Auss 1995 33-02

Andrews University
SEMINARS
STUDIES
Volume 33
Autumn 1995
Number 2
Andrews University Press
ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SEMINARY STUDIES

The Journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary of
Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan 49104, U.S.A.
Editor: NANCY J. VYHMEISTER
Associate Editor: JERRY MOON

Book Review Editor. JERRY MOON
Editor Emeritus: KENNETH A. STRAND

Consulting Editors: ROBERT M. JOHNSTON, JON PAULIEN,
RANDALL W. YOUNKER
Copy Editor: LEONA G. RUNNING
Editorial Assistant: SALLY KlASIONG-ANDRIAMIARISOA
Circulation Manager: MATTHEW M. KENT
Data Processor: JENNIFER KHARBTENG

Editorial and Circulation Offices: Andrews University Seminar Studies,
Seminary Hall, Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1500, U.S.A.
Phone: (616) 471-6023
Fax: (616) 471-6202
Electronic Mail: [email protected]
A refereed journal, ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SEMINARY STUDIES provides a scholarly
venue, within the context of biblical faith, for the presentation of research in the area
of religious and biblical studies. A USS publishes research articles and brief notes on
the following topics: biblical archaeology and history of antiquity; Hebrew Bible;
New Testament; church history of all periods; historical, biblical, and systematic
theology; ethics; history of religions; and missions. Selected research articles on
ministry and Christian education may also be included.
The opinions expressed in articles, brief notes, book reviews, etc., are those of
the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors nor those
of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.
Subscription Information: ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SEMINARY STUDIES is

published in the Spring and the Autumn. The subscription rate for 1996 is as
follows:
U.S.A.
Foreign
(in U.S.A. funds)
Regular Subscriber
Institutions (including Libraries)
Students
Retirees
$18.00
24.00
15.00
15.00
$21.00
27.00
18.00
18.00
(Price for Single Copy is $12.00 in U.S.A.; $14.00 Foreign (in U.S.A. funds.)
NOTE:
These are net rates for prepaid orders. A handling and service fee of $1.50 will
be added if orders are to be billed.
Printing by Patterson Printing, Benton Harbor, Michigan
ANDREWS UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY STUDIES

Volume 33
Autumn 1995
Number 2
CONTENTS
TRIBUTE TO KENNETH A. STRAND
"Mr. AUSS" Nancy J. Vyhmeister ................ 164
Kenneth A. Strand: Editor, Author, Pastor, Teacher,
Administrator, and Friend George R. Knight ...... 167
Kenneth A. Strand Bibliography ................... 171
ARTICLES
BALDWIN, JOHN T. Luther's Eschatological Appraisal of the
Turkish Threat in Eine Heerpredigt wider den Tiirken ... 185
FORD, JOSEPHINE MASSINGBAERDE. The Construction

of the Other: The Antichrist ....................
McIVER, ROBERT K. The Sabbath in the Gospel of
Matthew: A Paradigm for Understanding the
Law in Matthew? ............................
PAULIEN, JON. The Role of the Hebrew Cultus,
Sanctuary, and Temple in the Plot and Structure
of the Book of Revelation ......................
VYHMEISTER, NANCY J. The Rich Man in James 2: Does
Ancient Patronage Illumine the Text? .............
203
231
245
265
DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS
HASEL, FRANK MICHAEL. Scripture in the Theologies of
W. Pannenberg and D. G. Bloesch: An Investigation and
Assessment of Its Origin, Nature, and Use ................ 285
RELING, HAWS-OTTO. The Composition of Tripolar Pronouncement
Stories in the Gospel of Mark ........................ 286
REYNOLDS, EDWIN EARL. The Sodom/Egypt Motif in the Book
of-Revelation .................................... 287
REVIEWS .......................................... 288

Bauckham, Richard. The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on
the Book of Revelation ............... Ekkehardt Miiller
161
162
SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)
Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed. The Archaeology of Ancient

Israel .......................... Michael G. Hasel
Blumhofer, Edith L. and Randall Balmer, eds. Modern
Christian Revivals by Gary Land ............. Gary Land
Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther: The Preservation
of the Church 1532-1546 ............. Kenneth A. Strand
Cohen, Mark E. The Cultic Calendars of the
Ancient Near East ....................... Roy Gane
Doukhan, Jacques. Hebrew for Theologians: A Textbook
for the Study of Biblical Hebrew in Relation to
Hebrew Thinking .................... Beatrice S. Neall
Gangel, Kenneth O., and James C. Wilhoit, eds.
The Christian Educator's Handbook on Adult
Education ...................... Nancy J. Vyhmeister
Gilkey, Langdon. Nature, Reality, and the Sacred:
The Nexus of Science and Religion .... Martin Frederick Hanna
Johnstone, William, lain McCafferty, and James D. Martin.
Computerised Introductory Hebrew
Grammar ...................... Miary Andriamiarisoa
Lane, William L. Hebrews 1-8 and
Hebrews 9-13 ..................... Matthew M. Kent
Liechty, Daniel. Sabbatarianism in the Sixteenth
Century: A Page in the History of the Radical
Reformation ..................... Kenneth A. Strand
Linnemann, Eta. Is There a Synoptic Problem?
Rethinking the Literary Dependence of the First
Three Gospels .................... Edwin E. Reynolds
McConville, J. Gordon. Grace in the End: A Study
in Deuteronomic Theology ........... Paul Dean Duerksen
Millar, Fergis. The Roman Near East 31 B.C.-A.D. 337
............................... Howard P. Krug
Olson, Jeannine E. One Ministry, Many Roles: Deacons and
Deaconesses through the Centuries ......... Roger L. Dudley
Pinnock, Clark H. A Wideness in God's Mercy: The Finality
.
of Christ in a World of Religions . . . Samuel Koranteng-Pipim
Rhodes, Ron. Christ Before the Manger: The Life and
Times of the Preincamate Christ ..... Martin Frederick Hanna
Riches, John K. A Century of New Testament
Study .......................... Edwin E. Reynolds
Roennfeldt, Ray C. W. Clark H. Pinnock on
Biblical Authority: An Evolving Position ...... Gary Chartier
TABLE OF CONTENTS
163
Sanders, Jack T. Schismatics, Sectarians, Dissidents,

Deviants: The First One Hundred Years of
Jewish-Christian Relations ............... James E. Miller
Strickland, Wayne G., ed. The Law, the Gospel, and
the Modern Christian: Five Views ......... Roberto Badenas
Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early
Mormonism ...................... George R. Knight
BOOK NOTICES
.................................... 331
INDEX TO VOLUME 33
.............................. 333
The articles in this journal are indexed, abstracted, or listed in: Elenchus of
Biblica; Internationale Zeitschriftenschau fur Bibelwissenschaft und Grenzgebiete;
New Testament Abstracts; Old Testament Abstracts; Orientalistische
Literaturzeitung; Religion Index One; Periodicals; Religious and Theological
Abstracts; Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index; Theologische Zeitschrift; Zeitschrift
fur die alttesta-mentliche Wissenschaft.
Cypyright 1995 by Andrews University Press
ISSN 0003-2980
MR. AUSS
In this special issue, Andrews University Seminary Studies pays tribute
to Kenneth A. Strand. Since Strand's retirement in 1994 we have
surreptitiously been preparing this issue, not only to honor Strand, but
because we want to savor once more his incurable delight at a surprise!
With love and admiration we present these pages to Mr. A USSl
Although A USS was founded by the well-known archaeologist and
professor of ancient history, Siegfried H. Horn, Strand's tenure as
associate editor, coeditor, book-review editor, and editor-in-chief spans
nearly three decades. Besides numerous book notices and introductory
paragraphs here and there, Strand has contributed 39 articles and 72 book
reviews to AUSS. Recently he spoke to me of some ideas for future
articles. His massive scholarly contribution is delineated in the
bibliography. Appropriately, Strand's biography has been drafted by
historian George Knight, Strand's colleague in the Department of Church
History and A USS collaborator.
When we began to discuss the contents of this number, we wondered
if we might center the articles on a theme. As we reviewed Strand's
interests, we decided instead to bring in items representing some of his
major pursuits. Unfortunately, there is not enough space to include them
all. A glaring omission involves the Brethren of the Common Life.
John Baldwin's article on the Heerpredigt stands for Strand's interest
in Luther studies, which he has taught to generations of students. Robert
Mclver explores the Sabbath in Matthew in honor of Strand's work on
the Sabbath, in both history and theology. Nancy Vyhmeister's article on
patronage in James relates to Strand's passion for biblical interpretation,
as well as the Mediterranean world with which Strand is so familiar.
Two articles on the Apocalypse speak to the rich contribution to
Revelation studies made by Strand over the years. Josephine
Massingbaerde Ford writes as a colleague; Jon Paulien is a former student
who now teaches courses Strand once taught.
The dissertations abstracted in this issue of AUSS represent Strand's
years of service on the Ph.D.-Th.D. Committee. He either chaired the
dissertation defenses or was a member of the doctoral committees of
candidates whose dissertation work appears in this issue.
Given the broad scope of book reviews written by Strand through
the years, we felt no need to limit the topics of books reviewed. Truly a
Renaissance man, Strand was and is well-versed in all these areas and more.
164
KENNETH A. STRAND
appropriately framed in a woodcut from the title page of the
1524 Augsburg New Testament.
To Mr. AUSS: Thank you for the toil and sleepless nights, your
patient teaching, the postcards from faraway places, the boxes of
chocolates for no good reason at all, and the inspiration you have been to
all of us at A USS and the Seminary. May God bless your retirement years
and make them fruitful!
Nancy J. Vyhmeister
165
166
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A woodcut by Lucas Cranach in Luther's

September Bible. Reproduced from Strand, Woodcuts from the Earliest Lutheran
and Emserian New Testaments, p. 27.
KENNETH A. STRAND: EDITOR, AUTHOR, PASTOR,

TEACHER, ADMINISTRATOR, AND FRIEND
GEORGE R. KNIGHT
Andrews University
ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SEMINARY STUDIES has been indebted to
many people over its thirty-three-year history, but no one has made a greater
impact upon the journal than Dr. Kenneth A. Strand. Ken became an
associate editor ofAUSS under Siegfried Horn in 1967. Then in 1974 he
became the sole editor of the journal for 14 years. Those years were
followed by six years of coeditorship with George R. Knight (1988-1991)
and Nancy J. Vyhmeister (1991-1994).
Ken's years of leadership ofAUSS not only witnessed a consistently
high quality of editing, but also saw several significant changes in the
journal. Foremost among those changes were the publication of three issues
per year rather than two and the modernizing of the cover design. For over
a quarter of a century Ken dedicated a great part of his time to A USS. One
result is the respect in which the publication is held in scholarly circles.
Kenneth Strand was born into a Norwegian-speaking home in Tacoma,
Washington, on September 18, 1927. At an early age he made a decision
that would be primary in shaping the rest of his life. That decisionmade
in 1945, against the wishes of his fatherwas to join the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
Ken's baptism meant several things. For one, it brought continued study
into the theological implications of his new faith. Ken had been studying the
Bible for two years before his baptism and had cleared up many questions
on troublesome points (i.e., the 2300 days of Daniel 8, the nature of the
millennium, and the ministry of Ellen White). But baptism was just the
beginning of study for the young convert. The rest of his life would be spent
in careful study of Scripture and topics related to the Bible. A prodigious
reader who could get by on little sleep, Ken used his spare time to study.
That stimulated a habit that became lifelong. While in his early years he
claims he needed only four or five hours of sleep, in his adult years he often
got by on less as his enthusiasm for study carried him from one field to
another.
A second life-changing event that resulted from Ken's baptism was a
change of professional goals. Until 1945 he had set his heart set on an
167
168
engineering career, but after his baptism, Ken's only goal was to become a
Seventh-day Adventist minister.
His new professional goal determined a different type of educational
institution from what he had anticipated. He opted for a Christian college
even though some of his undergraduate work was taken at the University of
Minnesota. After attending Walla Walla College in Washington state, Ken
finally settled in at Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University) in southwest Michigan.
At Emmanuel Missionary College, Ken developed an extracurricular
skill that would further shape his future. He became editor of The Student
Movement. He graduated from EMC in 1952 with a major in religion and
minors in history and biology.
After graduation Ken was employed by the Michigan Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists. He served as a pastor to congregations in Battle
Creek, Monroe, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo from 1952 to 1959 and was
ordained to the ministry in 1956. A man with a pastor's heart, Ken claims
that he left a part of himself at each location. His pastoral concern would
later show up in his teaching years as he routinely visited students in their
dormitory rooms and apartments. Beyond that, he has spent countless hours
in his office, at all hours of the day and night, working closely with students
struggling with research projects.
As a pastor in the Michigan Conference, Ken had the rare fortune of
working under an administrator who took the initiative in encouraging him
to take up Ph.D. studies at the University of Michigan. George E. Hutches
was a firm believer in an educated ministry. Thus he not only arranged for
Ken's study program with the Michigan Conference administrative
committee, but he also placed Ken in churches that were near the Ann Arbor
university. Hutches was delighted that Ken accepted his offer. He later
pointed out that as conference president, he had opened the way for graduate
study for at least eight promising young men; Ken was the only one to
accept the challenge.
Ken completed a master's degree in history at the University of
Michigan in 1955 and a Ph.D. in the same department in 1958. His M.A.
research dealt with the Council of Trent and his doctoral studies included
work in the ancient Near East, Roman history, the Renaissance, and the
Reformation. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the Low-German edition
of the partial New Testament published by the Rostock Brethren of the
Common Life. That translation is of particular interest because Martin
Luther condemned it without having seen it. Had Luther seen it, Strand
points out, he would have seen that a great deal of the text (and even some
of the notes) was his own work.
KNIGHT: STRAND
169
Ken's career as an author would be profoundly affected by his doctoral

dissertation. Ken was not only shaped by his research but also by some of
his teachers. Among the most influential were Albert Hyma, a foremost
authority on the Brethren of the Common Life and Ken's dissertation
director, and George E. Mendenhall and George Cameron, established
authorities in ancient Near East studies and the Mediterranean world. On the
undergraduate level Ken had been shaped by his relationship to Edwin R.
Thiele, an internationally recognized authority on the chronology of the
Hebrew monarchy.
In 1959 Ken, with reluctance because of his sense of allegiance to the
Michigan Conference but with the approval of Hutches, accepted a position
teaching religion at Emmanuel Missionary College. The college at that time
was just beginning to prepare for the transfer of the Seventh-day Adventist
Theological Seminary and the Graduate School of Potomac University to
the Michigan campus as the denomination sought to establish a more
adequate university with both undergraduate and graduate divisions. As a
result, Emmanuel Missionary College was in desperate need of scholars
holding doctoral degrees.
The move to Berrien Springs in 1959 was a key element in Ken's
career. He would remain at the developing university until his retirement in
1994. Early in his thirty-five year tenure on the Andrews University faculty
Ken taught in both the undergraduate and graduate divisions, but from the
early 1960s onward his teaching time was devoted entirely to the graduate
schools of the university. While his primary appointment was in the
Department of Church History of the Theological Seminary, Ken also taught
courses in the Seminary departments of New Testament, Old Testament,
Theology and Christian Philosophy.
Beyond his editorial and teaching duties at Andrews, Ken held several
administrative positions. They have included chairing the Church History
Department and directing the M.A. program in religion. In addition, for
many years Ken served as secretary of the Ph.D./Th.D. program in the
Seminary, held key appointments in the Graduate school, and served as the
Seminary advisor to the doctoral programs in the School of Education. In
this school, his influence was especially strong in the area of Religious
Education. Ken's input has also been felt in the many university committees
on which he actively served for many years.
Besides his editorial, teaching, and administrative posts in his thirty-five
years at Andrews, Ken has also somehow found time to write. He has
authored some twenty-three books and edited another five. He has also
published well over one hundred scholarly articles, book chapters, and
reviews. His articles and reviews may be found in such journals as New
Testament Studies, Archivfur Reformationsgeschichte, Journal ofBiblical
170
Literature, Andrews University Seminary Studies, American Historical

Review, Catholic Historical Review, Erasmus Yearbook, Renaissance News,
and Renaissance Quarterly.
Not only has the quantity of Ken's academic output been prodigious,
but its breadth has been equally impressive. Not one to take the easy road,
Ken has established himself as an authority in many fields.
As might be expected, a primary field for Ken has been the area of
Reformation studies. Twelve of the books he authored deal with early
German Bibles. Collectively, these volumes provide a valued resource
regarding the pre-Luther and Reformation periods. Several of the books
reproduce pictures and woodcuts selected to show the artists' conceptions
of religious themes of the period. Ken is one of very few scholars who have
specialized in this field. Ken edited and authored another seven volumes on
Reformation topics. One of those was a Festschrift in honor of Albert
Hyma.
Another field of interest in Ken's publishing career is the book of
Revelation. Three of his books and many of his articles are in this area. He
is especially noted for his groundbreaking contributions to knowledge of the
literary structure of Revelation.
Ken also authored a volume on the ancient Near East and three more on
the Sabbath/Sunday controversy in the early church. Perhaps his most
important scholarly contribution in the area of the history of the Sabbath
was the editing of The Sabbath in Scripture and History (1982). Meticulously researched by nineteen scholars under Ken's direction, this volume
is the most comprehensive and scholarly history of the Sabbath ever
published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In addition to his "official" duties as editor, scholar, pastor, author,
teacher, and administrator, Ken is best known to many of us as a friend. He
has a heart that has reached out to his colleagues and students in genuine
compassion and caring. Like his Master, Ken has left a mark on our lives
that has inspired us with faith, hope, confidence, and courage. His ministry
of reconciliation has borne its own special fruit.
The work of Dr. Kenneth A. Strand at Andrews University between
1959 and 1994 has left a lasting impact not only on the people he came hi
contact with, Andrews University, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
but also on the larger world of religious scholarship. He did not labor in
vain.
What is Ken doing in retirement? Much the same as before.. He still
teaches courses in church history and the theology of the book of Revelation
as an Andrews University Professor Emeritus of Church History. And he is
still researching and writing and "pastoring" in his own quiet way. And as
the journal's first editor-emeritus, Ken still has an active interest in AUSS.
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Autumn 1995, No. 2, 171-183

Copyright 1995 by Andrews University Press
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF KENNETH A. STRAND

Through 1994
Compiled by Nancy J. Vyhmeister and Jennifer Kharbteng
BOOKS
A Reformation Paradox. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1960.
Reformation Bibles in the Crossfire: The Story ofJerome Emser, His AntiLutheran Critique, and His Catholic Bible Version. Ann Arbor: Ann
Arbor Publishers, 1961.
Woodcuts from the Earliest Lutheran and Emserian New Testaments. Ann
Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1962.
Reformation Bible Pictures: Woodcuts from Early Lutheran and Emserian
New Testaments. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1963.
German Bibles Before Luther: The Story of 14 High German Editions.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1966.
Three Essays on Early Church History, with Emphasis on the Roman
Province ofAsia. Ann Arbor: Braun-Brumfield, 1967.
Early Low-German Bibles: The Story of Four Pre-Lutheran Editions.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967.
Woodcuts to the Apocalypse in Durer's Time: Albrecht Durer's Woodcuts
Plus Five Other Sets from the 15th and 16th Centuries. Ann Arbor:
Ann Arbor Publishers, 1968.
Durer's Apocalypse: The 1498 German and 1511 Texts in Facsimile Plus
Samples ofDurer's Woodcuts and Graffs Copies. Ann Arbor: Ann
Woodcuts to the Apocalypse from the Early 16th Century. Ann Arbor: Ann
Brief Introduction to the Ancient Near East: A Panorama of the Old
Testament World. Ann Arbor: Braun-Brumfield, 1969.
The Open Gates ofHeaven: A BriefIntroduction to Literary Analysis of the
Book of Revelation. Ann Arbor: Braun-Brumfield, 1970. Second
edition, enlarged, 1972.
171
172
SEMINARY STUDIES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)
Reform Essentials ofLuther and Calvin: A Source Collection. Ann Arbor:

