by watson 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Over time, I have heard humorous suggestions here that the writer of Revelation was on some fantastic "trip," while putting it together. I am wondering if there has been any studies of the writings of Revelation by dream specialists, analysts, doctors, etc., that might shed some light on the mental state of the author/authors.
Before googling this, I thought I'd throw it out there for the board.
Watson
I am reading a book called 'A History of the end of the World' that deal with the book.
One thing seems almost certain: the writer was not John the Apostle of Jesus. Some have considered that he was a madman.
Jeff
I can't help but wonder about the "drug" thing. If it's just a "dream" thing, I wonder what it says about the author/dreamer.
I am only a quarter through this book, but find it interesting in spite of my very 'non-religious' nature these days.
Jeff
Thank you Jeff. I will check it out.
The Revelation author was definately very angry at the Roman empire. Some of his 'visions' seem similar to 'trips'. Who knows?
Much of it seems borrowed from other Jewish 'apocalyptic' writings, esp Daniel and the relatively unknown book called the 'Apocalypse of Enoch'.
Jeff
The interesting similarities between the language in Daniel's book and the book of Enoch [non-canon], and Revelation's writing is unmistakeble.
Here is a pdf of Enoch for information if you like:
http://www.hermetics.org/pdf/enoch.pdf
Jeff
The possibility should be recognized that the "visionary" nature of the book may simply be a literary device typical of the apocalyptic genre the book belongs to. The motifs are all largely drawn from the OT (especially Ezekiel and Daniel) and apocalyptic literature (especially 1 Enoch and possibly the Oracles of Hystaspes) or borrow from existing mythology, popular religion, and popular eschatological expectation (such as the Python/Typhon myth in ch. 12, the Nero redivivus myth in ch. 13 and 17, and the goddess Roma iconography in ch. 17), so rather than speculate on the mental state of the author it is more fruitful to study the rather intentional way traditional material was reshaped in the composition of the book. The author wrote with a clear objective, which was to embolden Christians to resist idolatry via the emperor cult and accept martyrdom. These are not simply fantasies for fantasy's sake; the book had a distinct political and religious aim.
Good points Leo. The visions are a very creative way to get to the objective.
Religious mystics write using heavy symbolism because what they "experience" can't be explained rationally. Trouble is, because symbols aren't explanations, they can be and have been interpreted in any number of ways.
