Jamie Strickler
NT4275 Revelation
Koester
Spring 2010
Final Paper
May 14, 2010
To the Church in Pergamum: Revelation 2:12-17
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
Translation explanation:

It was my original intention to create my own translation of Revelation 2:12-17 however while in the process of comparing and contrasting the ESV, NRSV, NIV, NET, and NASB I found that there really isn’t any major discrepancies between these translations. The Greek is pretty straight forward. The only discrepancy that I did find between these versions was in the translation of the Greek word “.” The ESV translated the term “to follow” verses the NET translated the term as “hold to.” Neither translation changes the meaning of the passage. With this in mind I clung to the ESV translation.

Textual Variants: Taken from “A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament” by Bruce Metzger.

2:13 
The omission of x P 046 most minuscules) appears to be a modification introduced by copyists who did not perceive its ascensive force here (“even”). The word is adequately supported by A C 1854 2053 2344 it61 vg syrph copsa,bo.

2:13 
Although it is possible that, because of homoeoteleuton, was accidentally omitted in transcription (yet even when is included, the following -clause involves anacoluthon), the reading which explains best the origin of the others appears to be attested be A C 2053 2065 2344 it61 vg syrph copsa, bo al. Not observing that the following must be taken as an indeclinable proper name, standing in a genitival relationship with copyists sought to adjust the strained syntax by introducing either (046 1006c syr h eth al) pr (X a (X* P 1611 1854 it gig arm al).

2:13 
Since the context seems to demand the genitive several modern exegetes (including Swete, Charles, Zahn) adopt Lachmann’s conjecture that, after accidental dittography of the definite article (C) the first omicron was taken as a sigma. The Committee, however, regarded the conjecture as more than compelling.

2:16 
Then Textus Receptus, following X P 1 2053 vg syrh al, omits A majority of the Committee preferred the reading with which is supported by A C 046 1006 1611 1854 syrph copsa,bo , and explained its absence in other witnesses as due either to transcriptional oversight (after -or to taking with the preceding 

Theories for the authorship of Revelation:

Traditionally the authorship of “Revelation” (sometimes called “The Revelation of John”) has been attributed to the beloved disciple John. External evidence for this theory came early in the Christian Tradition. Justin Martyr was the first to speak about the apostle of Christ who prophesied of the apocalypse commenting particularly on Rev. 20:4 ESV, “4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Revelation seems to be a partner to the Gospel of John because the Christian tradition is so adamant about linking the two works. Also the traditional idea that John son of Zebedee died in Ephesus links this author to Asia Minor which is the setting for Revelation. However Montanist and Dionysius of Alexandria denied that John was the author.

On the other hand the Gospel of John is the least apocalyptic book in the New Testament. Throughout history it has been used as an example of the brand of Christianity that rejects the idea of apocalyptic theology. In support of this idea John Aston calls the Gospel of John “an apocalypse in reverse” In other words the heavenly mysteries are to be sought in Jesus who “makes the Father known” not in heaven.

We will never know for sure who wrote Revelation; except for the fact that the author identifies himself simply as John. I personally would like to cling to the romantic idea that the beloved disciple did in fact write this book and the differences in the structure and symbolism between the Gospel of John and Revelation can be attributed to divine revelation that didn’t care for consistency of style and content rather sought to deliver its message to the people as it needed to be heard. Believe me I understand that this idealistic theory is not good scholarship nonetheless I, being somewhat of a traditionalist and fundamentalist, sometimes still cling to my delusions. Either way the authorship of this work is not a deal breaker. It doesn’t add or take away anything from a person’s personal faith.

Time of Authorship:

Traditionally the time of authorship of Revelation has been set in the mid 90’s A.D. during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian. As external evidence for this theory scholars site that Domitian punished some of the members of his household for their “atheism” which is quite possibly a reference to Christianity. Some of the Romans misunderstood Christianity to be a godless religion because they did not worship the Roman emperor nor did they fit in with the Jews. But evidence for the authorship of Revelation to be around 68 A.D., the time of Nero’s death is just as potentially valid.