Braun-Brumfield, 1971.
Essays on the Sabbath in Early Christianity, with a Source Collection on the
Sabbath Fast. Ann Arbor: Braun-Brumfield, 1972.
Luther's "September Bible" in Facsimile. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor
Publishers, 1972.
Facsimiles from Early Luther Bibles. Vol. 1, The Gospel of John. Ann
Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1972.
Facsimiles from Early Luther Bibles. Vol. 2, Romans. Ann Arbor: Ann
Reform Appeals of Luther and Calvin: A Source Collection. Ann Arbor:
Braun-Brumfield, 1974.
Introduction to the Religious Thought of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin:
Selected Studies. Ann Arbor: Braun-Brumfield, 1974.
Perspectives in the Book of Revelation: Essays on Apocalyptic
Interpretation. Worthington, OH: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1975.
Interpreting the Book of Revelation: Hermeneutical Guidelines with Brief
Introduction to Literary Analysis. Worthington, OH: Ann Arbor
Publishers, 1976. Second edition Naples, Florida: Ann Arbor
Publishers, 1979. Second edition revised, 1986.
The Early Christian Sabbath: Selected Essays and a Source Collection.
Worthington, OH: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1979.
Catholic German Bibles of the Reformation Era: The Versions ofEmser,
Dietenberger, Eck, and Others. Naples, FL: Ann Arbor Publishers,
1982.
BOOKS EDITED
The Dawn of Modern Civilization: Studies in Renaissance, Reformation,
and Other Topics Presented to Honor Albert Hyma. Ann Arbor: Ann
Arbor Publishers, 1962. Second edition, 1964.
With Richard L. DeMolen. Albert Hyma: Bibliography and Biographical
Sketch. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1964.
Essays on the Northern Renaissance. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers,
1968.
Essays on Luther. Ann Arbor: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1969.
The Sabbath in Scripture and History. Washington, DC: Review and
Herald, 1982.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF K: A. STRAND
173
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOOKS
Section on Brethren of the Common Life in "The Impact of Printing." In
Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, vol. 16, ed. James E. Person,
Jr., cols. 340a-342b. Detroit & London: Gale Research, 1991.
(Revised from a chapter by Strand in The Dawn ofModern Civilization
[Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1962 and 1964, 341-355]).
"Modern Protestant Conservative Biblical Studies in America." In A
Symposium on Biblical Hermeneutics, ed. Gordon M. Hyde, 89-108.
Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1974.
"Interpretation of the Bible in the Early and Medieval Church." Coauthored
with Walter Douglas. In A Symposium on Biblical Hermeneutics, ed.
Gordon M. Hyde, 29-46. Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1974.
"About the Authors" "Preface" and "Introduction." In The Sabbath in
Scripture and History, ed. Kenneth A. Strand, 9-18. Washington, DC:
Review and Herald, 1982.
"The Sabbath and Sunday from the Second Through Fifth Centuries."
Appendix B in The Sabbath in Scripture and History, ed. Kenneth A.
Strand, 323-332. Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1982.
"Sabbath and Sunday in the Reformation Era." In The Sabbath in Scripture
and History, ed. Kenneth A. Strand, 215-228. Washington, DC:
Review and Herald, 1982.
"The 'Lord's Day' in the Second Century." Appendix F in The Sabbath in
Scripture and History, ed. Kenneth A. Strand, 346-351. Washington,
DC: Review and Herald, 1982.
"Foreword." In The Israel of God in Prophecy: Principles of Prophetic
Interpretation, by Hans K. LaRondelle, ix-x. Berrien Springs, MI:
Andrews University Press, 1983.
"The Eight Basic Visions." In Symposium on RevelationBook 1. Daniel
and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 6, ed. Frank B. Holbrook, 3549. Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992.
Victorious Introduction Scenes." In Symposium on RevelationBook 1.
Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, ,vol. 6, ed. Frank B.
Holbrook, 51-72. Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute,
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992.
"Foundational Principles of Interpretation." In Symposium on Revelation
Book 2. Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7, ed. Frank
B. Holbrook, 3-39. Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute,
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992.
174
"The Seven Heads: Do They Represent Roman Emperors?" Symposium on

RevelationBook 2. Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7,
ed. Frank B. Holbrook, 177-206. Silver Spring, MD: Biblical
Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists,
1992.
"John Calvin and the Brethren of the Common Life: The Role of
Strassburg." In Articles on Calvin and Calvinism: An Anthology of
Scholarly Articles. 14 vols. Edited by Richard C. Gamble. New
York: Garland, 1992. 2:193-206. (Originally published mAUSS 15
[Spring 1977]: 43-56.)
"John Calvin and the Brethren of the Common Life." In Articles on Calvin
and Calvinism: An Anthology of Scholarly Articles. 14 vols. Edited
by Richard C. Gamble. New York: Garland, 1992. 5:133-144
(Originally published mAUSS 13 [Spring 1975]: 67-78.)
ARTICLES
"Additional Note on Calvin and the Influence of the Brethren of the
Common Life in France." AUSS 15 (Spring 1977): 51-56.
"The Adventist Heritage Center and a Tribute to Its First Curator." AUSS
32 (Spring-Summer 1994): 107-110.
"An Andrews University Archaeological Update: The 1984 Expedition to
Tell el-'Umeiri." AUSS23 (Spring 1985): 83.
"Another Look at 'Lord's Day' in the Early Church and in Revelation 1:10."
NTS 13(1967): 174-180.
"Apocalyptic Prophecy and the Church." Ministry, October 1983, 20-23,
December 1983, 14-18.
"Arnoldi von Usingen's Sermo de Matrimonio Sacerdotum et
Monarchorum: The Text of a Rare Edition." ARG 56 (1965): 145-155.
"AUSS Style and Guidelines." AUSS 15 (Autumn 1977): 249-260.
"Bargain Hunting or Two-Way Communication?" Insight, 13 February,
1973, 18-19.
"The Book of Revelation: A Review Article on Some Recent Literature."
AUSSll (July 1973): 181-193.
"A Book of Destiny." Insight, 1 May, 1974, 18-19.
"The Brethren of the Common Life: A Review Article of R. R. Post's The
Modern Devotion." AUSS 8 (January 1970): 65-76.
"A Brief Bibliographical Survey: Books on Luther Appearing in America
During 1983 and 1984." AUSS 22 (Spring 1984): 157-163.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF K. A. STRAND
175
"Chiastic Structure and Some Motifs in the Book of Revelation." AUSS 16

(Autumn 1978): 401-408.
"Church Organization in First-Century Rome: A New Look at the Basic
Data." AUSS29 (1991): 139-160.
"Communication That Grows." Insight, 22 June, 1971, 18-19.
"Current Issues and Trends in Luther Studies." AUSS 22 (Spring 1984):
127-156.
"The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Uniqueness of Christianity." Ministry,
December 1960, 28-31.
"Early Luther Bibles: Facsimiles from Several Significant Editions." AUSS
23 (Spring 1985): 117-118.
"The Eight Basic Visions in the Book of Revelation." AUSS 25 (Spring
1987): 107-121.
"The Emserian New Testament Used by the Rostock Brethren of the
Common Life for Their Low-German Translation." ARG 55 (1964):
216-219.
"A Flash That Changed History." Signs oftheTimes, October 1983, 4-6.
"A Fresh Look at Revelation." Adventist Review April 3, 1986, 11-13.
"From Sabbath to Sunday in the Early Christian Church: A Review of Some
Recent Literature. Part I: Willy Rordorfs Reconstruction." AUSS 16
(Spring 1978): 333-342.
"From Sabbath to Sunday in the Early Christian Church: A Review of Some
Recent Literature. Part II: Samuele Bacchiocchi's Reconstruc-tion."
AUSS 17 (Spring 1979): 85-104.
"A Further Note on the Sabbath in Coptic Sources." AUSS 6 (July 1968):
150-157.
"A Further Note on the Covenantal Form in the Book of Revelation." AUSS
21 (Autumn 1983): 251-264.
"Governance in the First-Century Christian Church in Rome: Was it
Collegial?" AUSS 30 (Spring 1992): 59-75.
"How Sunday Became the Popular Day of Worship," Parts 1-3. These
Times, November 1978,21-24; December 1978, 18-21; January 1979,
12-15.
"How Sunday Displaced the Sabbath," Parts 1 and 2. These Times, April
1968, 24-28; May 1968, 26-29.
"How Sunday Became the Popular Day of Worship." These Times, May
1982, 17-23, 39. Reprinted in Signs of the Times, June 1986, 17-23,
30.
176
SEMINARY STUDES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)
"Introductory Note: A Tribute to Huldrych Zwingli." AUSS 23 (Summer

1985): 131-142.
"Investigative Judgment in the Book of Revelation." Pacific Union
Recorder, October 13, 1980, 2.
"John Calvin and the Brethren of the Common Life: The Role of
Strassburg." AUSS 15 (Spring 1977): 43-50.
"John Calvin and the Brethren of the Common Life." AUSS 13 (Spring
1975): 67-78.
"John as Quartodeciman: A Reappraisal." JBL 84 (1965): 251-258.
"Literary Structure: A Key to Interpreting the Revelation." Ministry, March
1977, 17-20.
"Luther's Condemnation of the Rostock New Testament." AUSS 1 (1963):
108-120.
"Luther's First Edition of the Pentateuch." AUSS 27 (Spring 1989): 39-52.
"The Lutheran New Testament Used by the Rostock Brethren of the
Common Life for Their Catholic Bible Translation." ARG 52 (1961):
99-100.
"Meet Martin Luther: An Introductory Biographical Sketch." AUSS 22
(Spring 1984): 15 -32.
"A Message from 'Hellish Prince Lucifer' to Martin Luther." AUSS 24
(Summer 1986): 173-177.
"Notations on a Rare Reformation-Era Work." AUSS 8 (July 1970): 168172.
"A Note on Reformation-Era Flugschriften" AUSS 24 (Summer 1986):
178-180.
"'Overcomer': A Study in the Macrodynamic of Theme Development in the
Book of Revelation." AUSS 28 (Autumn 1990): 237-254.
"An Overlooked Old-Testament Background to Revelation 11:1." A USS 22
(Autumn 1984): 317-325.
"Peter and Paul in Relationship to the Episcopal Succession in the Church
at Rome." AUSS 30 (Autumn 1992): 217-232.
"A Radiant Christian Experience: Joy Ahead." Review and Herald, October
6, 1966, 8-9.
"A Radiant Christian Experience: 'Looking Unto Jesus.'" Review and
Herald, September 22, 1966, 6-7.
"A Radiant Christian Experience: So Great a Cloud of Witnesses." Review
and Herald, September 15, 1966, 2-3, 11.
177
"A Radiant Christian Experience: Suffering for Christ." Review and

Herald, October 13, 1966, 6-7.
"The Rise of the Monarchical Episcopate." AUSS 4 (January 1966): 65-88.
"S& blev sSndagen en allman gudstjanst-dag." Liv i Nutid, July/August
1979, 12, 13, 16, 18; September/October 1979, 6, 7, 16, 17;
November/December 1979, 12-14.
"Some Modalities of Symbolic Usage in Revelation 18." AUSS 24 (Spring
1986): 37-46.
"Some Notes on the Sabbath Fast in Early Christianity." AUSS 3 (July
1965): 167-174.
"Some Significant Americana: The Saur German Bibles." AUSS 32
(Spring-Summer 1994): 57-106.
"The 'Spotlight-on-the-Last-Events' Sections in the Book of Revelation."
AUSS 27 (Autumn 1989): 201-221.
"Sunday Easter and Quartodecianism in the Early Christian Church." AUSS
28 (Summer 1990): 127-136.
"Sunday in the Early Church." Ministry, January 1977, 11-15.
"Sunnudagurinn, 1-3." Braedrabandid, May/June 1981, 12-16; August/
September 1981, 8-12; November 1981, 8-11.
"Tertullian and the Sabbath." AUSS 9 (My 1971): 129-146.
"A Tribute to Martin Luther: Introductory Note about This Issue of AUSS."
AUSS 22 (Spring 1984): 5-6.
"A Tribute to Leona Glidden Running and Sketch of Her Scholarly Career."
AUSS25 (Spring 1987): 5-7.
"Two Aspects of Babylon's Judgment Portrayed in Revelation 18." AUSS
20 (Spring 1982): 53-60.
"Two Notes Concerning Pamphlet Literature of the Reformation Era."
AUSS24 (Summer 1986): 173-180.
"The Two Olive Trees of Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11." AUSS 20
(Autumn 1982): 257-261.
"The Two Witnesses of Rev 11:3-12." AUSS 19 (Summer 1981): 127-135.
"The Victorious-Introduction Scenes in the Visions in the Book of
Revelation." AUSS 25 (Autumn 1987): 267-288.
"What the Millennium Means to Me: The Challenge and Joy of Living and
Reigning with Christ." Adventist Review, March 12, 1987, 10-11.
178
SEMINARY STUDES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

REVIEWS
Anderson, Charles. Augsburg Historical Atlas ofChristianity in the Middle

Ages and Reformation. AUSS6(My 1968): 203-204.
Atkinson, James. The Great Light: Luther and the Reformation. A USS 8
(January 1970): 77-78.
Ball, Bryan W. A Great Expectation: Eschatological Thought in English
Protestantism to 1660. AUSS 15 (Autumn 1977): 223-224.
Beach, Bert Beverly. EcumenismBoon or Bane? AUSS 15 (Spring 1977):
65.
Beegle,DeweyM. Prophecy and Prediction. AUSS 18 (Spring 1980): 102105.
Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther: His Road to Reformation 1483-1521. AUSS
24 (Autumn 1986): 267-269.
Breen, Quirinus. Christianity and Humanism: Studies in the History of
Ideas. AUSS 7 (January 1969): 73-75.
Bube, Richard H. The Encounter Between Christianity and Science. A USS
8 (January 1970): 84-86.
Campenhausen, Hans von. Ecclesiastical Authority and Spiritual Power in
the Church of the First Three Centuries. AUSS 10 (July 1972): 205206.
Carson, D. A. From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical and
Theological Investigation. AUSS21 (Summer 1983): 177-182.
Carson, D. A. When Jesus Confronts the World: An Exposition ofMatthew
8-10. AUSS2S (Spring 1990): 90-91.
Christensen, Carl C. Art and the Reformation in Germany. CHR 68 (April
1982): 342-344.
Davies, J. G. The Early Christian Church. AUSS 5 (July 1967): 200-202.
DeMolen, Richard L. Essays on the Works ofErasmus. AUSS 19 (Autumn
1981): 263-264.
DeMolen, Richard L. Leaders of the Reformation. AUSS 24 (Autumn
1986): 270-272.
DeMolen, Richard L. The Spirituality ofErasmus ofRotterdam. AUSS 27
(Summer 1989): 139-140.
DeMolen, Richard L., ed. The Meaning of the Renaissance and Reform
ation. AUSS 14 (Spring 1976): 250-251.
Eberhardt, Walter. Wege andlrnvege der Christenheit von der Urgemeinde
biszur Vorreformation. AUSS 8 (July 1970): 178-180.
179
Eberhardt, Walter. Reformation undGegenreformation. AUSS 13 (Spring

1975): 81-82.
Edwards, Rex D. A New FrontierEvery Believer a Minister. AUSS 21
(Spring 1983): 93-96.
Efird, James M. Revelation for Today: An Apocalyptic Approach. A USS 30
(Spring 1992): 84-85.
Eller, Vernard. The Most Revealing Book in the Bible: Making Sense Out
of Revelation. AUSS 14 (Spring 1976): 251-253.
Epp, Frank H. Whose Land is Palestine? AUSS 10 (July 1972): 118-119.
Erb, Paul. Bible Prophecy: Questions and Answers. AUSS 17 (Autumn
1979): 212-214.
Fraenkel, Peter. Testimonia Patrum: The Function of the Patristic
Argument in the Theology ofPhilip Melanchthon. Renaissance News
14 (Summer 1962): 153-154.
Grant, Robert M. After the New Testament. AUSS 1 (January 1969): 82-83.
Gross, Leonard. The Golden Years of the Hutterites: The Witness and
Thought of the Communal Moravian Anabaptists During the Walpot
Era, 1565-1578. AUSS21 (Spring 1983): 98-100.
Hyma, Albert. The Life ofDesiderius Erasmus. AUSS 12 (July 1974): 144145.
Hyma, Albert. The Youth of Erasmus. AUSS 8 (January 1970): 96.
Jackson, Jeremy C. No Other Foundation: The Church Through Twenty
Centuries. AUSS 21 (Spring 1983): 100-102.
Jensen, DeLamar. Confrontation at Worms: Martin Luther and the Diet of
Worms. Renaissance Quarterly 19 (1976): 85-86.
Karant-Nunn, Susan. Luther's Pastors: The Reformation in the Ernestine
Countryside. AUSS 19 (Autumn 1981): 266-268.
Rittelson, James M. Luther, the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His
Career. AUSS 26 (Autumn 1988): 300-302.
Kubo, Sakae. God Meets Man: A Theology of the Sabbath and Second
Advent. AUSS 17 (Autumn 1979): 219-222.
Kubo, Sakae, and Walter F. Specht. So Many Versions? Twentieth-Century
English Versions of the Bible, revised and enlarged edition. AUSS 23
(Autumn 1985): 307-309.
Ladd, George Eldon. The Presence of the Future: The Eschatology of
Biblical Realism. AUSS 13 (Spring 1975): 85-86.
180
Ladd, George Eldon. The Last Things: An Eschatology for Laymen. A USS
17 (Autumn 1979): 223-225.
Laeuchli, Samuel. The Serpent and the Dove. A USS 6 (July 1968): 216219.
Landeen, William M. Martin Luther's Religious Thought. AUSS 11 (July
1973): 215-216.
Lampe, G.W.H., ed. The West from the Fathers to the Reformation. The
Cambridge History of the Bible, vol. 2. AUSS 8 (July 1970): 188-189.
LaRondelle, Hans. The Israel of God in Prophecy. Ministry, September
1983, 32.
LaSor, William Sanford. The Truth about Armageddon: What the Bible
Says about the End Times. AUSS'23 (Spring 1985): 68-70.
Liechty, Daniel. Andreas Fischer and the Sabbatarian Anabaptists: An
Early Reformation Episode in East Central Europe. AUSS 28
(Summer 1990): 169-171.
MacGregor, Geddes. A Literary History of the Bible. AUSSS (July 1970):
192-193.
MacPherson, Dave. The Great Rapture Hoax. AUSS 23 (Spring 1985): 7074.
MacPherson, Dave. The Late Great Pre-Trib Rapture. AUSS 15 (Autumn
1977): 238-239.
MacPherson, Dave. The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin. AUSS 13 (Spring,
1975): 86-87.
Maxwell, Mervyn. God Cares, vol. 2, The Message ofRevelation for You
and Your Family. A USS 24 (Autumn 1986): 284-286.
Meyer, Carl S., ed. Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies, vol. 1.
Renaissance Quarterly 25 (1972): 470-481.
Minear, Paul S. / Saw a New Earth: An Introduction to the Visions of the
Apocalypse. AUSS & (My 1970): 197-199.
Morris, Leon. Apocalyptic. AUSS 12 (July 1974): 150.
Morris, Leon. The Revelation of St. John: An Introduction and Com
mentary. AUSS 12 (July 1974): 150-152.
Morris, Leon. Apocalyptic, 2d ed. AUSS 15 (Spring 1977): 83.
Neall, Beatrice S. The Concept of Character in the Apocalypse with
Implications for Character Education. AUSS (Summer 1985): 214218.
181
Oberman, Heiko A. Luther: Man Between God and the Devil. AUSS 29
(Autumn 1991): 272-274.
Oberman, Heiko A. The Roots ofAnti-Semitism: In the Age of Renaissance
and Reformation. AUSS 24 (Spring 1986): 69-70.
Oberman, Heiko A., ed. Luther and the Dawn of the Modern Era.
Renaissance Quarterly 39 (Autumn 1976): 395-400.
Odom, Robert L. Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity. AUSS 17
(Spring 1979): 127-129.
Olin, John C., James B. Smart, and Robert McNally, eds. Luther, Erasmus,
and the Reformation. Renaissance Quarterly 23 (1970): 453-455.
Olsen, V. Norskov. The New Testament Logia on Divorce. AUSS 10 (July
1972): 192-193.
Olsen, V. Norskov. John Foxe and the Elizabethan Church. AUSS 12 (July
1974): 153-155.
Pelikan, Jaroslav. Interpreters of Luther: Essays in Honor of Wilhelm
Pauck. AUSS9 (My 1971): 183.
Peters, Ted. FuturesHuman and Divine. AUSS 18 (Autumn 1980): 189190.
Pipkin, H. Wayne, and John H. Yoder, eds. and trans. Balthasar Hubmaier:
Theologian ofAnabaptism. AUSS28 (Sumnier 1990): 183-184.
Richard, Lucien Joseph. The Spirituality of John Calvin. AUSS 15
(Autumn 1977): 242-243.
Schwantes, S. H. The Biblical Meaning of History. AUSS 10 (July 1972):
199-201.
Schwencke, Olaf. Die Glossierung alttestamentliche Biicher in der
Litbecker Bibel van 1494. ARC 60 (1969): 265-266.
Smedes, Lewis B., ed. Ministry and the Miraculous: A Case Study at Fuller
Theological Seminary. AUSS 27 (Summer 1989): 158-159.
Stauffer, Richard. The Humanness ofJohn Calvin. AUSS 12 (July 1974):
157.
Steinmetz, David C. Luther in Context. AUSS 26 (Spring 1988): 98-99.
Thiele, Edwin R. Knowing God. AUSS 19 (Summer 1981): 168-170.
Thiele, Edwin R. A Chronology of the Hebrew Kings. AUSS 17 (Autumn
1979): 227-228.
Thiele, Edwin R. The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, 3d ed.
AUSS 21 (Autumn 1983): 280-282.
Thompson, Leonard L. The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire.
AUSS29 (Summer 1991): 188-190.
182
Venden, Morris L. Faith That Works. Adventist Review, December 25,

