Some writers, however, have advanced the preterist from a latin word meaning that which is past view, contending that the apocalypse was penned around a. Karlo broussard gives the reasons for why the most reasonable answer to the question who wrote the book of revelation. It tells us about future events from johns time, until now, and until the end of this world. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and. Who wrote the book of revelation in the bible answers. In sharp contrast, the book of revelation provides ample internal evidence. Obviously, god is the ultimate author of the book of revelation. The first blessing is in the first chapter of revelation in verse 3. The book of revelation was likely written between a. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. John of patmos could be the author named as john in the book of revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final book of the new testament. A letter typically described as apocalyptic literature, it was likely written by the apostle john the same john purported to have written the gospel of john and the letters of 1, 2, and 3 john.
The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. So it is extremely unlikely that the same person wrote all of these books. The author seems to be using his sources in a completely different way to the originals. John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine, john the theologian, and possibly john the apostle. Nero was the first persecutor of christians when h. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which. The seven churches of revelation were real, physical congregations when the apostle john wrote this bewildering last book of the bible around 95 ad, but many scholars believe the. Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. The text of revelation states that john was on patmos, a greek island where, by most biblical historians. One of the projects i remember from bible college that came up often was to do research to show why it is believed that certain men wrote each book.
We conclude the series with a look at archaeological and historical evidence relating to the last book of the bible, revelation. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. Apostle john was supposedly exiled to the greek island. There is some disagreement over whether the john who wrote the letters of john, the john who wrote the gospel of john, and the john who wrote the book of revelation are the same person.
Revelation is the very last book of the new testament and, thus, caps off the entire christian bible. The book of revelation was the last text to be included within the formalized canon of the new testament, but on the basis of content rather than authorship. He also wrote that he was on patmos, an island in the aegean sea, when he saw his first vision. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. This summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of revelation. Revelation 1 new international version niv prologue. While revelation holds mysterious and frightening images of the endtimes, the book of revelation was written to be an encouragement to christians of all times. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge. Some scholars therefore refer to the author of revelation as john the seer or john of. The book of revelation is traditionally said to be written by john. The book of revelation provides the clearest biblical portrait of the events of. Book of revelation simple english wikipedia, the free.
The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. This commentary has yet to go through advanced theological. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. The book of the revelation of jesus christ is a fascinating prophecy of the end times. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter. The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the book revelation 1. The church does not have an official stance on who the author is.
Ian boxall writes that revelation is no montage of biblical quotations that is not johns way but a wealth of allusions and evocations. Biblical scholar elaine pagels visits radcliffe, presenting a mad dash of. The teaching company shmoop helpfully rounded up some of the terrible things that happen to people unlucky enough to live in the world described by revelation. He wrote five books against marcion hippolytus 170235 a. It includes many ideas that we can find in other books in the bible.
The writer of revelation identifies himself as john. Revelation 1 niv bible the revelation from jesus christ. Revelation was written before the temple was destroyed, before the events in the gospels happened. Advocates of a late date take it as proof of the book being written around 91ad but iraneaus never explicitly says so. And christ sent his angel to show it to his servant john, 2 who has told everything he saw. The book of revelation is the only book in the bible, that i know of, that has a blessing associated with it for those who will read itnot once but twice. The text of revelation states that john was on patmos, a greek island where. The book of revelation by john the apostle bible probe. The only other clue to the authors identity is that he states he received his visions while on the island of patmos rev. John and the book of revelation a bible study in easy. Thank you for submitting this question, and driving us to search the bible for any clues regarding the penning of the book of the revelation. The book of revelation is one of the most complicated books of the bible, even for christians who have spent a lot of time reading the bible. The only other clue to the authors identity is that he states he received his visions while on.
An easyenglish study unit 2800 word vocabulary on the new testament from acts to revelation. Is this the same john who wrote the gospel account and three letters. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. Modern religious scholarship attributes the book of revelation to john of patmos, who wrote the book of revelation around the time of the roman emperor. The elder, the seer, and the apostle bible odyssey.
Yes, revelation is physically the last book in the holy bible, but not the last book written in the bible. For a long time, i held the common view that john wrote his gospel record, his three little epistles, and the revelation between a. In sharp contrast, the book of revelation provides ample internal evidence that it was written by a jew intimately acquainted with the historical events and locations he wrote about. Note that this could have been in reference to the book of revelation being circulated widely seen by many, in reference to john still being alive last seen, or a reference to the dating of the book itself being written. The bible isnt the first book you might turn to for gratuitous violence, but its definitely in there.
This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. The apostle john, who wrote it under the inspiration of jesus christ revelation 1. The apocalypse, or revelation to john, the last book of the bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. The apostle john wrote the book of revelation around the year ad 95 from his. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. I always enjoyed these projects and studying about the various ways scholars make a connection to a certain author. Revelation is unlike all the other books of the new testament.
Apr 24, 2016 karlo broussard gives the reasons for why the most reasonable answer to the question who wrote the book of revelation. The author of the book of revelation calls himself john rev. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to. John wrote revelation when he was a prisoner on the isle of patmos for preaching about.
What the modern reader or biblical scholar has to do is to try to read the text with. Outside of revelation, examples of apocalyptic literature in the bible are daniel chapters 712, isaiah chapters 2427, ezekiel chapters 3741, and zechariah chapters 914. This name indicates the meaning of revelation it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events that would happen long after it was written. Christians throughout history have given almost unanimous affirmation to the identity of the books author as john the apostle, who had been exiled to the island of patmos by the authorities for preaching the gospel in asia.
The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he sawthat is, the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. While its authorship may continuously be a point of contention with modern historicalcritical scholarship, this has not been the case until recently. Victorinus late third century, author of the earliest commentary on the book of revelation, wrote. Apr 15, 2019 according to new world encyclopedia, the traditional view is that the john who wrote the book of john and the john who wrote revelation are the same guy. Everyone has heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but less well known are the horses of. While catholic and orthodox bibles may differ from protestant ones in having additional books between the testaments, all three traditions affirm revelation as the last book, a book which only barely made it into the bible. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all. John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. Nov 20, 2015 the book of revelation is one of the most mysterious books in the bible but thats no reason not to read it because john writes, blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy. The book of revelation, the final book of the new testament, has some of the most dramatic and frightening language in the bible. He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea.
This obviously lent a lot of weight to the final book of the bible, if someone as important as one of the original 12 disciples wrote it. The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse into. Brian chilton investigates the author of the book of revelation. The first verse in the book of revelation does not say exactly who that particular john is, but it is naturally assumed to be john the apostle since it was the apostles that were given the authority by god to write scripture. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. But, who was it that penned the word of revelation. Most people know what i mean when i say john is the author of the book of revelation. Only a handful of extremists today even countenance the possibility that revelation could have been written pseudonymously. Apr, 2011 in sharp contrast, the book of revelation provides ample internal evidence that it was written by a jew intimately acquainted with the historical events and locations he wrote about. From as early as justin martyr in the second century a. May 02, 2020 the description of the antichrist mentioned in daniel 9. An apocalyptic letter, it relies on visions, symbols, and old testament references to reveal the ultimate fulfillment of gods promise given to abraham in genesis. If you were a religious or political prisoner because the roman emperor disagreed with you, you were released when the emperor died. The first verse in the book of revelation does not say exactly who that particular john is, but it is.
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