No description available.

Note:

This thesis explores the meaning of the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21-22. It is divided into four major parts. The first one is the OT background study from Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah. This section observes the prophetical messages of restoration, centering around the Temple/Jerusalem motif, which is one of the main concerns of the early Jewish writers and Revelation. The second one is the study of early Jewish tradition. This pmi investigates how the New Jerusalem theme develops during the second Temple period and post-70. This observation shows that some (not all) of the early Jewish tradition understands the rebuilding of the New Temple as the transference of the Heavenly Temple. For this reason, the Heavenly Temple/Jerusalem is emphasized. The third pmi is the NT background study. Here two facts demonstrated: Christ as the New Temple and the church as the New Temple. This conclusion provides a suitable foundation for developing our argument in Revelation. Finally, the fourthpart is the study of the New Jerusalem in Revelation, particularly Rev. 21-22. John uses much of the Jewish tradition in his writing. His main argument is that the church (which is symbolized by several images) is placed in heaven now (chs. 4-20) and the church (which is symbolized by the New Jerusalem) will descend to the earth from heaven (21 :2) in the future. This assumption is closely related to the early Jewish idea. However, he does not follow the current Jewish idea without any modification but he differentiates his understanding from it by christologically interpreting the OT messages. This is well shown in his following announcement: "I saw no Temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (21 :22).

D. Litt. et Phil. (Theology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

'And I saw the city, the holy one, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, made beautiful for her husband. And I heard a great voice from the throne saying: "See, the home of God is among human beings, he will live with them and they will be his people and he himself, God, will be with them and be their God'. (Rev 21:2-3). Throughout history, the vision of a new city, the heavenly Jerusalem coming down from heaven has inspired human beings to dream about community, society, the world. It has been an incentive to turn unsatisfied longing into utopian idea and ultimately action. The fact that the language of the Apocalypse can inspire human imagination in a highly effective manner certainly contributed to the book's controversial role in the history of New Testament interpretation. The bizarre, often- paradoxical language seems to veil rather than reveal its message. Interestingly, the book never ceased to be an inspiration for artists. It is the thesis of this study that the text embedded world of the Apocalypse can impel the reader or audience into a new understanding of world and cosmos in a manner similar to visual arts. In contrast to conceptual language, art does not confine interpretation but opens space for imagination. Using artistic expression as paradigm therefore offers considerable insights regarding the striking language in the Apocalypse. In this context, a central image, the city as it appears most prevalent in Rev 1:19-3:22; 17:1-18:24 and 21:1- 22:5 is analysed as metaphorical material, which carries the power to incite the reader/audience to create mental images. To imagine provides a vital step in a dynamic interpretive process of understanding in which significant aspects of the metaphor of the city become textual visuality.

Our mandate in this thesis is in essence to tackle and complete two inter-linked, tripartite tasks. Firstly, the sources and traditions of the inaugural throne-vision of the Apocalypse (Rev. 4-5) will be considered; its contents and omissions will be closely examined; and its progressive context will be traced throughout the book with special attention being given to its relationship with the final eschatological vision (Rev. 21-22). Secondly, in parallel and in conjunction with these first three objectives, there is a further threefold consideration which stems from this primary analysis. This secondary concern will deal with the doctrine of God, the Christology of the Lamb, and the eschatological hope of the Christian. These tasks will serve to firmly anchor Revelation in its Jewish traditional background, and John's methods employed in handling these sources will be described. The comparison of the inaugural and the final throne-room visions will be made, and also their resemblance with and difference from other throne-room scenes will be highlighted. Finally John's theological messages, that develop from this, will be detailed.

No description available.