1980,24.
Walton, Robert C. Chronological Background Charts of Church History.
AUSS 26 (Spring 1988): 102-104.
Wicks, Jared. Man Yearningfor Grace: Luther's Early Spiritual Teaching.
AUSS 11 (July 1973): 223-224.
Wiles, Maurice. The Christian Fathers. AUSS 6 (January 1968): 125-128.
Wilkinson, John. Health and Healing: Studies in New Testament Principles
and Practice. AUSS21 (Autumn 1983): 283-286.
Wilson, Dwight. Armageddon Now! The Premillenarian Response to
Russia and Israel Since 1917. AUSS 17 (Spring 1979): 134-136.
Wood-Leigh, K. L. Perpetual Chantries in Britain. Renaissance News 19
(Summer 1966): 369-371.
Ziefle, Helmut W. Theological German: A Reader. AUSS 26 (Autumn
1988): 312.
Zurcher, J. R. Christ ofthe Revelation: His Message to the Church and the
World. Adventist Review, May 29, 1980, 19.
PAPERS PRESENTED
'"Toward a Balanced Hermeneutic and Avoiding of Extremes: Issues in
Current Theoloty." Paper presented at the North American Division
Bible Conferences: Collegedale, Tennessee; Angwin, California; and
Berrien Springs, Michigan, May-June, 1974.
"The Literary Structure of the Book of Revelation: A New Analysis
Revealing the Use of Chiasmus." Paper presented at the 13th
Congress of the International Association for History of Religions,
Lancaster, England, August 1975.
"Chiastic Literary Structure in the Book of Revelation and Its Implications." Paper presented at SBL Northwest Meeting, May 1976.
"Demon Expulsion in the History of the Christian Church." Paper presented
to the Committee on Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance Ministry, May
11, 1982, Berrien Springs, Michigan.
"The Apocalyptic Books of Daniel and Revelation Compared and
Contrasted." Paper presented at the Far Eastern Division of Seventhday Adventists Bible Conference, Seoul, Korea, June 21, 1984; Los
Banos, Philippines, June 26,1984; General Conference of Seventh-day
Adventists In-Service Seminar, Washington, D.C., October 23, 1984.
183
"The General Nature of Apocalyptic Prophecy." Paper presented at the FarEastern Division of Seventh-day Adventists Bible Con-ferences:
Seoul, Korea, June 21, 1984; Los Bafios, Philippines, June 25, 1984;
and at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists In-Service
Seminar, Washington, D.C., October 23, 1984.
"The Literary Structure in the Book of Revelation and Its Relationship to
Theology." Paper presented at the Far-Eastern Division of Seventhday Adventists Bible Conferences: Seoul, Korea, June 21, 1984; Los
Bafios, Philippines, June 26, 1984; and at the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists In-Service Seminar, Washington, D.C.,
October 23, 1984.
"Theological Highlights in the Book of Revelation, I: Some Themes of
General Interest." Paper presented at the Far-Eastern Division of
Seventh-day Adventists Bible Conferences: Seoul, Korea, June 21,
1984; Los Baftos, Philippines, June 27, 1984; and at the General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists In-Service Seminar,
Washington, D.C., October 23, 1984.
"Theological Highlights in the Book of Revelation, II: Some Themes
Especially Important in SDA History." Paper presented at the FarEastern Division of Seventh-day Adventists Bible Conferences, Seoul,
Korea, June 21, 1984; Los Bafios, Philippines, June 27, 1984; and at
the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists In-Service
Seminar, Washington, D.C., October 23, 1984.
"Catholic German Bibles of the Sixteenth Century." Paper presented at the
American Society for Reformation Research (in conjunction with the
Twentieth International Congress for Medieval Studies), Kalamazoo,
Michigan, May 9, 1985.
"First-century Church Organization in Rome: A Re-assessment." Paper
presented at Walla Walla College, College Place, Washington, April
20, 1989.
"Toward a Theology of the Book of Revelation, Part I: The Hermenue-tical
Foundation"; "Part II: Some Basic Themes in the Book of Revelation";
Part III: Aspects of Judgment and Reward in the Book of Revelation."
Papers presented to the Daniel and Revelation Committee of the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Huntsville, Alabama,
March 14-18, 1990.
"On Interpreting the Book of Revelation." A special lecture at the Neenah,
Wisconsin Seventh-day Adventist Church for three churches in the
district, October 31, 1992.
World map showing the beasts of Daniel 7. Woodcut by Hans Lufft, 1530.
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Autumn 1995, Vol. 33, No.2, 185-202
Copyright c 1995 by Andrews University Press.
LUTHER'S ESCHATOLOGICAL APPRAISAL

OF THE TURKISH THREAT IN
EINE HEERPREDIGT WIDER DEN TURKEN
JOHN T. BALDWIN
Andrews University
Introduction
Although Martin Luther is deservedly well-known for his
soteriological rediscoveries, Winfried Vogel cogently argues that his
eschatological thinking warrants closer consideration than it is normally
accorded because Luther's eschatological concerns permeate his
theology. 1 The present study joins VogePs efforts and those of other
scholars currently mining this relationship.2
'Winfried Vogel, "The Eschatological Theology of Martin Luther, Part I: Luther's
Basic Concepts," AUSS 24 (Autumn 1986): 249-264; ibid., "The Eschatological Theology
of Martin Luther, Part II: Luther's Exposition of Daniel and Revelation," AUSS 25
(Summer 1987): 183-199. See Part 1:249 for Vogel's thesis that Luther's theology was
influenced by his eschatological concerns.
Tor a sampling of these works (beginning with recent studies) see Jane Elizabeth Strohl,
"Luther's Eschatology: The Last Times and the Last Things" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of
Chicago, 1991); Thomas A Dughi, "The Breath of Christ's Mouth: Apocalypse and Prophecy
in Early Reformation Ideology" (Ph.D. dissertation, Johns Hopkins University, 1990); Heiko
A. Oberman, Luther Man between God and the Devil, trans. Eileen Walliser-Schwarzbart (New
Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 64-74, 297; Robin Brace Bames, Prophecy and Gnosix
Apocalypticism in the Wake of the Lutheran Reformation (Stanford, CA: Stanford University
Press, 1988); Johann Heinz, "The 'Summer That Will Never End': Luther's Longing for the
'Dear Last Day' in His Sermon on Luke 21 (1531)," AUSS 23 (Summer 1985): 181-186; Eric W.
Gritsch, "The Cultural Context of Luther's Interpretation," Interpretation 37 0uly 1983): 266276; Pierre Buhler, Kreuz und Eschatologies: eine Auseinandersetzung mil der politischen Theologie,
im Anschluss an Lathers theologia cruets (Tubingen: Mohr, 1981); George W. Forell, "Justification
and Eschatology in Luther's Thought," Church History 38 (June 1969): 164-174; John Richani
Loeschen, "Eschatological Themes in Luther's Theology" (Thesis, Graduate Theological Union
and the Pacific School of Religion, 1968); Ulrich Asendorf, Eschatologie bet Luther (Gottingen:
Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1967).
Studies focusing largely upon Luther's views concerning the eschatological significance
of the Turks include, among others, John Wolfgang Bohnstedt, The Infidel Scourge of God: The
Turkish Menace as Seen by German Pamphleteers of the Reformation Era (Philadelphia: American
185
186
This essay complements Vogel's research in two ways. Both studies

present introductory concepts relevant to an interpretation of Luther's
eschatology. Where Vogel presents background material centering on
seven "possible grounds for Luther's eschatological outlook,"3 this study
begins by discussing three interrelated components comprising Luther's
theological and philosophical interpretation of history. Vogel's main
investigation centers on Luther's eschatology as presented in the reformer's commentaries on the books of Daniel (1529) and Revelation
(1529/30) while this piece focuses principally upon Luther's eschatological interpretation and evaluation of the serious Turkish military threat
as stated largely in his untranslated hortatory treatise, Eine Heerpredigt
wider den Turken (Army Sermon Against the Turks), (1529)/
The study proceeds in three steps. First, the piece highlights regulative principles shaping Luther's theological understanding of history,
forming a setting within which to place his eschatological interpretation
of the Turkish threat. Second, the paper briefly treats the historical
context of the Turkish problem and Luther's developing theological
attitude toward the Turks (1517-1529). Third, the study analyzes
important details of Luther's eschatological interpretation of the Turks
in the Heerpredigt, as found principally in the reformer's discussion of
Daniel 7, and briefly reflects upon some theological consequences of
Luther's eschatological interpretation.
Three Central Components of Luther's

Theological Interpretation of History
In this short essay it is clearly not possible to deal fully with all
components of Luther's theological interpretation of history. However,
as a general introduction to his eschatological interpretation of the
Philosopliical Society, 1968); Harvey Buchanan, "Luther and the Turks 1519-1529,"V1RG 47
(1956): 145-160; Mark U. Edwaids, Jr., Luther's Last Battles: Politics and Polemics, 1)31-46 (Ithaca:
Comett University Press, 1983); Stephen A. Fischer-Galatj, Ottoman Imperialism and German
Protestantism, 1)21-1}}} (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959); George W. Forell,
"Luther and the War Against the Turks," Church History 14 (December 1945): 256-271; John
Headly, The Antichrist and the Last Times," in Luther's View of Church History (New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1963), 224-265; Helmut Lamparter, Luthers Stettung zum Tiirkenkrieg
(Munich: Albert Lempp, 1940).
3Vogel, Part I: 250. See pp. 251-264 for Vogel's seven basic components of Luther's
eschatology: the existential component in Luther's eschatology, allegorical application of
apocalyptic language and symbols, setting the time for Christ's return, end-time signs, the
"beloved last day," the condition of the dead, and the Antichrist.
The sermon is located in volume 30/2 of the Weimar Ausgabe edition of Luther's
works (WA). The sermon itself will be cited as Heerpredigt. Because the 32-page
Heerpredigt remains unpublished in English, the translations presented in this essay are
those by the author.
BALDWIN: LUTHER'S ESCHATOLOGICAL APPRAISAL
187
Turkish phenomenon, it is helpful to note briefly the following three

interrelated components of Luther's understanding of history, most of
which represent his thinking at the time of the publication of the
Heerpredigt in 1529: the God twice hidden in history, foreordination
and providence, and God's universal sovereignty over the nations and
history as affected by the principles of the two-kingdoms doctrine and
the Wunderleute Gottes (God's miracle people).
God Twice Hidden in History

The doctrine of the hidden and revealed God is not only a major
component, but also a regulative principle in Luther's understanding of
history and nature.5 In The Bondage of the Will (1525) Luther argues that
in this life the Christian reads history with two sets of eyes by using
the first two of the following three lights: "the light of nature, the light
of grace and the light of glory."6 On the one hand a person views
history with the physical eyes, i.e., in the light of nature, but this does
not reveal an active God. This is the first dimension of the hiddenness
of God in this life. On the other hand, the believer must read the
deeper invisible meaning of history with the eyes of faith in the light
of grace in order to gain some understanding of God's actions in
history: "By the light of nature, it is inexplicable that it should be just
for the good to be afflicted and the bad to prosper; but the light of
grace explains it."7
In addition, in Lectures on Galatians (1535) Luther laments that the
first dimension of the hiddenness of God is acutely apparent in the
presence and activity of God in nature:
Now the whole creation is a face or mask of God. But here we need the
wisdom that distinguishes God from His masks. The world does not have
this wisdom. Therefore, it cannot distinguish God from His mask. . . .
When a greedy man, who worships his belly, hears that "man does not
live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of
God" (Matt. 4:4) he eats the bread, but fails to see God in the bread; for
he sees, admires, and adores only the masks.8
Thus, God's hidden, but active, presence is ubiquitous in nature,

occasioning no end of wonder in Luther who marvels at the incredible
'For an insightful study of Luther's view of God hidden and revealed, see Heinnch
Bomkamm, "The Hidden and the Revealed God," in Luther's World of Thought, trans.
Martin H. Bertram (Saint Louis: Concordia, 1958), 55-74.
'Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, trans. J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston
(London: James Clarke, 1957), 317. Hereinafter this work will be cited as Bondage of the
Will.
'Ibid.
"LW 26:95.
188
blindness of the popular mind which refuses to perceive the miracle of

God in physical reality. In commenting on Psalm 111:2 (1530one year
after the publication of the Heerpredigf) Luther discloses in the
following delightful manner his own sense of awe concerning God's
works:
They [the masses] are used to them [the miracles of God in nature] and
saturated with them like an old house with smoke. They use them and root
around in them like a hog in a bag of feed. They say: "Oh, is that such a
great thing that the sun shines, or fire warms, or water gives fish, or the earth
yields grain, or a cow calves, or a woman bears children, or a hen lays eggs?
That happens every day!" My dear Mr. Simpleton, is it a small thing just
because it happens every day? ... If a magician could make an eye that
would live or that would be able to see one cubit, great God, he would be a
lord on earth! . . .
But it is a discouraging thing that men are so damnably ungrateful and
blind. God showers upon them such great and rich miracles and they do not
consider even one of them or thank Him for it. But if some clown shows up
who can walk a tight rope or who has monkeys to display, him they admire,
praise and exalt. 9
This indicates that both in the natural world and in history God
is hidden to the light of nature in this first dimension. One must
remember that only in the light of grace can one pierce the mystifying
events to an initial form of explanation of God's activities whose
presence the events have masked.
Yet even in His revealedness in grace some of God's actions remain
obscured in a depth of hiddenness which not even the light of grace can
illumine, as Luther explains in The Bondage of the Will: "By the light of
grace, it is inexplicable how God can damn him who by his own
strength can do nothing but sin and become guilty." 10 Moreover, in the
same work Luther instructs any person asking God for illumination on
this point that "it is not lawful to ask; and though you should ask
much, you would never find out; as Paul says in Rom. 11: 'Who art
thou that repliest against God?' (Rom. 9:20)."" This is the second
dimension of God's hiddenesses with respect to human understanding,
in this life, of divine decisions and actions toward individuals in history.
However, Luther suggests that in the third light, the light of glory,
the prima facie ontological contradiction revealed by the light of grace
between the hidden and revealed God (e.g., that "He [God] does not
will the death of a sinnerthat is, in His Word; but He wills it by His
'LW 13:366-367.
"Bondage of the Will, 317.
"Ibid., 171.
189
inscrutable will,"12), will be shown to have been a noetic, not an ontic

difficulty. 13 For example, according to Luther the light of glory will
reveal the following truth about God's actions in earthly history: "The
light of glory . . . will one day reveal God . . . whose justice is
incomprehensible, as a God Whose justice is most righteous and
evident."14 These words imply that the believer needs two lights in this
life and ultimately one celestial light to understand fully God's actions
in history, thus suggesting that some of God's actions are twice hidden
in history in this present life.
Luther's general point that God's actions are present yet hidden in
history leads us to a second component in Luther's theology of history,
namely to the concepts of foreordination and providence.
Foreordination and Providence
The complex notions of foreordination and providence are distinct
but related doctrines which together form a kind of logical unit within
Luther's theological understanding of history. Luther understands
foreordination to refer to God's choice of this or that person to be
saved and also to God's choice of this or that event, act, and so on. On
the other hand, providence comprehends the effectual divine working
out in history of that which has been foreordained. The following
quotations characterize the nature of these related doctrines: "God
foreknows and wills all things, not contingently, but necessarily and
immutably;"15 "For not even the leaf of a tree falls to the ground
without the will of the Father;" 16 "All things take place according to
God's election;" 17 and, "God is incessantly active in all His creatures,
allowing none of them to keep holiday." 18 These lines illustrate Luther's
view of God's ultimate orchestration of historical events and His
constant activity in historical passage.
The need for the related doctrines of foreordination and
providence in Luther's scheme of history including, of course, his
convictions regarding eschatology, arises largely from his rejection of
Îbid., 170.
I3 The author owes the mode of speaking about the tension in the divine nature in
terms of noetic and ontic categories in Luther's theology to a study by Brian Gerrish
entitled, "To the Unknown God," JR 53 Quly 1973): 268.
"Bondage of the Will, 317.