Main Characters of Revelation:

John, the author, is the main character in this book. He is receiving a vision from God. This vision is a message of warning and of promise to the seven churches in Asia Minor. (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) This prophecy contains both the threat of the wrath of God and His promise of victory to those who he has called.

Other characters include the false teachers Nicolaitans and Jezebel as well as Satan who is sometimes pictured as a beast or a dragon.

Nicolaitans taught that it was right to indulge in the meat offered to idols and pagan gods as well as encouraged Christians to participate in sexual immorality. Nicolaitans is particular to the church of Ephesus.

Jezebel called herself a prophetess and seduced the members of the Church in Thyatira into sexually immoral acts as well as heresy. It is not certain if the prophetess was actually named Jezebel or if this was an allusion to the Jezebel who led Israel into the worship of false deities.

Purpose of Revelation:

The purpose the author had for writing the letter of Revelation was to bring a message of comfort to Christians who were suffering and to encourage them in their faithful witness. John uses prophetic portraits of the victory that already belongs to those chosen by God to be in the Book of Life. This victory comes in the message of the risen and living Lamb of God Jesus Christ. Also this letter served as a warning to the seven churches of the wrath of God that would fall upon them if they did not repent of their current sinful practices. Revelation defines these sinful dealings in different ways particular to each congregation’s own practice in the dealings of unfaithfulness.


Law Themes:

God communicates with His chosen for people written in the Book of Life through His Word in terms of law and gospel therefore it is pertinent to discuss these particular themes found in Revelation. One of the main themes of Revelation is t apply the law and show where it is at work in the lives of the chosen. The law themes found in Revelation include: the deception of false prophets, call to repentance, beasts, dragon, God’s wrath, plagues, torment, woe, bottomless pit, tribulation, Babylon the great, second death, judgment, call to patient endurance. Each of these themes are tactical ways in which God, the world, and the Devil are accusing believers in Asia Minor in the time of Revelation as well as today.

Gospel Themes:

Another main purpose of Revelation is to deliver the gospel promise of Christ to God’s chosen whose names are written in the Book of Life. God’s people are a people who are engaged in sin and are feeling the crushing weight of the law but through the weight of the law they become aware of their sin and realize that they are a people in need of a Savior. (Romans 3:20 EVS, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”) This Savior has already arrived and completed everything that is necessary for their salvation. This message is communicated in terms of the gospel promise. The gospel themes include in Revelations are as follows: the Word of God, made a kingdom, priests, Jesus’ love, Lamb of God, truth, Christ who conquers, Lord of God Almighty, tree of life, Bride of the Lamb (church), God is faithful and true, water of life.

The Culture and Environment of the Church in Pergamum:

At the time in which Revelation was written Pergamum was the center of the cult of the emperor hence the reference to “Satan’s throne” in Rev. 2:13. In contrast to the stones mentioned in Rev. 2:17 which were white and pure the stone of Pergamum was dark. Pergamum was a cultural and administrative center of Asia Minor. The good Rev. Dr. Koester describes the city this way in his book entitled “Revelation and the End of All Things,” “The city was built around a citadel hill that rose a thousand feet above the plains, dominating the surrounding region. Many of the city’s public buildings were situated on terraces that were built into the side of the hill, and at its summit was an acropolis with a massive altar to Zeus. The city was the home of a renowned library, a temple to the emperor Augustus, and a shrine of Asclepius, the god of healing. Those seeking judgment in legal cases came before the Roman proconsul at Pergamum for hearings. It is possible that the epithet “Satan’s throne” refers to one of the pagan temples or to the Roman presence in the city, although it can best be understood in more general terms as the power that threatens the church.”