M.A. (Biblical Studies) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Litt. et Phil. / The aim of this study is to examine Revelations 1-11 in a narratological framework. There are various formal divisions of the Revelation to John. Amongst the formal divisions the narratological division is likewise accepted. Regarding the development of Revelations, a narrative analysis depends upon the viewpoint that the message of Revelations may be perceived as functional. Readers in a specific situation are provided with a supportive message upon which they can rely and according to which they may live (A Y Collins 1994a). The author derives his images and figures of speech, which occupy the central position, from the traditional apocalyptic visions, through the symbol of the cosmic battle. The theological convictions of the writer, which are presented in a narrative form, intend to involve the reader. The sequence of events reveals the plot of the events of Revelations. The reader of Revelations observes the functional application of recapitulation, interjections and symbolism. The events in Revelations 1-11 concentrate primarily upon God, through the glorified Christ, who brings salvation and conviction of the church and cosmos. The salvation through Christ is symbolically revealed in Revelations 1-11. Due to the symbolism in the drama, the book can be divided into three acts. The first act depicts the risen Christ who presents the seven letter-messages to the church. The second act covers the unlocking and unfolding of the sealed scrolls by the Lamb of God. The third act historically describes the warfare between the Lamb and his opponents. The study concentrates upon the first two acts which cover Christ in the church (Rev. 1-3) and Christ in the cosmos (Rev. 4-11). The researcher realises that there are many different divisions of Revelations and therefore intentionally accepts this particular division for this study.

D. Litt. et Phil. / While partial preterism has not been a dominant interpretive method among the four traditional ways of interpreting the Book of Revelation, namely, preterism, historicism, futurism, and idealism, it seems to be the most convincing interpretation. The problem concerning this work derives from the two parallel arguments in partial preterism. On the one hand, the advocates of consistent partial preterism argue that the whole Book of Revelation including chapters 12-13 concerns God's judgment on the apostate Jerusalem. On the other hand, according to transitional partial preterism, a significant turning point comes in these two chapters in that in Rev. 12-13 John introduces God's judgment on Rome. To solve this problem and to suggest a proposed solution, the following are respectively investigated: historical survey of the interpretation of the Book of Revelation; the critical evaluation of the two arguments of partial preterism; a probe into the socio-historical and literary aspects of Rev. 12-13; intratextuality of Rev. 12-13; intertextuality of John and his Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian audiences; and a proposed partial preterism of Rev. 14-22. The intertextuality of John's receptive production in terms of the NT, the OT and noncanonical intertexts is relevant to God's judgment of Rome as well as that of Jerusalem. For this reason, the intertextuality of the seven churches' productive reception plays a crucial role in determining the (partial preterist) meaning of Rev. 12-13 in particular, and of Revelation as a whole. This does not of necessity imply that the locus of meaning is in the audience, but that the communicative interaction among the author, the text and the audience decides the meaning. The partial preterist meaning of Revelation is not unlimitedly multiple but determinately controlled in that the intertextuality of John and his audience manifests only two choices: God's judgment on Rome and Jerusalem. With consistent partial preterism, John provides the Jewish Christians with a direct solution, but with transitional partial preterism, he provides a direct solution for the Gentile Christians. Therefore, both solutions function complementarily and not contradictorily. It is reasonable to conclude that, on the one hand, the Jewish Christian audiences, who emigrated to Asia Minor in AD 66 and were converted by Paul's Ephesian mission in AD 52, were persecuted especially by the heretical Jews. Therefore, using the OT and NT knowledge they might have interpreted Rev. 12 onward (and maybe Rev. 4-11 too) in terms of God's judgment on the apostate Jews. The removal of the Jewish temple was absolutely necessary to relieve the stress on the first century Christians of persecution from the Jews. The annihilation of the Jewish system therefore removed the most formidable antagonist of the gospel and brought rest and relief to suffering Christians. On the other hand, the Gentile Christian audiences, who were acquainted with the pagan sources and daily experienced the Roman persecution, were not severely persecuted by the infidelic Jews and interpreted Rev. 12 onward (and maybe Rev. 4-11 too) in the light of God's judgment on Rome. It can be deduced that John's Jewish and Gentile audiences have the same form of locution and the same type of illocution in Rev. 12-13. But the perlocutionary act by which John achieves certain intended effects in his audiences in addition to those achieved by the illocutionary act is different to both the Jewish and Gentile audiences. In short, it is not a matter of 'either ... or' but 'both ... and'. Therefore, the two lines of partial preterism do not exclude each other but should be taken into account conjointly.