Îbid., 83-84.
"LW 25:373. Luther is commenting on Romans 8:28.
17 LW 25:391. In this context Luther is commenting on Romans 9:17.
''Quoted in Ernest F. Winter, Erasmus-Luther Discourse on Free Will (New York:
Frederick Ungar, 1961), 130.
190
natural moral synteresis. If sinful man is to participate in a divinely

ordained history, God's foreordination and providence must be active
because human beings are inherently turned away from God toward
self, thus precluding their participation in divinely ordained historical
objectives. For example, in Lectures on Romans Luther argues that the
will of the natural individual without grace does not even weakly tend
toward righteousness or Godit "lies dead" 19 and "is a nausea toward
the good."20 These statements provide the basis for Luther's powerful
literary figure that the will is fatally "curved in upon itselPin curatus
in se.21 Furthermore, Luther quotes John 6:44 in order to show the
otiosity even of the external word of the gospel alone to move the will
"unless the Father Himself speaks within, and teaches, and draws."22
How does Luther apply these notions to God's activity concerning the
believing and nonbelieving individual in history?
The application of these concepts to the cases of the elect seems to
place the ultimate responsibility with God in the following sense:
But now that God has taken my salvation out of the control of my own
will [arbitrio, as contrasted with voluntas], and put it under the control of
His, ... I have the comfortable certainty that ... no devils or opposition
can break Him or pluck me from Him.23
These lines seem to suggest that Luther firmly believed that he was
numbered among the elect on the individual level because of God's
decision and control. But how is the foreordaining will of God applied
in terms of divine intervention in history (providence) in the cases of
the lost, for instance, in the famous case of Pharaoh? What is the modus
operandi by which God supervenes in the secular mind to accomplish
His will in history? We turn to Luther's responses to these questions in
the discussion below.
While refuting a counterargument that God forces Pharaoh to sin,
Luther articulates the method by which divinity guides the nonbeliever.
Thus God did not harden the will of Pharaoh in a directly causal sense,
but rather in an indirect, external sense by irritating Pharaoh's evil will
from without, for example by the Word of God spoken by Moses to
Pharaoh.24 Because God finds an evil will in Pharaoh, He continues by
"LW 25:184.
2LW 25:299.
21 LW 25:291.
^Bondage of the Will, 311.
"Ibid, 314.
24Ibid, 207.
191
"omnipotent action to move within him the evil will."25 These divine
actions show how Luther applies God's providence on the level of the
individual in history. However, in what way do foreordination and
providence extend, in a broader context, to the level of a nation and to
the course of history in general, as for example, in the Turkish threat?
This question leads to the final component of Luther's interpretation of
history, namely, to the integrant of divine sovereignty in universal
perspective as effected by the two-kingdoms doctrine and the
Wunderleute Gottes.
God's Sovereignty Over the Nations and History
Understood in Relation to the Two-Kingdoms
Doctrine and the Wunderleute Gottes
In a discussion of Luther's concept of universal history and his
eschatology in particular, it is important to note that Luther assumes
with utter seriousness the presence of two warring cosmic forces which
affect the day-to-day course of nations:
God and Satan are personally engaged in this same conflict, the conflict
between the Word of God and the traditions of men each laboring to
destroy the works and to subvert the doctrines of the other, like two
kings laying waste each other's kingdoms.26
This indicates that, for Luther, divine sovereignty with respect to

universal history must be understood in light of an ongoing cosmic
struggle between transcendent powers, namely God and Satan;
otherwise, the human mind will not grasp the true meaning of historical
events. However, within this framework how does God exercise
successful sovereignty? The answer lies largely in Luther's doctrine of
the two kingdoms and the Wunderleute Gottes, to which we now turn.
As shown above, Luther argues that God effectuates universal
sovereignty through two fundamental means, namely by the application
of the principles of the two-kingdoms concept and by the activity of the
Wunderleute Gottes. Luther develops the two-kingdoms doctrine in part
one of his treatise entitled Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should
Be Obeyed (1523), in which he divides "the children of Adam and all
mankind into two classes, the first belonging to the kingdom of God,
the second to the kingdom of the world."27 The latter kingdoms, the
divinely instituted secular authorities as credited by Luther in his Large
Catechism, constitute "the hand, flues and agents through which God
MIbid., 93.
"LW 45:88.
192
gives all [good] things [to us]."28 Furthermore, in Temporal Authority,

Luther indicates that the wielding of force by the government is
permissible on the following basis:
If this were not so [the rightful use of the sword or force by the
government], men would devour one another, seeing that the whole world
is evil and that among thousands there is scarcely a single true Christian.
No one could support wife and child, feed himself, and serve God. The
world would be reduced to chaos.29
As discussed below, Luther invokes the important distinction between

the two kingdoms in his discussion of the Turkish threat. We turn now
to the second principle by which Luther suggests God accomplishes his
foreordination on the level of the course of nations.
In commenting on Psalm 101 (1534) Luther presents a most
striking analysis of the nature and important historical role of the
Wunderleute Gottes (God's miracle people). God fashions two kinds of
individuals on earth: the common person and the outstanding
individual. Human beings in the latter category are divinely tailored for
a privileged purpose as follows:
Some have a special star before God; these He teaches Himself and raises
them up as He would have them. . . . For God, who puts it into thenheart and stimulates their intelligence and courage, also puts it into their
hands that it must come to pass and must be carried out; that was the case
with Samson, David, Jehoiada, and others.30
According to this, Luther attributes genius (later illustrated particularly

by military genius), heroic courage, and the like, not to natural
endowment as such, but rather to the immediate creation of God. A
closer connection between God and the course of history could hardly
be imagined. For example, in discussing Psalm 101:1 the reformer
addresses the linkage between God and history as follows:
In Persia He [God] raised up King Cyrus; in Greece, the noblemen
Themistocles and Alexander the Great; among the Romans, Augustus,
Vespasian, and others.... Hannibal was . . . one created by God Himself
to be a master of this art [military science].31
The list of miracle people could be easily multiplied. In fact, Luther

traces the accomplishments of major figures from selected biblical
characters to those in his own day. Luther presents an example of the
aWA 30/1:136, lines 8-9, my translation.

LW 45:91.
MLW 13:154-155.
M LW 13:155-156.
193
latter category: "The sainted Duke Frederick, Elector of Saxony, was

created to be a wise prince, to rule and carry on his affairs in peace."32
Thus, through the instrumentality of divinely established earthly
kingdoms and divinely ordained miracle-men leadership, God patiently
works out the process and pattern of universal history. The following
two quotations taken from Luther's comments on his beloved Psalm
118 (1529-30) and Psalm 127 (1527), respectively, are among his clearest
concerning the meaning of history:
Do you not see the gun being loaded? . . . And the bullet? ... He shot
the obstinate Jews with the Romans, the Romans with the Goths and the
Wends, the Chaldeans with the Persians, and the Greeks with the Turks.33
And even though they prevail for a while, to God this is barely a
beginning. . . . Who permitted them to rise a little and then always
knocked them over, one after the other.34
These two passages describe Luther's understanding of divine direction

among the nations, and the termination of certain nations raises the
issue of the possible end of history, or the overall problem of
eschatology in the thinking of the reformer. This brief analysis of
Luther's theology of history prepares the way for a discussion of
Luther's eschatological evaluation of the Turkish threat to German
national existence, to which we now turn.
Luther's Eschatological Appraisal of the Turks in Light
Primarily of His Interpretation of Daniel Chapter
Seven in Eine Heerpredight Wider den Tiirken
Having briefly noted some of the components of Luthers'
theological interpretation of history, we now sketch the historical
background to the Turkish peril in Luther's time and his developing
thought concerning this problem.
The Turkish Problem
In the early years of the sixteenth century, Muslim forces overran
the Balkans and Hungary with amazing ease, crushing nearly all
resistance. By the autumn of 1529 Turkish detachments under General
Suleiman the Magnificent were storming Vienna itself.35 In view of this
serious threat to German national existence, Luther was compelled to
come to grips theologically with the Turkish issue early in his career.
32LW 13:157.
"LW 14:74.
"WA 15:370, see lines 15-27, as translated by Bornkamm, 60.
"For some historical details I am informed by Forell, "Luther and the War Against
the Turks," 258, and Edwards, 97-114.
194
He felt it necessary to account theologically for the appearance of such

a serious threat to the security of the German empire in light of his
view, noted earlier, that God ordains all governments to a divinely
appointed task. Thus, it was incumbent for Luther to articulate a proper
German, Christian attitude and response to the invading Turkish army.
Should the believer take up arms against the foreign invaders? As might
be expected, Luther's thinking on the matter underwent moments of
development over time.
Luther's Developing Attitude Toward

the Turkish Threat (1517-1529)
As early as 1517, we find important initial indications of Luther's
attitude toward the Turks. In the fifth of the ninety-five theses, Luther
asserts a fundamental theological principle which he will use later
without distinctions to argue against armed resistance to the Turks:
"The pope neither desires nor is able to remit any penalties except those
imposed by his own authority or that of the canons."36 One implication
of this thesis is that the pope's jurisdiction extends only over those
penalties which are imposed on earth by earthly powers. However, as
Luther later insists, the Turkish invasion is a divine penalty for sin
rather than a papal penalty. Thus Luther concludes that the pope
should not summon soldiers to violence against the Turks even in the
name of a holy war, because this would constitute a serious
circumvention of the will of God.37 Luther makes this notion explicit
in the lead thesis of the thirty-fourth article of "An Argument in
Defense of All the Articles of Dr. Martin Luther Wrongly Condemned
in the Roman Bull" (1521): "To make war against the Turks is nothing
else than to strive against God, who is punishing our sins by means of
the Turks." 38
In an explanatory letter to Georg Spalatin dated December 21,
1518, Luther indicates why he took this position:
I argued that no such war should be undertaken. I am still of the
same opinion until I shall be refuted with better reasons. . . . Now
that the clergy is sunk in the depths of avarice, ambition, and
luxury, and now that the fate of the Church is everywhere most
wretched, there is no hope for a successful war or victory. As far as
"LW 31:26.
"My attention was first drawn to this interpretation of Luther's fifth thesis by
Buchanan, "Luther and the Turks 1519-1529," 145-146.
"Works of Martin Luther (Philadelphia: A. J. Holman Company, 1930), 3:105.
195
I can see, God fights against us: so first we must win Him over with
tears, pure prayers, holy living, and pure faith.39
Here we find Luther's fundamental theological position regarding the

method by which a Christian should resist the Turks, namely, by pure
prayers, faith and holy living. However, with the alarming presence of
Suleiman's forces at the very gates of Vienna, Luther began to make
important distinctions in his theology concerning the response German
Christians should make toward this military threat. These distinctions
appear mainly in his well-known tract, On War Against the Turks
(1529).
Whereas Luther had formerly resisted the war effort against the
Turks, he comes to its defense theologically by evoking his regulative
two-kingdoms doctrine. As noted earlier, Luther distinguishes two kinds
of authority, namely the temporal authority of civil government and
spiritual authority invested in the church which does not summon
individuals to battle. Writing in On War Against the Turks, Luther
implies that a clergyman in a leadership role on the battlefield is a
frightful intermixing of the two realms:
And, too, if I were a soldier and saw a priest's banner in the field,
or a banner of the cross, even though it was a crucifix, I should run
as though the devil were chasing me.40
Although Luther appeals to the famous two-kingdoms doctrine in

support of his new hawkish attitude toward the Turks, in the last
analysis the real justification for resistance against the enemy rests upon
the notion that the divine punishing rod (the enemy) must first have
clearly been removed from the hand of God:
The first thing to be done is to smite the devil, his lord, and take
the rod out of God's hand, so that the Turk may be found only, in
his own strength, all by himself, without the devil's help and
without God's hand.41
The rod can only be withdrawn from God's hand by the body of true
Christians as in concert they return to true repentance, reform, and
prayer.42 Thus, the ultimate solution is spiritual in nature.
In a letter to Nicholas Hausmann at Zwickau dated October 26,
1529, Luther mentions his forthcoming treatise, the Heerpredigt. The
tone of the letter shows that his developing attitude regarding the
"Martin Luther, Luther's Correspondence and Other Contemporary Letters, 2 vols.,
trans. Preserved Smith (Philadelphia Lutheran Publication Society, 1913), 1:141.
*LW 46:168. Robert C. Schultz informs us that the treatise was printed April 23,
1529 (LW 46:159).
41 LW 46:170.
42LW 46:170ff.
196
Turkish struggle has become thoroughly eschatological in character,

giving the conflict ultimate significance for the reformer:
It [the Turkish war, which Luther views as a kind of divine wrath earned
by Germany] will not be a jest, but the final wrath of God, in which the
world will come to an end and Christ will come to destroy Gog and
Magog and set free His own, for all the prophecies of Scripture are
fulfilled, though we are sure that our humble prayers can avail somewhat
against that Turk who will plague us Germans not this winter only but
until the end of the world, as says Daniel vii. 43
Similar sentiments are present in a letter written by Luther either in

February or March of 1530 to Frederick, Duke of Saxony, on the
occasion of the completion of the German translation of the book of
Daniel: "The world runs and hastens so diligently to its end that it
often occurs to me forcibly that the last day will break before we can
completely turn the Holy Scripture into German."44 These
eschatological perspectives are an important aspect of the Heerpredigt,
to which we now turn.
The Publication of the Heerpredigt
The publication of the Heerpredigt seems to have been sparked by
two significant events subsequent to the Marburg Colloquy of October
1-3, 1529. First, while still in Eisenach, Luther and presumably the other
members of his party met Friedrich Myconius who called their
attention, apparently for the first time, to a commentary on the book
of Daniel by a Franciscan monk named John Hilten, who had been
imprisoned in Eisenach from 1477 to 1498.45 Luther was fascinated with
Hilten's application of Daniel chapters 7-9 to the Turks, because the
monk had predicted the Turkish danger on the basis of these chapters.46
Here was a possible Biblical solution to the grievous dilemma facing
Christendom.
Second, while returning home from the Colloquy, Luther and his
traveling party learned for the first time about the Turkish attack on
Vienna.47 George Forell appears to be quite correct when he states that
"it was under the impact of this information [Hilten's commentary on
Daniel] and of the siege of Vienna that he [Luther] decided to write
"Luther's Correspondence, 2:502-503.

"Ibid., 516.
45Headley, 245.
"Forell, 259.
4'LW 49:240, note 3.
197
another book [Heerpredigt] dealing with the Turkish danger.48 We turn

now to a discussion of the key eschatological portion of the Heerpredigt.
Luther's Eschatological Interpretation
of the Turks in the Heerpredigt
The key eschatological portion of the Heerpredigt focuses on the
details of Daniel chapter seven. First, I shall briefly review the contents
of the vision (this practice is also followed in the treatise) then present
and analyze selected portions of Luther's interpretation of major
elements of the vision.
In Dan 7:2-14 the prophet sees four beasts of prey, each of a
different species, arise sequentially out of the sea. Thus, in turn, a lion
with eagle's wings, a bear grasping three ribs in its mouth, a winged
leopard with four heads and, finally a beast of unidentified species but
of great ferocity, follow one another from the ocean. The fourth
creature is not only equipped with iron teeth by which it devours all its
enemies, the beast also sports no less than ten horns. The subsequent
activity among the horns becomes the central focus of the vision. Soon
a little horn pushes itself up among the ten horns uprooting three in the
process. The little horn itself is a striking hermaphroditic entity,
composed not only of horn material but also of human eyes and a
blaspheming mouth. This odd horn battles against the saints on earth
until the Ancient of Days comes and destroys it and sets up an
everlasting kingdom given to the saints. Here the vision ends.
Luther begins his interpretation of this scenario by establishing
what he understands to be the historical referent of some key
apocalyptic symbols such as beast and horn. He quotes the biblical
explanation given in Dan 7:17 in order to establish the general meaning
of a beast in this prophetic context. The biblical text of the Heerpredigt
reads: "These four great beasts are four kingdoms which will come upon
the earth."49 Luther explains the historical referent of the prophetic
symbol of a horn as follows: "A horn signifies a kingdom in the
Scriptures as Daniel himself says that the ten horns are ten kings which
are a part of the fourth kingdom."50 (In Dan 7:24 a divine interpreter
equates the ten horns with ten kings.)
Having established these basic historicist ground rules of
apocalyptic interpretation, Luther applies the principles to his own
"Forell, 259.
"WA 30/2:164, line 23. This quotation also illustrates Luther's principle of biblical
interpretation, that Scripture is its own best interpreter. For a trenchant discussion of
scriptura sui ipsius interpres, see Brian Gerrish, Grace and Reason (London: Oxford
University Press, 1962), 149.
50WA 30/2:166, lines 24-25.
198
understanding of history in connection with Daniel 7 by connecting

beasts, kingdoms and history together:
This prophecy of Daniel can be harmoniously interpreted
concerning every detail about the four following empires: The first
is the Assyrian-Babylonian Empire, the next is the Medes and
Persians, the third empire is that of Alexander the Great and the
Greeks, the fourth is the Roman Empire which is the greatest, most
powerful and cruel empire. Moreover, it is the last empire upon the
earth as Daniel clearly points out when he states that after the
fourth beast or empire then the Judgment follows and that there is
to be no further empire except the Holy kingdom which is eternal,
and so on.51
Neither in this quotation nor elsewhere in the Heerpredigt does Luther

present as detailed an explanation of the four beasts as he offers a few
months later in the introduction to his Commentary on Daniel (March
1530).52 Here he adds that the two wings of the lion represent the two
"parts" of the Assyrian-Babylonian Empire, and that the three ribs in
the bear's mouth symbolize the three great leaders of the Persian
Empire, namely, Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes I.53
Luther's main interest, however, centers on the meaning of the ten
horns of the fourth beast and particularly on the significance of the
activity of the little horn. He indicates that the ten horns are not
successive empires, but that the horns belong to or form part of the
fourth empire:
The ten horns are ten kingdoms [Konigreiche] which belong to the
fourth empire [Kaisertum]. . . . These same horns form the empire
thus they are part of the Roman Empire since in its complete power
it stands as, namely, Spain, France, Italy, Africa, Egypt, Syria, Asia,
Greece, Germany and so on.54 Such land the Roman Empire has
obtained by means of great strength.55
This characterization harmonizes well with Luther's earlier paraphrase

of the prophetic requirements of the fourth beast. In the paraphrase
51 WA 30/2:166, lines 1-8.

"Like the Heerpredigt, Luther's Commentary on Daniel also apparently remains
unpublished in English.
"WA, Die deutsche Bible, 11/2:10, lines 28-29; 11, line 29; 12, lines 1-3.
"Luther omits only one of the ten kingdoms in this \ist-Angliawhich is inserted
into his Commentary on Daniel, WA 11/2:12, line 15 and note 3.
55WA 30/2:166, lines 24-29.
199
Luther asserts that the fourth beast "will be mightier than any realm
and will devour and tread down any land."56
This is a necessary prelude in the Heerpredigt to Luther's
enthusiastic exposition of the identity and activities of the little horn.
First, he insists that the little horn cannot be one of the ten horns just
identified, but that it must be active among the ten kingdoms as the
prophecy specifies.57 He takes his cue from history as to the identity of
the little horn:
The Romans have obtained such land [the ten kingdoms] of old,
then the Muhammadan or Turk comes. Now Daniel says that after
the ten horns arrive, then a little horn appears among the ten horns.
It comes and proves to be the Turk.58
In order to support his interpretation that the little horn is the

Turkish power, Luther points out that the little horn has not only
arisen from a small beginning, but that "it also has grown up, disposed
and captured three kingdoms of the Roman Empire, namely Egypt,
Greece and Asia."59 A second reason Luther offers in favor of
identifying the Turks with the little horn is the fact that the Turks had
possessed two of the ten horns, namely Egypt and Asia, in its power for
a long time, but that only in his day had Greece been won by the
Turks.60 The implication is that the recent Turkish capture of Greece
fulfills the specifications of the prophecy in terms of the number of
horns to be deposed, and consequently points to the historical power
signified by the conquering little hornthe Turks.
Next, Luther gives a helpful summary of the interpretation
presented thus far in reference to the little horn:
Just as we assuredly hold at this point that the same little horn is
the Muhammadan and his kingdom, so we can now just as easily
and clearly learn from Daniel how the Turk and the Muhammadan
Kingdom should be interpreted. Furthermore, we can learn what the
Turk means to God. First, he is certainly to be a mightier lord than
the three horns in the Roman Empire, that is to say, it conquers and
holds three of the best kingdoms, for example, Egypt, Greece and
Asia and thereby is mightier than any king among the ten horns.
This is the clear meaning of the text and turns out to be so in
action, because no king which has been in the Roman Empire, for
56WA 30/2:165, lines 17-20.

