dragon and the two beasts reflects the influence of this tripartite ideology. In the tripartite system, the figure on the second level is a warlike figure found in a war context, and the figure on the third level relates to economics and productivity. In Rev 13, the sea beast and land beast are found, respectively, as a warlike figure in a war context and as a figure relating to the economic theme. Therefore, on the one hand, the tripartite ideology can explain the hierarchical relationship of the dragon and the two beasts. On the other hand, the characteristics of the second and third figures in the tripartite system can hint at the identification of the sea beast and the land beast. Based on this clue, the present thesis argues that the sea beast represents one of the Roman emperors and the land beast represents a figure relating to the imperial cult. Using this new approach, this thesis studies the topic from a perspective scholars rarely explore.

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Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2010.

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