The Lord’s complaint against Pergamum:
It is obvious from our passage of study above (Rev. 2:12-17) that the complaints that the Lord has against His Church in Pergamum are that they were eating meat sacrificed to idols, and that they indulged in the practices of fornication or sexual immorality. The Lord was angry because the people were following the false teachings of Nicolaitans and Balaam; both of which encouraged the practice of sexual immorality and the eating of meat sacrificed to idols.



Imagery in Rev. 2:12-17:

Images or “picture language” are a common tool utilized by John in his letter to the seven churches. Revelation utilizes picture language to help illustrate or bring to life the reality of the struggle with the unseen forces which are running ramped and are engaged in battle in Asia Minor. The images that are used in our passage of study (Rev. 2:12-17) are: the double-edged sword, the throne of Satan, the promise of hidden manna, and the white stone with a name only know to those who receive it. I have already discussed the throne of Satan in the above section.

The double-edge sword that is coming out of the mouth of Christ is the image of the Word of God. This illustrates that Christ fights not with sword of shield rather he fights by preaching the Word of God. For God to speak is to do. For instance Genesis 1:3 ESV, “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” God created all things by speaking them into existence. His power comes from His proclaimed Word.

The double-sword image shows that God’s Word is functioning two ways in this passage: to kill and to make alive. God’s judgment is his proclamation that you are a sinner and therefore you are put to death by the wrath of God for your sinfulness. In Rev. 2:16 Jesus says, ESV “16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” This is a warning that if the people of the Church in Pergamum do not turn form their sinful ways then God will come and pronounce them sinners ending their lives.
But there is also a word of promise in Christ’s proclamation in this passage. Rev 2:17 ESV, “17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” In other words God is saying to those who believe the One who sent Jesus and are terrified by this warning (Psalm 111:10 ESV, “10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!) and do in fact turn form their sinful ways have ears to hear. These are spiritual ears given to a chosen child of God for the purpose of recognizing their Father’s voice and obeying. Those who hear and turn form their wicked ways will receive their daily bread from their Father and will be pure in His sight.

The hidden manna promised to the faithful that turn form their sinful ways goes hand in hand with the image of a white stone with a name on it. For the hidden manna is in fact the white stone. Hidden manna is a reference to Jesus Christ the bread of life and the white stone (white being the color of Christ’s robe and hair therefore a positive color in Revelation) posses the name of the rider of the white horse. This name, of course, is the name of Christ and everyone who turns from sin will poses the name of Christ in contrast to the worshipers of the beast who are identified by a mark and not a name. This imagery comes from Isaiah 62:2; 65:15 ESV, “2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.” “5 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord God will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name.” Referring to the message of the Old Testament prophets in image and not in exact indication is a common practice of John in Revelation.

Conclusion:

While John’s letter to the seven churches was written to a particular group at a particular time I believe that its message is still relevant to Christians today. Revelation is not a prediction of events to come that students of the Bible need to decode through world events and put on a time line. Rather it is a message of the coming wrath of God for those who do not repent of their wicked ways as well as a word of promise to those whose names are written in the Book of Life and are suffering under the persecution of the law, world, and the devil. Who among us modern Christians has not partaken, or at least thought of partaking, in fornication or sexual morality? We may not have a whole lot of pagan God sacrifices today however we do have idols. And we sacrifice our time, our money, and our children to these idols in the name of connivance, entertainment, and sometimes just in the name of fitting in. Turn from you wicked ways Pergamum (America) or the wrath of God is coming.













Bibliography:

1. Bauckham, Richard. New Testament Theology Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi
2. Friesen, Steven, Satan's throne, imperial cults and the social settings of Revelation, in Journal for the Study of the New Testament 27 (2005) 351-373
3. Koester, Craig R. Revelation and the End of All Things. William B. Erdman’s Publishing Company. Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.
4. Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. United Bible Societies
5. The New Interpreter’s Bible Vol.XII Abingdon Press Nashville
6. The Lutheran Study Bible Concordia Publishing House Saint Louis