"WA 30/2:166, lines 12, 25.
58WA 30/2:166, lines 29-32.
59WA 30/2:167, lines 5-7.
WWA 30/2:167, lines 7-10.
200
example, the French Kingdom, Spain, Welschland," and so on, is as

powerful as the Turkish or Muhammadan Kingdom including those
kingdoms which the Turk now possesses. Furthermore, there is no
king except the Turk who sits practically in the center of the
Roman Empire, yes, in the Roman Emperor's house at
Constantinople. This is signified by the fact that the little horn is
situated among the ten horns of the fourth beast.62
Luther pauses briefly in his interpretation to reflect on the

significance of the human parts of this unique horn:
The horn has human eyes, that is, he rules according to
Muhammadan's Koran or law. In this law there is no divine eye,
rather, in it there is only vain human reason without God's word
or spirit.63
Thus the human eyes and mouth represent human notions as opposed
to the divine revelations from God contained in the gospel and in other
biblical teachings.
Finally, Luther brings out two significant eschatological
implications of his interpretation. First, because "Daniel gives the Turks
no more than three horns,"64 which Luther has already identified as
Egypt, Greece and Asia, the Germans can rejoice in the knowledge that
"the Turks henceforth will conquer no more land of the Roman
Empire."65 Thus, Luther predicts that the German-speaking region will
not fall to the Turks. An additional exegetical backing for this
comforting conclusion is that a fifth world empire will not arise upon
the earth, because Daniel had not seen a fifth beast.66 If the Turks were
to become an empire like Rome, "Daniel would become a liar, and that
is not possible."67
The second implication is perhaps more significant. Because the
vision predicts the destruction of the little horn, the current war against
the now fully developed little horn seems to imply the possibility of the
imminent end of history, as the Heerpredigt explains:
" WelsMand may refer to a French-speaking district of Switzerland.

aWA 30/2:168, lines 3-14.
63 WA 30/2:168, lines 15-17.
MWA 30/2:172, lines 2-3.
"WA 30/2:171, lines 25-27.
"WA 30/2:166, lines 13-17.
W WA 30/2:166, line 19.
201
Christ has given a sign by which one can know when the Judgment
Day is near. When the Turk will have an end, we can certainly
predict that the Judgment day must be at the door.68
This is the major eschatological moment in the treatise, which was

anticipated in Luther's letter to Nicholas Hausmann, October 26, 1529,
quoted earlier.
Luther devotes the remaining portion of the Heerpredigt to further
appeals to personal sacrifice in the struggle in terms, for example, of
financial contributions and if necessary, of life itself.69 We turn now to
a brief discussion of the theological consequences and implications of
the Heerpredigt concerning Luther's ongoing evaluation of the Turks,
the significance of the Reformation, and finally the steadfastness of
Luther's own theological posture.
Luther's Subsequent Attitude Toward the Turks
The question arises whether Luther retained his late mid-career
(1529) eschatological convictions concerning the Turks to the end of his
life.70 According to my reading of the material to date, this question can
be tentatively answered in the affirmative. However, Luther does
broaden his basis for the expectation of the coming of the Lord. Five
years before his death in 1546, Luther writes, in his Appeal for Prayer
Against the Turks (1541), the following words about the proximity of
the Day of Judgment, "That day [the Day of Judgment] cannot be far
distant."71 In addition, according to table conversations recorded by
Heydenreich, Luther expresses a similar attitude one year later in the
summer or fall of 1542 in the following manner, "I think the last day
is not far away. My reason is that a last great effort is now being made
to advance the gospel."72 These and other sources which could be
presented suggest that Luther held rather consistently throughout his
career to his basic eschatological opinions developed in light of the
Turkish threat.
Concluding Reflections
Among important theological implications which can be quarried
from Heerpredigt, three merit special attention. First, based largely upon
Luther's eschatological statements regarding the Turks presented in the
MWA 30/2:171, lines 18-21.
"E.g., WA 30/2: 175, lines 9-11; cf. Buchanan, 159.
70For a major study indicating that Luther's mid-career spans the years 1521-1530,
see Heinrich Bornkamm, Luther in Mid-career 1521-1573 (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979).
71 LW 43:235.
"LW 54:427.
202
Heerpredigt and discussed in this study, one may conclude that at least
during the latter portion of his mid-career (1529) the reformer held the
eschatological position that the final cosmic struggle was unfolding
before his eyes. In the Heerpredigt the following words, "Das is der klare
Text und findet sich also im Werk," seem to be his refrain which he
sings over each new step in his interpretation.73 Thus, Luther's reading
of contemporary events carried ultimate eschatological significance not
only because it involved the violent conflict of a final battle, but, above
all, because it promised the return of Christ to establish a kingdom of
eternal peace.
Second, in light of Luther's views concerning the Turkish threat
noted above, the Reformation may have been conceived not simply as
one more historical step, albeit an important one, among other steps yet
to come in a divine plan of theological reform. On the contrary, given
the profound eschatological implications of the Turkish threat, Luther
may have conceived the Reformation to be the final divinely ordained
step of reform before the end of history. Such a view of the
Reformation would, perhaps, confer upon the Reformation in the minds
of its original human framer and his associates perhaps the greatest
significance possible, and would clearly charge its message with the
utmost sense of urgency.
Finally, such a self-understanding may help to explain one cause of
Luther's theological intractability. Participation in a movement so
conceived would have offered privileges and grave responsibilities. For
example, a founder might be driven by the conviction that the original
shape of the reform ideals must be preserved. Why? To admit the need
of major theological revisions would tend to jeopardize the
Reformation's claim to finality. If present in his thinking, this element
may have helped to shape Luther's own adamant theological
intractability. On principle the Reformation must not be theologically
altered because it is God's complete, final reform movement, the
headstone of the historical church of God, which is to usher in the
Kingdom of Glory. Such theological implications indicate why Luther's
Heerpredigt is indeed a rich mine not to be ignored.
"WA 30/2:168, lines 9-10. A free rendering of this line is as follows: "This is the
clear meaning of the text which is confirmed by the process of history."

Copyright 1995 by Andrews University Press.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE OTHER:

THE ANTICHRIST
JOSEPHINE MASSINGBAERDE FORD
Notre Dame University
Introduction
No "construction of the other" 1 has called for more ingenious and
unbridled imaginative resources than the construction of the Antichrist.2
It is the purpose of this article to trace the trajectory of the Antichrist
from the biblical and pseudepigraphic sources to somewhat beyond the
Second Temple period. The focus will be on four aspects of this construction: (1) the Antichrist as external foe(s), (2) the mythic dimensions
of the Antichrist, (3) the Antichrist as internal foe(s), and (4) the
collective Antichrist. In the course of the paper, as occasion presents
itself, we shall inquire concerning the sociological and anthropological
implications behind such eagle flights of the imagination.
In spite of commentators' free use of the label, the term
"Antichrist"3 does not occur in the Apocalypse of John but only in the
Epistles of John (1 John 2:18, 22; and 2 John 4:11). Therefore, in
considering this figure, we must make use of other labels,4 symbols, and
'This paper was presented in an earlier version to tke Christianity and Judaism in
Antiquity Seminar at Notre Dame University during the autumn of 1993, when the topic
under consideration was the "construction of the other."
the term means "contrary to the anointed one," although it can be used
in a temporal as well as adversative sense. Cf. Isidore Etymologiarum 20.63r.
'Further research on the manuals of physiognomy indicates that, although the
portrayal of the Antichrist is fictive, each feature is chosen carefully according to the
cultural practices of dishonoring persons and describing their appearance to indicate their
moral disposition. See my paper, "The Physical Appearance of the Antichrist," delivered
at St. Andrew's University, Scotland, June 1994.
Tor the most recent work on the Antichrist in the early centuries, see Gregory C.
Jenks, The Origins and Early Development of the Antichrist Myth (Berlin: De Gruyter,
1991). This has an excellent collection of texts accompanied by translations. The
introduction summarizes major research on the Antichrist. W. Bousset, Der Antichrist in
der Uherlieferung ties Judentums, des Neuen Testaments und der alien Kirche (reprinted
Hildesheim: Olms, 1983); M. Friedlander, Der Antichrist in den vorchristlichen jiidischen
Qudlen (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1901); R. H. Charles, Ascension of Isaiah
(London: SPCK, 1919), li-lxxiii; and R. H. Charles, Revelation, ICC (Edinburgh: T. & T.
Clark, 1956-1959), 2:76-87; W. A. Meeks, The Prophet-King: Moses Traditions and the
203
204
synonyms to reconstruct the portrait of so eminent a personage.

Neyrey and Malina see the process of labeling as providing "a
social distancing device,. . . thus dividing social categories into polarities
such as the good and the wicked."5 They remark negative labeling as a
"social act of retaliation," which challenges honor, signifies aggression,
or constitutes a means of defense. Negative labeling can lead to lethal
consequences. These scholars also see one of the phases of the process
of labeling as "the actual processing of the deviant by the creation of a
retrospective interpretation of the deviant's life."6 This is certainly true
of the Antichrist.
Historidzation of the Concept of
the Antichrist as External Foe
As regards the biblical text, I shall comment very briefly on 2
Thessalonians and then concentrate on Revelation 13. The discussion of
1 and 2 John is in the third section.
2 Têss 2:1-12: The "Lawless One" Introduced

This text,7 earlier than the Johannine epistles, speaks of the coming
of 6 avonoq. This personage appears to be a human figure modeled on
Antiochus Epiphanes (or possibly Caligula), who was seen as a type of
the Antichrist.8 He is the false prophet who usurps God's throne and
who will be slain by a belligerent Jesus.9 Although the biblical text does
not use the term antichristos, the figure was soon interpreted in terms
of the Antichrist (e.g., Irenaeus Adversus Haereses 5.25.1; Tertullian De
Johannine Christology (Leiden: Brill, 1967), 47-55; J. Ernst, Die eschatologischen Cegenspieler
in den Schriften des Neuen Testaments, Biblische Untersuchungen 3 (Regensburg: Friedrich
Pustet, 1967), x; W. C. Weinrich, " The Antichrist in the Early Church," Concordia
Theological Review 49 (1985): 135-147.
*See B. J. Malina and J. H. Neyrey, Calling Jesus Names: The Social Value of Labels
in Matthew (Sonoma, CA: Polebridge, 1988), 37.
'Ibid., 81.
'See C. H.Giblin, The Threat to Faith: An Exegetical and Theological Re-examination

of 2 Thess 2 (Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1967); W. Trilling, Die zweite Brief an die
Thessalonicher, Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar 14 (Zurich: Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1980),
81-105; R. Jewett, The Thessalonian Correspondence: Pauline Rhetoric and Millenarian Piety
(Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986); A. J. Malherbe, Paul and the Thessalonians: The Philosophic
Tradition of Pastoral Care (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987); Hans-Heinrich Schade,
Apokalyptische Christologie hei Paulus: Studien zum Zusammenhang van Christologie und
Eschatologie in den Paulusbriefen (Gottingen: Vaudenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1981).
'Compare, for example, Cyprian Ad Fortunatum 11; Jerome Commentary on Daniel
Prologue; 2.8; 4.11.
'See Giblin, 89-95. This recurs frequently in patristic sources, e.g., Quodvultdevis
Dimidium temporis 16.
FORD: THE ANTICHRIST
205
resurrectione carnis 24.18-20; 2.45). 10

Important features in the portrayal of the Lawless One are the
following: (1) He is labeled "the Lawless One" and and the "Son of
Perdition"; (2) he is arrogant to the point of blasphemy, even establishing
himself in the temple of God; (3) at the present time he (or it) is restrained;
(4) the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; (5) he is the agent of Satan;
(6) he comes with power, signs, and miracles; (7) he is guilty of wicked
deception; (8) those who follow him will perish; and (9) Danielic influence
on the text is discernible.
Here, therefore, we have the basic "ingredients" of the Antichrist:
arrogance, blasphemy (sacrilege), deception, and destruction. However, he
is still on a human plane and the Thessalonian correspondent does not
indulge in the rich imagery that we shall encounter later. The text shows
affinity with the Person of the Lie in the Qumran material.11
The Mythic and Theriomarphk Dimension of the Antichrist
The Two Beasts and Dragon in the Apocalypse ofJohn
In the Apocalypse we find another dimension to the Antichrist the
mythic, mysterious, profound. The two beasts in Rev 13 are frequently
identified with the Antichrist and his allies in patristic sources. Examples of
this identification are those of Tertullian, "the beast Antichrist with his false
prophet may wage war on the Church of God" (De resurrectione carnis 25),
and Augustine, who speaks of "four beasts, signifying four kingdoms, and
the fourth of them overcome by a certain king who is recognized as the
Antichrist'' (De civitate Dei 20.23); (cf. Quodvultdeus Liber Promissiorum
2.24; Dimidium temporis 8). Jerome says that the fourth beast is Antiochus
10 Cf. Aponius Commentary on Canticle of Canticles 12; Rufinus Expositio in
Symbolum apostolorum 32; Augustine, Epistula 199; Quodvultdeus Dimidium temporis 9;
Jerome Commentary on Isaiah 7.19; Commentary on Daniel 2.7; 4.11.
"H. Burgmauu, "Der Josuafluch zurZeit des Makkabaers Simon (143-134 v. Chr.),"
BZ 19 (1975): 26-40. He argues that Simon was seen as the creature and tool of the devil
and that we may suppose that the original historical picture of Simon later developed into
the picture of the antimessiah and still later the antichrist. The Qumran texts suggest this,
for they treat of four persons: the one who will come at the end time, the prophet, the
worldly and spiritual messiah, and the man who will play the role of opponent to the
creature of Belial (38). Simon is labeled the "Person of the Lie" (IQHab 2; CD 20,15), the
Person of Mockery (CD 1.14), the Preacher of Vanity (CD 4.19), the Preacher of Lies
(IQHab 9); CD 8.13 = 19.25f; cf. IQHab 3, 12, 18: (39 cf p. 40). Compare also his article,
"Der Grander der Pharisaergenossenschaft der Makkabaer Simon," JSJ 9 (1978): 153-191,
especially 165, where he suggests that the "whore" (4 Q 184 I) may be a nickname for the
Person of the Lie, and 189-190, where he refers to Rosenstiehl's suggestion of a link with
the physiognomic texts at Qumran 0ean-Marc Rosenstiehl, "Le portrait de 1'antichrist,"
in Pseudepigraphes de I'ancien testament el manuscrits de la Mer Morte [Paris: Presses
Uuiversitaires de France, 1967], 45-60. Burgmann suggests that the antichrist may have
been the creation of the Qumran community, with which I do not wholly agree.
206
Epiphanes but he is a type of the Antichrist (Commentary on Daniel 2.7).

The two beasts in Rev 13 may owe their origin to the great animals
described in Job: the Leviathan or male sea monster 0ob 41) and Behemoth
the great female land monster 0ob 40:15-24). 12 But in our text the influence
of Daniel is much more obvious. Here we are faced with potent
theriomorphic symbolism,13 for the author draws upon the luxuriant
tradition of the Ancient Near East with regard to mythic animals,14 some
of whom battle with Yahweh. 15
The Dragon ofRev 12

The dragon of Rev 12 is not always identified with the Antichrist
although he is his agent. He may, therefore, be given short shrift! Suffice it
to say that he is the chaos dragon, identified with Satan and the serpent. He
reflects Tiamat, in rage against the gods who produces monsters, vipers,
dragons, lions, sphinxes, scorpions, and wild dogs. 16 Rev 12 does identify
the dragon with Satan and the old serpent, and around him the author of
the Apocalypse weaves the story behind Isa 14.
The dragon belongs to the genus of the "serpent." Serpents were
awesome creatures. Aelian says that Egypt is "the mother of the very largest
serpents [dpctKu>i>ru>i>], 180 feet: they can kill elephants" (De Natura
Animalium 2:21). The serpents of Phrygia are sixty feet long. In Mysia the
serpents suck in whole birds by their breath: they also slaughter sheep and
herdsmen.
However, the symbolic nature of the serpent is explained in the
Physiologus? a book on animal symbolism incorporating folklore as early
as Herodotus and also Indian, Egyptian, and Hebrew legends which passed
into the Greco-Roman culture. The author is unknown. The conjectured
date is between 200 and the late fifth century A.D. This work was perpetuated in the bestiaries of the Middle Ages. Of the viper (echidnes) the author
says:
12See also Job 3:8 (0); 7:12; Ps 73:13f.
"Cf. the "Animal Apocalypse," 1 Enoch 85-90.
"See P. Michel, Tiere ah Symbol und Ornament (Wiesbaden: Ludwig Reichert,
1979). Although this work is primarily concerned with the Middle Ages, it has some
valuable insights into the use and meaning of animal symbolism.
"See N. Forsyth, The Old Enemy: Satan and the Combat Myth (Princeton, NJ:
Princetou University Press, 1987) and A. Y. Collins, The Combat Myth in the Book of
Revelation, Harvard Dissertations in Religion 9 (Missoula: Scholars, 1976).
"P. Ricoeur, Symbolism of Evil (Boston: Beacon, 1969), 178.
"D. Kaimakis, Der Physiologus nach der ersten Redaktion, Beitrage zu Klassichen
Philologie 63 (Meisenheim am Glan: Anton Hain, 1974); M. J. Curley, trans., Physiologus
(Austin: University of Texas, 1979); R. Foerster, Scriptores Physio-gnomonici Graeci et
Latini, vols. 1 and 2 (Lipsiae: B. G. Teubneri, 1893).
207
... the viper's brood kills its father and mother, so this people [the
Pharisees] which is without God kills its father, Jesus Christ, and its
earthly mother, Jerusalem. 18
So our dragon is probably to be identified with the serpent who was deemed
the most demonic of all creatures in antiquity. 19 This creature opposed God
at creation and will oppose God at the eschaton. The dragon personifies
chaos versus harmony. He is frequently identified with Satan.
The Sea Beast of Rev 13
The sea beast is most frequently identified with the Antichrist. For
example, Hippolytus avers:
As Daniel says, "I considered the beast, and lo there were ten horns
behind it" And under this was signified none other than Antichrist, who
is also himself to raise the kingdom of the Jews. He says that three horns
are plucked up by the root by him, viz., the three kings of Egypt, and
Libya, and Ethiopia, whom he cuts off in the array of battle. And he,
after gaining terrible power over all, being nevertheless a tyrant, shall
stir up tribulation and persecution against men, exalting himself against
them.20
In his study Metaphors and Monsters, Paul A. Porter sees the monsters
in Dan 7 and 8 as metaphors with semantic "tension" or "interaction."
Underlying this approach is the conviction that certain metaphorical
expressions in Daniel 7 and 8 are semantically active. Just as new things
may emerge in nature from hitherto ungrouped combinations of
18Curley, 16. However, the Latin bestiary of the twelfth century gives him a more severe
critique. He is the biggest of all serpents, "in fact of all living things on earth." He is often
carried up into the sky. His strength lies in his tail. He is immune to poison.The text continues:
"The Devil, who is the most enormous of all reptiles, is like this dragon. He is often borne into
the air from his den, and the air round him blazes, for the Devil in raising himself from the
lower regions translates himself into an angel of light and misleads the foolish with false
hopes of glory and worldly bliss. He is said to have a crest or crown because he is King of
Pride, and his strength is not in his teeth but in his tail because he beguiles those whom he
draws to him by deceit, their strength being destroyed. He lies hidden round the paths on
which they saunter, because their way to heaven is encumbered by the knots of their sins, and
he strangles them to death. For if anybody is ensnared by the toils of crime he dies, and no
doubt he goes to Hell." The Latin text can be found in F. Unterkircher, Bestiarium: die Texte
der Handschrift Ms. Ashmole 1511 der Bodleian Library Oxford, Lateinisch-Deutsch.
Interpretationes et Codices 3 (Graz, Austria: Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt, 1986).
The English translation is that of T. H. White, The Book ofBeasts, Being a Translation from
a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century (New York: Dover, 1984), 166, 167.
"See TDNT under 6pdKG)v.
20Demonstratio de Christo et Antichristo 25; Gk text from Norelli; translation from
ANF. See also 26-29 and compare Beatus Commentary on the Apocalypse 6.122; Primasius
Commentary on the Apocalypse 4.13.
208
elements, so tensive or interaction-type metaphorical expressions

communicate new meaning by juxtaposing normally unjoined ideas or
images.21
Similarly from his new creation the author of the Apocalypse introduces us
to a new facet of the Antichrist. While the parallels between Daniel and Rev
13 are impressive, as appears in Beale's chart,22 our author has considerably
modified the material from Daniel.
The first monster emerges from the sea. As Schlier says:
Es ist wohl das Meer der Welt, in das der Satan blickt und in dem er so, im
Erkennen seiner selbst, sein Spiegelbild erzeugt. Das Meer is dabei der
"Abgrund" (11, 7) des Kosmos, aber zugleichdenn das ist kein
Widerspruchdas Meer im Westen, wo Rom liegt und von wo der Antichrist
kommt... es ist das listige [cunning], plumpe [shapeless], alles verschlingende
Imperium, die von bestialischen Instinkten beherrschte, in bestialischen Formen
zutage tretende Weltmacht.23
Indeed, returning to Paul Porter, the nature of the beast is not merely
a trespass against "kosher breeding,"24 beasts who transgress boundaries are
composite, malevolent beings,25 genetic "mongrels." The cluster of
metaphors has a deeper meaning. Porter traces the physical characteristics
of the beasts in Dan 7 and 8 to Mesopotamian wisdom traditions. We may
compare Rev 13:18 (o>6e r| oxxjna EOTVV) and Rev 17:9. He suggests that
Daniel draws upon omen texts and quotes Grayson to the effect that
"prognostic texts make up the single largest category in AshurbanipaPs
library."26 He selects divination tablets from Mesopotamia dated from ca.
1600 to ca. 1000 B.C.).
The Summa izbu interprets animal anomalies in the light of political
events; e.g., "If an anomaly has two heads, but (only) one neckthe king
will conquer wherever he turns."27 Multiple-horned anomalies are described
2I P. A. Porter, Metaphors and Monsters, Coniectanea Biblica, OT Series 20 (Lund:
Gleerup, 1983), 4. Cf. P. Wheelwright, The Burning Fountain (Bloomington, IN: Indiana
University Press, 1954), 101-122.
22G. K. Beale, The Use ofDaniel in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and in the Revelation
ofSt. John (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1984), 229-230, 232-233, 240-241,
242-243 (charts) and 229-248 for his commentary.
23H. Schlier, "Vom Antichrist-Zum 13. Kapitel der Offenbarung Johannes," in Die Zeit
derKirche (Freiburg: Herder, 1956), 21; cf. 16-29.
24Cf. the prohibition against mixed species in Lev 19:19 and Mishnah Kil. 8:1. Josephus
says,"... nature does not delight in the conjunction of things dissimilar" (Antiquities 4. 229).
25Cf. Testament ofSolomon 12 (three-headed dragon), 15 (the female dragon with two
heads), and the other angels who take the crude shape of hybrid animals.
26Porter, 15, 16; he refers to the mention of the "wise" in Dan 11 and 12.
"Erie Leichty, The Omen Series Summa izbu (Locust Valley, NY: J. J. Augustin, 1970),
17.
209
in Tablet IX. Horns might betoken conquest of the enemy, expansion of the
kingdom, or the enemy residing in the land. Porter sees the following
parallels:
Daniel 7
Summa izbu
v. 4 The first was like a lion and had V 50 If a ewe gives birth to a lion, and
eagles' wings....
it has the head of a huqu-bhdthe son
of a widow will seize the throne.
v. 5 And behold, another beast, a V 107 If a ewe gives birth to a beara
second one, like a bear....
person with no right to the throne will
seize it.
v. 6 After this I looked and lo, another,
V 96 If a ewe gives birth to a
like a leopard....
leoparda prince will seize universal
kingship.
v. 13 I saw in the night visions, and V 51 If a ewe gives birth to a lion, and
behold, with the clouds of heaven there it has a human face....
came one like a son of man....
XVIII 33 If a goat gives birth to a
human, (var.), a cripple....
XX 24 If a mare gives birth to a
humanthe whole land will have a
good fortune.
Both the dragon and the sea beast have ten horns and seven heads. The
dragon has crowns on his heads; the sea beast wears crowns on his horns.
Although I do not postulate direct influence of the Omen Oracles on Rev 13,
yet this kind of symbolism is not alien to the Mediterranean culture. We
have a belligerent and potent sign, an omen that the Antichrist will go
conquering and to conquer. The beast is ominous in every sense of the
word.28
However, the sea beast is even more complicated. It is like a panther,
(7tap6<xAei)29 with feet like a bear30 and a mouth like a lion.31 These are
curious features for one who emerges from the sea. He can, therefore, be
classed as a prodigy,32 a sign that The pax deorum is disturbed or in danger
28For horns see also T. Jos. 19, Dan 7:8, and Summa izbu 9.69-70.
29Aristotle notes: "They say too that the panther has learned that wild animals like her
scent, and hunts them by concealing herself: they come near, and thus she catches even the
deer" (History ofAnimals 8.612).
"Aristotle History ofAnimals 2.498: ". .. like those of a bear, for each has five toes,
and each toe has three flexions and a smallish nail. The hind feet also have five toes, and
flexions and nails similar to those of the front feet."
31Aristotle History ofAnimals 2.501a: "All blooded viviparous quadrupeds have teeth,
but to begin with some have teeth in both jaws while others have not.... Furthermore, some
of them are saw-toothed; e.g.. the lion, the leopard and the dog . . . (By "saw-toothed" is
meant those animals whose sharp-pointed teeth interlock)."
"See Julius Obsequens Prodigiorum Liber and also Livy's frequent references to
augury.
210
of being so.33 He is a predatory beast; indeed, the author uses a cluster

metaphor referring to the three most feared predatory animalspanther,
bear, and lionin order to suggest the character of the Antichrist.
We turn again to the Physiologus to attempt to discover the import of
the symbolism of these three wild animals. Most translations render pardalei
by "leopard" or "panther." However, as both the Physiologus and the
Bestiary give the panther a positive appraisal, it is most likely that our
author means the "hyena."34 Hyenas are described as "viciously clever
(kakoethes) animals," who change their sex every year.35 The Physiologus
(38) avers that this makes the creature (called the "brute" in Latin) unclean.
Aelian notes that a hyena can imitate the human voice to lure persons into
its trap. He also says:
The Hyena . . . can with a mere touch induce torpor. . . . The Hyena
scoops out the earth beneath the head to such a depth as makes the head
bend back into the hole, leaving the throat uppermost and exposed.
Thereupon it fastens on to the animal, throttles it, and carries it off to its
lair.... Having bewitched them [dogs], as sorceresses do, it then carries
them off tongue-tied and thereafter puts them to such use as it pleases.36
The Physiologus sees the hyena as the symbol of double-minded,
voluptuous, lecherous, and idolatrous persons.37 These characteristics, as we
will see below, are consonant with the character of the Antichrist.
Our beast is also supernaturally endowed, for he is intimately
associated with the devil, the old serpent, who gives him "his power and his
throne and great authority" (Rev 13:2). However, we have a third feature
which is of vital importance, namely, mimetic rivalry. The beast, like Satan,
demands the worship due only to God. Our author expatiates on the
blasphemous behavior of the beast (w 5-7). We note also the mortal wound
which may suggest mimetic rivalry with Christ and his resurrection. Here
we find the nucleus of the Satanic trinity.
"Porter also compares the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch 85-90 (Porter, 48-60).
34The word is napSdXii; which can mean leopard, panther, or hyena (Aelian De natura
animalium 6.2). Cf. napSaXeTiv fjveoBav, of a shifty person (Eustathius Commenta-ry on
Iliad and Odyssey 374.44). Pardalis is also a metaphor for savage persons (4 Mace 9:28).
35Aelian De natura animalium 7. 22; 1.25.
36Aelian De natura animalium 6.14; 7.25.
"Porter summarizes attempts to trace the origin of the beasts in Dan 7Babylonian and
Canaanite traditions, astrological symbols, Mesopotamian art forms, or the three most
dangerous predatory animals known to Israel (Porter, 34-35; cf. Hubert Junker,
Untersuchungen uber literarische und exegetische Problems des buches Daniel (Bonn:
Hamstein, 1932), 37. Wittstruck explains the lion, bear and panther against a background of
treaty curses dealing with predatory animals (Thorne Wittstruck, "The Influence of Treaty
Curse Imagery on the Beast Imagery of Daniel 7," JBL 94 (1978): 100-102).
21 1
Second Beast of Rev 13

The second beast of Rev 13 has two horns like a lamb (in contrast with
the Lamb of Rev 5, who has seven horns) and speaks like a dragon. She is
a land beast and no less important than the first beast. Hippolytus identifies
her with the kingdom of the Antichrist:
By the beast, then, coming up out of the earth, he means the kingdom
of Antichrist; and by the two horns he means him and the false prophet
after him. And in speaking of "the horns like a lamb," he means that he
will make himself like the Son of God, and set himself forward as a
king. . . . "He exercised all the power of the first beast before him"
signifies that, after the manner of the law of Augustus, by whom the
empire of Rome was established, he too will rule and govern,
sanctioning everything by it, and taking greater glory to himself . . . and
he [Antichrist] then shall with knavish skill heal it, as it were, and
restore it.38
This second beast may be the theric presentation of the false prophet
predicted in Deut 13. Later she will take her place as the false spirit in the
satanic trinity. She leads the people astray with signs and wonders to
practice idolatry. As the Spirit was breathed into Adam and into the bones
in Ezekiel's vision, so this false spirit breathes life into the image of the first
beast.39 She is the false paraclete, who gives a "character" to her initiants.
John implies that she mimics the Lamb. He may perhaps have in mind
the tradition of the Bokkhoris Lamb from Egypt, a prophetic lamb that
appeared in the reign of King Bokkhoris (718-712 B.C.). Porter (23) makes
the following parallel:
Aelian De natura animalium
Summa izbu
12.3. The Egyptians assert (though they

are far from convincing me), they assert, I
say, that in the days of the far-famed
Bocchoris a Lamb was born with eightfeet
and two tails, and that it spoke.
8.84. If an anomaly has two heads, four

shoulders, two tails (and) eight feetone
throne will overthrow the other.
In summation we may say that various background factors converge

to form this construction of the Antichrist. Among them we have sketched
the following: (1) the sea monster, Tiamat or Yamm, who was
demythologized to depict a political power40 and other hybrid beasts; (2)
38Hippolytus De Antichristo 49.2.
"Note that the Physiologus 1 and the bestiaries state that the lion gives birth to dead
babies but after three days she breathes life into them.
40See Bousset, Der Antichrist; also A.E. Brooke, Johannine Epistles, ICC, 69-70; also
T. Jacobsen, "The Battle between Marduk and Tiamat," JAOS 88 (1968): 104-108.
212
Satan or the Angelic Adversary;41 (3) a human ruler embodying evil; and (4)
the false prophet (Deut 13:2-6 and 18:20).42
Bios/Vita of the Antichrist
I shall find it most convenient to use material from the Pseudepigrapha and the early patristic works in my summary of the Bios or Vita of
the Antichrist. No one pens a biography43 of an insignificant personage and
hence it is from the Bios of the Antichrist that we learn how his persona is
construed, both in literature44 and in art. It is comparatively easy to draw up
a Bios of the Antichrist. Treatises on the Antichrist include those of
Hippolytus (Ilepi xpiorou KKI Tiepv TOU avTixpiorou)45 and Adso (De
Ortu et Tempore Antichrist! and Pseudo Alcuiri).*6 The most detailed
construction of the Vita of the Antichrist is in Adso.
Origin and birth
The ancestry of the Antichrist was of great interest to early Christians.

His forerunners included Lamech, Nimrod, Balaam, Achan, Goliath, and
Judas.47 He was of Jewish parentage from the tribe of Dan,48 which is not
listed among the twelve in Rev 7.49
"'Compare I Enoch 6-16, where Azazel is bound in a pit until final times, to be released
in the final struggle. Cf. 1 QM 1.1-2; Sib. Or. 3. 63-74.
42Note the eschatological false prophet in Didache, 16.3-4. SibOr 3:63-74 describes
Beliar performing signs and wonders.
"Malina and Neyrey remark how constructing a Vita can be part of the negative
labeling process (Bruce J. Malina and Jerome H. Neyrey, Calling Jesus Names: The Social
Value of Labels in Matthew [Sonoma, CA: Polebridge, 1988], 81).
"Much of which must have been in oral form originally. On this point, see Bousset, The
Antichrist Legend (London: Hutchinson, 1896), 30-31.
"I use E. Norelli, L'Anlichristo, Biblioteca Patristica 10 (Florence: Nardini, 1987).
*Adso Verdensis, De Ortu et Tempore Antichristi, ed. D. Verhelst (Turnholt: Brepols,
1976); this book includes Pseudo Alcuin.
"See the table in Richard Emmerson, Antichrist in the Middle Ages (Seattle: University
of Washington Press, 1981), 32.
4S". .. from the bottomless impiety of the Jewish people" (Pseudo Alcuin 1.148); see
Gen 49:10-17; Deut 33:22; Jer 8:16; Isa 25:6-8. Hippolytus notes: "... and in naming the tribe
of Dan, he declared clearly the tribe from which Antichrist is destined to spring. For as Christ
springs from the tribe of Judah, so Antichrist is to spring from the tribe of Dan and that the
case stands thus we see from the words of Jacob: 'Let Dan be a serpent, lying upon the
ground, biting the horse's heel.'" Hippolytus also quotes Jer 8:16, the whole earth trembling
at the sound of the cavalry of Dan (cf. Rev 9:7-21) (Antichrist 14). Cf. Ambrose De
Patriarchis 7.32-34; Rufmus, De Benedictionibus patriarcharum 2.16; Augustine
Quaestionum in Heptateuchum 6. 22; Quodvultdeus Dimidium temporis 9; Adso, 20-24.
41renaeus Adversus haereses 5.30. See A. Geyser, "The Twelve Tribes in Revelation:
Judean and Judeo-Christian Apocalyptism," NTS (1982): 388-399; and R. Bergmeier,
"Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt," ZNW75 (1984): 86-106.
213
Conception
Two main traditions concern the conception of the Antichrist: (a) he
was to be born naturally from human parents and (b) he was to be
engendered by an evil spirit and a whore. The Apocalypse of Daniel
devotes considerable detail to this point. It claims that the Antichrist will
come from Hades and enter a "small garidion51 fish." This fish is
conveniently purchased by a virgin who, upon ingesting it, becomes
pregnant with the Antichrist. Her names are Injustice and Perdition. The
Antichrist is born prematurely, after only three months of gestation. He is
suckled for four months.52
Adso states that he will be born of human parents, not from a virgin.
Further, he will be conceived and born in sin.
At the very moment of conception the devil will enter into the womb of
his mother and will nourish the fetus. As the Holy Spirit overshadowed
Mary and filled her with divinity so that the child born from her was
divine, the devil will descend on the mother of the Antichrist and fill her
completely, possess her inwardly and outwardly and with the help of the
devil she will conceive through a male and what is born will be the
epitomy of evil. So this man is called the "Man of Iniquity," for he will
lead astray the whole human race. Finally he himself will be annihilated
(25-26).
Signs of the Coming of the Antichrist

Increasing moral decadence, general disasters, wars, plague, and
famine will precede the Antichrist's birth. Some traditions anticipate Gog
and Magog before his appearance. In other texts he comes with the Goths
or with the ten lost tribes (Sib. Or. 2.713). These armies are terrible in mien
but they are not the armies of the Antichrist himself; rather they portend his
coming. One certain sign is the fall of the Roman Empire (cf. 2 Thess 2:6
and Lactantius 7, 15; cf. Jerome Commentary on Jeremiah 5). Nations will
break away from Rome.
Astrological wonders, with the darkening of the sun and moon, will
not be absent (Jerome Commentary on Isaiah 6.13).
'"Usually dated in the 8th or 9th century, but Zervos argues that the material on the
Antichrist may belong to an earlier stratum because of the parallels to earlier works, e.g.,
Apocalypse ofBaruch and 4 Esdras.
5 'Or gauridion which is interesting as gauroomai means "to be arrogant." I have
searched Oppian's Halieutica, but have found no reference to this particular species. I have
been told, however, that this fish was used by Jewish persons for soup. If this is so it
constitutes a libelous anti-Semitic fiction.
"Apocalypse ofDaniel 9. Children were often breast-fed until the age of three, thus the
Antichrist is presented as a precocious child.
214
Place of birth
His natal locality is named as Babylon (Jerome Commentary on Daniel
4.11.100-104) or Chorizin. He is reared in Bethsaida and rules in
Capernaum (cf. Lk 10:13,15). Adso also says that he is born in Babylon, the
root of all evil, a city once glorious and famous, the capital of the Persian
kingdom. He will be brought up in Bethsaida and Chorazim, the cities over
which the Lord proclaimed, "woe!"53
Physical Appearance
There are numerous descriptions of the physical appearance of the
Antichrist. I quote three below.
Gk Apocalypse of John Apoc. of Daniel 9:16-27 Apocalypse ofJohn 9
(parallel to Apoc. ofEzra
4:29-32)
The appearance of his
face is gloomy; the hairs
of his hands are sharp as
missiles, his eyebrows
like those of a wild man,
his right eye like the star
which rises at dawn and
the other like that of a
lion; his mouth (is as
wide) as one cubit, his
feet a span long, his
fingers like scythes; the
soles of his feet (are) two
span; and on his forehead
(is) an inscription: "Antichrist." He will be exalted up to heaven, he will
descend as far as Hades,
performing
false
apparitions. (OTP 1: 568)
And he will appear quiet

and gentle \prao-phyles
(B) and praophaleis (M);
Berger
corrects
to
prosphiles] and guileless
[M further describes the
Antichrist as "downcast"
and "prosecuting transgressions"]. The height of
his stature (will be)
fifteen feet [lit. "ten
cubits" of about eight-een
inches each]. And the
hairs of his head (will
reach) as far as his feet.
And he (will be) large and
three-crested
[cpiKopuOoi;; M: "topped
with hair"]. And the track
of his feet (will be) large.
His eyes (will be) like the
star which rises in the
morning, and his right
(eye will be) like a lion's.
His lower teeth (will be)
iron and his lower jaw
diamond. And his right
arm (will be) iron and his
left copper. And his right
hand (will be) four and a
53 Adso, 45-51; cf. Apocalypse ofDaniel 7.
The appearance of his

face will be gloomy
(o<J>d>6e<;), the hair of
his head will be as sharp
as weapons, his eyebrows
like a savage man. His
right eye will be like the
morning star and the
other one like a lion's, his
mouth will be about one
cubit, his teeth a span
long, his fingers will be
like scythes, the track of
his feet two span, and on
his forehead is written
Antichrist.
215
half feet (long). (He will

be) long-faced, longnosed, and disorderly.
And he also has upon his
forehead the letters:
A,K,T. And the A signifies: "I deny," the K:
"And I completely
reject," the T: "The
befouled dragon." And
the Antichrist will, be
teaching and being
Taught." (OTP 1:767168)
Pertinent to this description I append some quotations from Aristotle's

Physiognomonika to show that the features cannot be taken at face value but
rather are indicative of personal characteristics. To the description of
Antichrist's complexion as gloomy we may contrast Aristotle's statement
that "a pink-and-white complexion proves a good disposition, when it
occurs on a smooth skin" (2.806b). The reference to the hirsute features is
important. Aristotle says: "Those with a hairy back are excessively
shameless . . ." (6:812b; the philosopher is speaking of animals here).
Eyebrows are also significant: "Those with eyebrows that meet are gloomy.
. . . Those whose eyebrows fall towards the nose and rise towards the
temples are stupid ..." (6:812b). The condition of the eye denotes certain
characteristics: "Those who have flaming eyes are shameless ..." (6.812b;
cf. Physiologus 3. 808a). The formation of the lips is a telling feature:
"Abusive men have a pendulous upper lip." The digits may offer a clue to
temperament: "Those whose toes are curved are shameless, just like
creatures which have curved talons" (6.810b).
J. M. Rosenstiehl gives seventeen descriptions of the Antichrist from
Rabbinic, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, and Latin sources. Several body
features recur throughout: height, corpulence, head, hair, forehead, neck,
mouth, eyes, eyebrows, teeth, ears, nose, hands, arms, fingers, feet, legs, and
joints. These features, Rosenstiehl feels, find their origin in Jewish sources,
perhaps at Qumran, and have astrological associa-tions. Rosenstiehl also
compares the appearance of the Antichrist with the descriptions of Caligula
found in Seneca (De Ira 3.19), Suetonius (Caligula 50), and Pliny (Natural
History 11.144),54 who described him as follows:
He was very tall and extremely pale, with an unshapely body, but very
thin neck and legs. His eyes and temples were hollow, his forehead
"Rosenstiehl, 45-60.
216
SEMINARY STUDES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)
broad and grim, his hair thin and entirely gone on the top of his head,
though his body was hairy.... While his face was naturally forbidding
and ugly, he purposely made it even more savage, practicing all kinds
of terrible and fearsome expressions before a mirror.
Stone and Strugnell further discuss his appearance in the fragments of the
Elijah literature.55
It is important to realize the purport of these descriptions. In Aristotle's
Physiognomonika, we see how the ancients associated physical characteristics with temperament and character.
It seems to me that soul and body react on each other; when the
character of the soul changes, it changes also the form of the body, and
conversely, when the form of the body changes, it changes the character
of the soul. 56
The construction of the physical traits of our Antichrist supports

Aristotle's statement: "Ill-proportioned (asummetroi) persons are scoundrels."57
We may also note Stone's observation that this description has much
in common with Jewish physiognomic and chiromantic texts. He sees Ezra
as combining "two old traditions, that of the physiognomic literature and
that of the Antichrist."58
The above descriptions distinguish the Antichrist from the heroes and
heroines of Greco-Roman and Jewish-Christian literature. He is a physical
monstrosity which lacks any semblance of beauty and proportion (he is
acosmic), with limbs designed for torture and destruction rather than elegant
manufacture.
Identification
Some thought that the Antichrist would be the devil incarnate. But he
was usually conceived as the human agent of the devil (Augustine De
civitate Dei 20.19).
Nurture, training, and "accomplishments"
His mentor is Satan, who teaches him the way of deceit and gives him
power and authority. Moreover, he is schooled by those associated with
sorcerers. Adso declares that the Antichrist will have magicians and divines
55M. E. Stone and J. Strugnell, eds., The Books of Elijah (Missoula: Scholars, 1979),
especially fragment 2, the appearance of the Antichrist (27-39), and fragment 5, the Antichrist
gathering the people from the diaspora (83-85).
^Physiognomonika 6.808b.
^Physiognomonika 6.814a.
58M. E. Stone, "The Metamorphosis of Ezra: Jewish Apocalypse and Medieval Vision,"
JTS 33 (1982): 1-18.
217
who are inspired by the devil and they will verse him in all wickedness and
deceit. Evil spirits will lead him and be his constant companions.59 The false
prophets are also his disciples and messengers. He promulgates false
doctrine, persecutes the church and, through his false prophet (the second
beast), organizes impious false worship. The false prophet will even
inaugurate a false Pentecost.60
Accomplishments and Deeds (Past and Future)
He comes in different guises: Nero (Sib. Or. 2, 4, 5) or Gog and
Magog. He is also identified with historical figures and nations: Assyria,
Domitian, Julian. He can also be dragon or beast. Bruno de Segni notes his
versatility: "For Antichrist is called the dragon because of the strength and
success of deception; and he is called the beast because of his cruelty; and
he is also called the false prophet because he pretends to be Christ."61
Besides, he has the ability to perform signs and wonders (Adso 65).
The Antichrist is a mighty warrior. He conquers Egypt, Libya, and
Ethiopia. He gathers people from every country of the dispersion, makes
them his own, and re-establishes the Jewish kingdom. He will persecute the
saints, exalt himself against God, and possess the temple.62
After defeating kings of Libya and Ethiopia the Antichrist will go to
the Mount of Olives, declare himself as Christ, and prepare to imitate the
Ascension. He will be killed by Christ or Michael. However, according to
some traditions, he has a false resurrection, ascension, and pentecost.
His power emanates from his ability to deceive. This deception takes
its most arresting and beguiling form in his parody of Christ, which arises
from an imaginative interpretation of Rev 13:11 (the beast like a lamb). The
contrasts are given by Hippolytus:
59Adso, 651-655.
60Adso, 64-65; so Pseudo-Methodius; see Bousset, 2-56.
6lBruno of Segni, Exposition on the Apocalypse, PL 165, col. 695; cf. Emmerson, 26.
"Hippolytus De Antichristo 52, 54; Jerome sees this as the realization of the
millennium, the false Christ reigning on earth in a rebuilt Jerusalem (Commentary on Daniel,
Passim).
218
Christ
Christ lion because of royalty

and glory
king
lamb
circumcision
apostles among nations
brings together scattered sheep
seal
appeared in human form
Saviour raised temple of his
Body
Antichrist
Antichrist lion because of tyranny

and cruelty
king
outwardly lamb but inwardly wolf
circumcision
false apostles among nations
brings together scattered people
mark
appeared in human form
will raise temple of stone
In various other texts the contrasts appear as follows:

Christ
Jewish
conceived by virgin
precursor John the Baptist
Christians are other christs
(Origen Against Celsus 6.79)
miracle worker and exorcist
resurrection
Pentecost
Antichrist
Jewish
conceived by virgin
precursors Elijah and Enoch
heretics are other antichrists
performs signs and wonders
pseudo-resurrection (symbolized by
healing of wound, Rev 13:3)
pseudo-Pentecost (fire from heaven, 13:13; breathing spirit into
image of beast, 13:15)
This power of imitation and mimetic rivalry is Antichrist's most

powerful weapon. Its purpose is to make Antichrist outwardly like Christ
but inwardly to deceive Christ. Much of this parody may be derived from
the legends about Simon Magus who is represented as a false prophet and
claims to be the Christ. Origen states that Christ is the Word but the
Antichrist is also the (simulated) word. Christ is truth; the Antichrist,
simulated truth. Christ has wisdom; the Antichrist, simuladed wisdom. For
219
every kind of good which Christ does for the edification of humanity, the
Antichrist performs similar deeds to lead the saints astray.63
It is also possible to think of his parousia or second coming. As Christ
is present in the Eucharist and the Church, and yet still to come at his
parousia, similarly the Antichrist is present in aberrant Christians but is to
come formally before the parousia of Christ.64
Antichrist As Internal Foe(s)
In his discussion on the reconstructed portrait of the adversaries in the
Johannine Epistles, R. E. Brown argues that John's opponents constitute a
sizeable group or groups who had withdrawn from the Johannine
community.65 They are characterized as "demonic" antichrists and false
prophets. For John it is the "last hour" (1 John 2:18).66 The antichrists are
"evil heralds" of the eschatological era.67 Indeed, they are seen as the
embodiment of eschatological iniquity (anomia, 2:18, 22; 4:1-5; 3:4-5).68
John exhorts the faithful to "conquer" the antichrists (1 John 4:4). One notes
the military metaphor found so often (17x) in Revelation. The true
Christians are distinguished from the antichristoi because they have the true
anointing hi contrast to the false (1 John 2:20, 27).69
In order to describe these secessionists John used imagery from Jewish
apocalyptic.70 This rich imagery is also consonant with that of Mark 13:22
and its parallels, and 2 Thess 2:1-12.
We note John's emphasis on lying and the reference to the Liar71
63Origen Commentariorum serie 33, PG 13, cols. 1644. 1645.
"Cf. Rupert of Deutz, "This is Christ, who shed his own blood. This is Antichrist, who
shed other blood" (On the Apocalypse ofJohn [Nuremberg, 1526], 377. Arnold of Villanova,
Tractatus. de Tempore Antichrist!. "Nam Christus est domus and alius latro, Christus est
pastor et alius lupus, Christus custos et alius fur, Christus est sponsus et amicus, alius vero
adulter, et inimicus" (Emmerson, 265, n. 7).
65See Augustine In Johannis Epistularum ad Parthos tractatus, PL 3 5; R. E. Brown,
The Epistles of John, AB (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982), 49-68; R. Bultmann, The
Johannine Epistles (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1973). This seems to suggest that there is no one
prominent, well-known figure, such as Cerinthus (Brown, 67).
"One notes that in the Johannine Epistles the Antichrist(s) is (are) to "come," just as
in John's Gospel Jesus "is to come" (1:15, 27; 12:13).
"Their religious indifference epitomizes and embodies the anomia of the final struggle
(1 John 3:4).
'"Brown, 85.
69Cf. Rev 7 and 14 for those sealed.
Brown, 100. However, one would hardly expect the term "antichrist" to appear in
Jewish literature except in a temporal sense of one who is a precursor of the Anointed One.
"This is the only biblical text which has the definite article v/\th pseustls.
220
(1 John 2:22; cf. 2 Thess 2:8-9). In 2 John 7 the "Deceiver" is parallel to the
Antichrist (cf. also 2 Thess 2:11). Brown concludes that "the Antichrist,"
"the Liar," and the "Iniquitous One" may have been current titles for the
anticipated opponent(s) of the last times. A combination of all these figures
is found in Rev 12, 13, 16, 19, 20.72
Brown thinks that the Johannine school may have coined the term
"antichrist" in place of a less vivid word. The tradition of the Great
Adversary may have been part of the early Johannine belief, possibly
inherited from Judaism.73 Strecker observes that the early Christians knew
of the Jewish expectation of one or more false prophets who would oppose
the true prophet of Deut 18:15.74 Strecker also discusses 4QPsDanA 75 and
4QTest 23 f76 where after the series of messianic figures there is reference to
a "Verfluchter, einer von Belial."77
The author of 1 John historicized the apocalyptic struggle while taking
an important theological step. He brought common Christian oratory to new
dimensions. In doing so he began a catena of identifi-cations of the
Antichrist that would have enormous repercussions in the history of the
Church. He saw the Antichrist, not as an objective, external foe, either
diabolic or political, but identified him with the secessionists. They seem to
have been precursors of the great Antichrist who would appear before or at
the parousia of Jesus. On this Tertullian says:
In his epistles [John] designates as the chief Antichrists those who deny
Christ to have come in the flesh and those who think that Jesus was not
the Son of God. Marcion proved to be an example of the former, Ebion
of the latter. 78
The suggestion in 1 John 4:3 seems to be that the evil spirit does not
come from the Antichrist, but rather produces him or her. The evil spirit
dwells in the secessionists and they play the role of the Antichrist. Thus the
72Brown, 365.
"Ibid., 333.
74G. Strecker, "Der Antichrist: Zum religionsgeschichtlichen Hintergrund von 1 Job 2,
18.22; 4,3 und 2 Joh 7," in Text and Testimony: Essays on New Testament and Apocryphal
Literature, ed. T. Baarda et al. (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1988), 247-254.
"Joseph A. Fitzmyer, "The Contribution of Qumran Aramaic to the Study of the New
Testament," NTS 20 (1974): 391-394.
76Strecker, 250, note 14.
77A translation is found in G. Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 3d ed. (New
York: Viking Penguin, 1987), 296. Strecker also mentions Syriac Baruch 40.1, 2 and
Assumption ofMoses 8:lf and 10:1, but these texts do not specifically mention the Antichrist
(250-251).
78 De Praescriptionibus adversus haereticos 33.11. Athanasius sees the Arians as
heralds of the Antichrist (Historia Arianorum 78. 5, 4; Letter 10. 8).
221
Johannine community "labeled" the "enemy" and created a social distance.79

Tyconius' Concept of the Corpus Diabolf0
John's concept of antichristoi within the church gained popularity with
the constant "labeling" of "heretics." Tertullian (De Praescriptionibus
adversus haereticos 33) equates the Marcionites and the Ebionites with the
Antichrist. Lucifer Calaritanus (De non convenendo cum haereticis, passim)
so names the Arians and Constantius as the Antichrist's precursor. Ambrose
(Exposition ofthe Gospel ofLuke 10) so calls Arius and Sabellius. Augustine
(Contra Julianum 1.132) refers to Julian as the "new Antichrist."
The doctrine of the church as the Body of Christ is well-known (1 Cor
12-14; Rom 12:1-8; Eph 4:1-16), but less familiar is this concept of the Body
of the Devil. The idea of the corpus diaboli was first clearly enunciated by the
lay Donatist theologian Tyconius, who was condemned for his Catholic views
by the Donatist Council at Carthage (ca. 380).81 His chief works comprise De
Bella Intestine Libri Tres, Expositiones Diversarum Causarum (not extant),
the indispensable Liber Regularum which does survive,82 and a commentary
on the Apocalypse. We do not possess the latter but large portions of it are
found in Beatus of Lie'bana's Commentary on the Apocalypse (ca. 786),83 in
Victorinus/Jerome, Primasius, Bede, and the Pseudo-Augustine Homilies.
Further, Lo Bue has edited the Turin Fragments (Bobbio Codex 62)M; the only
previous edition of this manuscript was that of the Benedictines of Monte
Cassino (Spicilegium Casinense, vol. 3).85 This was also used by Harm who
"Brown, 496-497. Brown comments further: "If the epistolary author demythologized
the Antichrist by seeing an apocalyptic expectation of evil fulfilled in a schism that had
wracked the Johannine Community, perhaps the time has come to demythologize further his
insight by recognizing what he really teachesnot the advisability of continuing to identify
one's Christian opponents as the Antichrist, but the evil of schism and of doctrine division in
the Christian community" (366).
'"Much of this material comes from "The Body of the Devil," a paper presented to the
Catholic Bible Association, in Memphis, TN, August, 1993.
81 On the significance of Tyconius as a lay person, see J. Ratzinger, "Beobachtungen
zum Kirchenbegriff des Tyconius im Liber regularum, Revue des etudes Augustiniennes 2
(1956): 174-175.
82W. S. Babcock, Tyconius: The Book of Rules, Texts and Translations 31, Early
Christian Literature Series 7 (Atlanta: Scholars, 1989). See S. A. Campos, "Fuentes Literarias
de Beato de Li6bana," in Adas del Simposio para el Estudio de los Codices del Comentario
al Apocalipsis de Beato de Lidbana (Madrid: Joyas Bibliograficas, 1978-80), vol. 1; 2:128.
S3E. Romero-Pose, ed., Beatus of Liebana: Commentarius in Apocalypsin, 2 vols.
(Rome: Typis Officinae Polygraphicae, 1985).
MF. Lo Bue, The Turin Fragments of Tyconius'Commentary on Revelation, Texts and
Studies, New Series, ed. by C. H. Dodd (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1963).
85See G. Kretschmar, Die Offenbarung des Johannes (Stuttgart: Calwer, 1985), 96, n.
225, on the reconstruction of Tyconius' commentary. See also Campos, 117-162.
222
quotes Beatus at length.86

In contradiction to the Donatist view of a pure, elect church,87
Tyconius taught that the church was spread over the earth and comprised
both good and evil people. Rauh correctly observes that against the Donatist
background this organic (and striking) image of the two parties in conflict
belonging to the one body describes the situation of the church better than
any abstract formula. The weeds and the wheat grow together.88 Both
groups, the elect and the rejected, are prefigured in the twins, Jacob and
Esau, in uno corpore sunt ex uno semine (Rule 3).89
In contrast to Augustine, Tyconius recognizes only one city, not two:
the city Jerusalem which, at the end of time, will be divided into two parts.90
Thus, for Tyconius the Church is bipartite, both the corpus Christi and the
corpus diaboli?1 Clarification of the concept ofbipartitio was the goal of
Tyconius' exegesis.92 Tyconius' work greatly influenced patristic writers,
especially commentators on the Apocalypse93 and particularly Augustine.94
MT. Hahn, Tyconius-Studien (Lepizig: Scientia Verlag Aalen, repr. 1971. See also
Campos (117-162) who, while using the text of Sander, appends to his article a table of
Beatus' sources.
87See W.H.C. Frend, The Donatist Church (Oxford: Clarendon, 1952), 141-168,315332. The Donatists paid special attention to their own martyrs, deemed the Roman church to
be the civitas diaboli, and criticized the union of church and state in the Constantinian era (H.
P. Rauh, Das Bild des Antichrist im Mittelalter: van Tyconius zum deutschen Symbolismus
[Milnster: Aschendorff, 1973]), 104. This spirit was also aggravated by the militant movement
of the Circumcelliones. Accompanied by ecclesiastical rigorism, a lively eschatological
consciousness was significant for the Donatists. That this church used the OL text may
account for the lack of Greek influence in Tyconius.
88Rauh, 106. In Tyconius the Antichrist appears only in a veiled way in intermediate
time (ibid., 108), but he was an important feature of the eschatological expectation in the
Middle Ages. The concept of a continually repeated ethical-religious act of penitence in the
heart of the individual strikes at the root of the Donatist ecclesiology. There is a vital
difference between ontological and ethical-religious membership of the church. The Antichrist
can destroy only the outer aspect of church.
89On this duality, see Ratzinger, 179-180.
'"Whereas Tyconius recognizes the effect of the secular world on the church and sees
the church open to converts, yet the pagans are not his focus in his teaching on the Body of
the Devil.
"Although one might be able to discern outwardly the parts belonging to the Corpus
Christi, one cannot definitely discern the ethical-spiritual dimension (Rauh 107).
92Nearly all the symbols are ambivalent, e.g., Nineveh is both the rejected city and a
figure of the church. This idea of twofold nature of church obtained throughout the Middle
Ages.
"See the careful and interesting work of K. B. Steinhauser, The Apocalypse
Commentary of Tyconius: A History of its Reception and Influence (New York: Peter Lang,
1987).
"Concerning the influence of Tyconius, see Maier, 129-171, especially 161-166.
223
One sees the change in Augustine's thought from Homily 259, where
Augustine takes a literal interpretation of the millennium (Rev 20:4-6) to De
Civitate Dei 20-22, where he follows Tyconius in spiritualizing it.95
Augustine gives us a direct link between the corpus diaboli of
Tyconius and his own concept of the city of the devil. In De Civitate Dei he
discusses the meaning of the Antichrist seated in the temple of God.
Wherefore some are inclined to believe that Antichrist here means not
only the prince himself but in some sense his whole body, that is the
multitude of men belonging to him as well as himself, their prince; and
they think that the Greek is more correctly expressed in Latin not by "sit
in the temple of God," but by "sit as the temple of God," as if he were
himself the temple of God, that is, the church. So we say, "He sits as a
friend," meaning "like a friend," and other expressions of the kind.96
Summarizing Tyconius' work presents some difficulty, for his method

often takes the form of a catena of sometimes bewildering biblical
quotations, which he uses to support his various theses. Let me, however,
attempt a summary, based mainly on Rules 1, 2, 4 and 7.97
The church is bipartite, that is, it comprises both good and evil people98
and has both a good and evil supernatural character, one might say a
collective evil.99 Tyconius compares it to the human person who has two
sides, right and left, 100 and the Jewish body that is both a body of an election
and a body of enemies. 101 The church, according to Tyconius, is strongly
spiritual and eschatological. 102 The State is no longer the opposing power;
rather the struggle is internal.
However, Tyconius' important contribution is that he unites world
"See De Doctrina Christiana 3.30-37, where Augustine summarizes and comments
upon Tyconius' Rules.
%De Civitate Dei 20.19; cf. also his observations on Tyconius in De Doctrina 30-37 but
especially 32 ("... for that is really no part of the body of Christ which will not be with Him
in eternity").
"For a discussion of these rules see P. Monceaux, Histoire litteraire de I'Afrique
chretienne depuis les origines jusqu' a I'invasion arabe (Brussels: Culture et Civilisation,
1920,5:183-184).
98Ratzinger, 179-181.
"Maier says that we find in Tyconius two concepts which have not been clearly stated
in prior ecclesiastical writings, namely, the twin ideas of the city and the body (115).
100Cf. Monceaux, 183.
""Compare Rule 2: "For the temple is bipartite; and its other part, although it is being
constructed with great blocks of stone, will be destroyed and 'not one stone will be left upon
another.' Against the continuous coming of that temple we must remain on guard until the
church shall depart 'from the midst1 of it."
102See Ratzinger, 175; Maier, 116.
224
history and church history, 103 not from an empirical but from a spiritual
point of view. This principle is established with the help of the Hebrew
prophets whom Tyconius regards as indispensable for understanding
salvation history. The church is not a way of triumph but of suffering and
hiddenness. 104 Tyconius has also an eschatological view of the chosen
community: it can be compared to the remnant of Israel. It is the beginning
of his universalistic theology of history. 105
Indeed, there is a certain trinitarian aspect to the corpus diaboli for it
has three partsthe dragon, the sea monster and the land monster and
these three are one. Kamlah provides the following table:
Deus
diabolus
Christus
Antichristus
angeli
daemones
maligni spiritus
civitas Dei
civitas diaboli
Ecclesia
universitas malorum
Jerusalem
Babylon
apostoli, prophetae
doctores, praedicatores
reges malorum
martyres, virgines
principles malorum
boni
mali
sancti, iusti
reprobi, impii,
iniqui
electi
damnandi
salvandi
haeretici,
fideles
schismatici,
hypocritae
falsi Christiani
pagani soweit sie nicht
(gentiles) bekehrt
Judaei werden.
Curiously Kamlah omits a reference to the Holy Spirit who would be the
""This was very important for later writers: e.g., Nicholas of Lyra.
104Maier, 117.
""Typology is no abstract concept for Tyconius. It illuminates the "here and now" in
the church, the living, historical Body of Christ. Recapitulation signifies especially the
bringing together of Type and Antitype. Recapitulation is directed towards the future,
confirms the past and also makes it dynamic but not simply a repetition but a moving to a
climax, a consummatio (Rauh, 106). Salvation history in the positive sense is spiritual union
of Christ and his Body, in the negative sense is also valid for body of devil and his leaders.
225
antithesis to the false prophets. 106

Emmerson gives the following chart: 107
The Trinity
The Symbols and the Antitrinity
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit
Dragon/Satan (god of this world)

Seven-headed Beast/Antichrist (son of the
devil)
Two-horned Beast/False Prophet (spirit of
evil)
The adversum corpus is to be separated from the Body of Christ only at the
end of time. 108
Ratzinger states that the Antichrist belongs to the church, "Die Volker
der Welt werden in der Kirche den Zornwein Gottes trinken, weil die Kirche
Christ und Antichrist zugleich umfasst." We may compare 1 John 2:18, 22;
4:3 and 2 John 7 and contrast 2 Thess 2. 109
Both the Head of the Body of Christ and the Head of the Body of the
Devil have two Advents. 110 One member affects the other; this has been so
since the beginning of the world. The evil is ceaselessly renewed as one evil
generation gives birth to another. This uncanny circle of continually
renewed evil is the mysteriumfacinoris. This is the rule of Satan, the body
politic of the devil. Tyconius summarizes Rule 1 (concerning the Body of
Christ=the church) as follows:
And so the body, in virtue of its head, is the son of God; and God, in virtue
of his body, is the son of man who comes daily by birth and "grows into the
holy temple of God." For the temple is bipartite; and its other part, although
it is being constructed with great blocks of stone, will be destroyed and "not
one stone will be left upon another. Against the continuous coming of that
temple we must remain on guard until the church shall depart "from the
midst" of it. 111
Of vital importance is Tyconius' interpretation of the millennium (Rev

20:4-6). He understands it not as a circumscribed, historical period in
106Wilhelm Kamlah, Apokalypse und Geschichtlichtstheologie (Berlin: Emil Ebering,
1935), 57-58; this negative superhuman character is illustrated from the fall of Lucifer
portrayed mythologically in Isa 14.
""Emmerson, 24.
108 We may compare the Turin Fragments, # 156: "Antequam discissio fiat, omnes Dei
populus reputantur./ Postquam vero discissio fuerit / facta, tune apparebit qui sit / populus Dei
et qui sit diaboli."
""Ratzinger, 181; cf. also Turin Fragments, # 74: "Non enim, ut aliqui putant,
antichristum regem esse novissimum que se dicat Deum, cum rex novissimus unum sit
membrorum antichrist!, id est discessio diabolic! corporis profiitura."
""Kamlah opines that the Apocalypse does not treat of the history of the church but
rather the earthly course, that which is always happening. See Hahn, 26-27.
'"The corpus diaboli is at times identified with the body of the harlot (Rev 17-18).
226
contrast to an eternal condition of perfection. It is the time when Christ

exercises his Lordship; the throne is his Incarnation. This kingdom comes
to birth through baptism. God rules in his own State. This inter-pretation of
the millennium shows how Tyconius saw in the Civitas Dei the realization
of Redemption. It goes back to council of God before the beginning of the
world. It is accepted by the free choice of human beings. The choice lies in
becoming part of Christ in his suffering, death, and resurrection. This is
God's concept of the church from the beginning, when God chose Abraham,
in whom the true church is conceived. Justification is now by faith and love,
not by the Law. The means of salva-tion is the Spirit through the mediation
of Christ. 112 The Church is like a body of a child which grows from itself,
not through outside source. 113
There are, however, differences between the two bodies, that of Christ
and of the Devil: (1) The corpus diaboli has no mediator; (2) it is never at
peace; (3) it has no posterity, no hope of eternal bliss; (4) it can hope for no
resurrection. 114
Beatus ofLiebana"5
Beatus ofLiebana (Spain; 730-798) wrote a long Latin commentary
on the Apocalypse, with abundant source material. Many of the extant
manuscripts of his popular commentary are illuminated." 6
Beatus' theology of the bipartite church, heavily influenced by
Tyconius, is found throughout his text. I choose four examples.
(1) In his discussion of Jezebel (Rev 2:20) Beatus says that the church
is a saintly person but also has intimacy with a prostitute. There are two
sides, right and left, to a human body and two sides to the church. The body
has healthy and sick members (organs). The healthy ones are the saints but
" !Ratzinger, 177-179.
" 3Hahn, 27-36.
"4Cf. Beatus, 1:150. Tyconius' Twin Fragments cover only Apoc 2:20-4:1 and 7:1612:6. We observe firstlyand with surprisethat, although the argument of the text is very
close to that of the Book of Rules, the actual phrase corpus diaboli occurs only once in Lo
Bue's edition. Second, Halm (42-44) observes the idea of redemption is remarkably different
from Rule III. It is less Pauline, more ecclesiastical, emphasizes more the wrath of God and
dwells on the importance of postbaptismal repentance, which is seen to be a type of
martyrdom. It is this penitence which distinguishes the true Christians from the false. Third,
there is abundant similarity in symbolism.
" 5For Beatus' sources, see Campos, 120-121; H. L. Ramsay, "Le Commentaire de
1'Apocalypse par Beatus de Li6bana," Revue d' Histoire et Litterature Religieuses 1 (1902):
427; Hahn, 10-11; and W. Bousset, Die Offenbarung Johannis (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck &
Ruprecht, 1966), 56-72.
"6Beatus of Liibana, Beati Apocalypsin libri duodecimi, ed. E. Romero-Pose, 2 vols.
(Rome: Typis Officinae Polygraphicae, 1985).
227
the weak ones are the sinners.

As there are sick limbs in a person in such a way that also the healthy
ones suffer pain, and then when the sores become external the person
appears as a sick person [lit. the person is unmasked by sickness], so it
is also with wicked persons, who are the left side, thus they are like evil
humours in the sound organs of the church, who are the right side. As
you understand this person as an individual, so you can understand him
in a generic sense to be one church, concerning which he says, TO THE
ANGEL OF THE CHURCH WRITE. Thus also the angel <and the members>
[of the church] are bipartite. The universal is hidden in the particular. 117
(2) In his discussion of the ten horns Beatus explains that the "beast"
is the generic name for what is contrary to the Lamb. But this symbol must
be interpreted according to the context.
For sometimes he calls the devil the beast: sometimes his body which
is the unfaithful, that is, those without baptism; sometimes one of the
heads of the same beast, which is supposed to be dead, rose, which is an
imitation of the true faith, that is, wicked Christians within the church;
sometimes he calls only the leaders the beast, that is, the bishops or
priests who live in carnal fashion within the church: he calls all these
members the one body of the devil. 118
(3) Beatus' most detailed explanation of the Body of the Devil appears
in two passages of the Summa Dicendorum. Here Beatus comments on the
three unclean spirits which proceed from the mouth of the dragon, the beast,
and the pseudoprophet. He interprets the dragon as the devil; the beast as the
Body of the Devil, that is, evil people, false prophets, leaders, priests, evil
preachers. The second beast is the false prophets; all these have one spirit
like a toad. Beatus then develops the theme beyond Tyconius. The false
prophet has four limbs or organs (membra) as follows: (a) The heretics, who
chose their own beliefs according to their own judgment (or whims); (b) the
schismatics, who possesses the same religiosity, the same cult, the same rites
as others but are not of one spirit with the church because they believe
themselves superior to others for indulging in more fasting, vigils, etc.; (c)
the superstitious person who blindly adheres to religious rules (the ecstatic
or prophet) and indulges in supererogatory works and courts self-imposed
martyrdom, 119 identified by Beatus with the Circumcel-liones, who are
itinerant and form no community; 120 (d) the hypocrites. Beatus calls these
'"Beatus, 1:341.
" 8Beatus, 2:123-124.
'"See W.F.C. Frend, Donatist Church (Oxford: Clarendon, 1952), 175. "Martyrdom"
sometimes included suicide.
120Frend dates the beginning of their movement about A.D. 340 and sees them as a
revolutionary fringe of Donatism (171), the modern day "terrorists."
228
four classes "false prophets." They do not form part of the episcopate, the
clerics, the religious orders, or the penitents, but they live as they please,
forming their own beliefs and mores not derived from the authority of
Scripture or the church. They are the thieves and robbers who do not enter
by the door of the sheepfold. They are the limbs of the dragon, the beast,
and the false prophets and are polluted like toads. 121
(4) In interpreting the harlot seated upon the beast, Beatus relates the
entire symbolism to the Body of the Devil:
AND THE WOMAN WAS CLOTHED IN PURPLE AND SCARLET AND
ADORNED WITH GOLD AND PRECIOUS STONES AND PEARLS, that is,
she is revealed adorned with every seduction of the semblance of
truth, for externally she appears to be Christianity. 122
This, therefore, is briefly Beatus' interpretation of the collective body of the
Antichrist.
Sociological and Anthropological Approach
As to sociological and anthropological aspects of the question, I can

only suggest further research which would consider the following.
(1) The projection of hate on to the individual figure of the Antichrist
as important for distancing the enemy, for social cohesion of the opposing
group, for the shaming of the foe, perhaps as a deterrent to those who might
be tempted to "swap sides," as a burlesque for release of emotion, and
providing features for use in an illiterate society. Unfortunately, this also
presents an egregious example of anti-Semitism.
(2) The mythic element, using lan Barbour's theory of myth, 123
provides a basic vision of reality "out there"; informs people about their
identity and destiny; engenders the hope of a saving power; and provides
patterns for human behavior.
(3) The labeling of heretics as antichrists may be a form of catharsis;
polarizes good and evil; and graphically portrays the lethal consequence of
the actions of the Antichrist and his followers.
(4) The collective Antichrist explains the presence of the internal foe
(always more fearful than the external one); and provides internal
boundaries.
Tyconius' nonliteral interpretation of the text of the Apocalypse,
especially of Rev 20:4-6, radically changed the eschatological outlook of
many in the early church, and thus transformed the spirit of community
"'Another passage (2.246) also identifies the dragon with the devil and the (sea) beast
with wicked people, the body of the devil, but the second (land) beast is not identified with
the four classes discussed above but with the false prophets who are the priests.
122Beatus, 2:169-170.
I23I. Barbour, Myths, Models, and Paradigms (New York: Harper and Harper, 1974).
229
within the church. It was to be an inclusive, not exclusive, body. Chiliasm

became the exception rather than the rule. 124
With the bipartite church as the internal enemy, Rome is converted
into an external foe. 125 The internal critic or the prophet in his or her native
country is more violently threatened than an external enemy. Hence,
Tyconius and those who followed his hermeneutic inveighed vehemently
against the hypocrites, false prophets, simonists, schismatics, etc., within
their community. However, added to these are the superhuman elements.
The enemies become diabolically inspired. Demon and deliverance
therefrom are convenient ways of exonerating oneself from moral
responsibility and avoiding personal criticism.
(5) The body is used as a simile and/or metaphor of orderly,
harmonious and integrated society. 126 We may compare Seneca Epistle
95.52:
All that you behold, that which comprises both god and man, is
onewe are the parts of one great body. Nature produced us related to
one another, since she created us from the same source and to the same
end.
and Marcus Aurelius Meditationes 2.1; 7.13:

The principle which obtains in single organisms with regard to the limbs
of the body applies also in separate beings to rational things constituted
to work in conjunction.
The body of the devil is used of a society which is depraved,

contentious, and inimical to well-being. It is not a purely human society but
one which bears a supernatural character.
Mimetic Rivalry
The whole concept of corpus diaboli/corpus Christi shows the power

of mimetic rivalry. 127 The corpus diaboli in every point tries to mimic and
compete with the true church. The culprits are seen to ape both God and his
Christ and also the true officers and people of the accepted community. The
land beast is a parody of the Lamb (Rev 13). There is a diabolical trinity.128
What is true of the head is true of the members; so the members engage in
l24See Rule 4 and Maier, 117-125; also see John G. Gager, Kingdom and Community
(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1975).
l25Tyconius was, of course, reproaching the Donatists and Beatus the adoptionists.
l26Compare the fable of Menenius Agrippa recorded in Livy History 2.32 and Dionysius
of Halicamassus Antiquities ofRome 6.86.
'"See R. G. Hamerton-Kelly, Sacred Violence (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1992), 19-24.
l28Rauh, 110.
230
mimetic rivalry. 129 The corpus diaboli exists secundum voluntatem; what
joins the members to the head is their imitatio, which holds them together,
not as physical but as spiritual children per opera imitando. ]
Characteristic of the Tyconian school is the idea that the personal
Antichrist comes through imitation: as the son of the devil nonper naturam,
sed imitationem, as the human receptacle of Satanic will. Under such an
aspect Satan and the Antichrist are one, Diabolus ab homine suo non
separatur, nee homo, in quo diabolus non est, potest dicere: Ero similis
Altissimo. But the Antichrist is not the incarnation of Satan in the thought
of Tyconius. Only in his Commentary on Revelation does Tyconius
introduce a personal Antichrist momentarily on the scene. 132 This mimetic
rivalry leads to idolatry, economic sanctions and murder. 133
However, above all, in the body of the Antichrist we have the idea of
collective, vertical, generational, and all-pervasive evil. This concept shaped
thinking throughout the ages and perhaps continues yet today.
Conclusion
We have covered not a little ground in our investigation of the
Antichrist. We saw him as a human individual, opponent of God in
2 Thessalonians. He appeared as a horrendous theriomorphic symbol in
Revelation 12 and 13. This symbol owes much to mythology, divination,
and physiognomy and presented the Antichrist as a composite, grotesque
monster which would inspire terror into the hearers of the Apocalypse.
Gradually as a form of negative labeling, a whole life of the Antichrist
developed and a photographic caricature of him as a malformed creature
published his moral turpitude. Finally we saw him as a collective figure,
first, in the opponents mentioned in the Johannine Epistles, and then,
through Tyconius' theory of the Body of the Devil opposing the Body of
Christ, as the weeds, the faithless Christians, among the wheat, the faithful,
within the very body of the church. The complex figure of the Antichrist
should inspire us to pray for the Holy Spirit's gift of discernment.
129Hammerton-Kelly sees this as the sin of Adam and Eve.
130Rauh, 110-111. Cf. Beatus, 9.2.20.
"'Tyconius Book of Rules, Rule VII (Babcock, 126).
132Rauh, 115. Rauh also points out the frequent reference to simony (118).
'"There may also be an element of the scapegoat complex; see S. B. Perera, Scapegoat
Complex (Toronto: Inner City Books, 1986).

THE SABBATH IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW:

A PARADIGM FOR UNDERSTANDING
THE LAW IN MATTHEW?
ROBERT K. McIVER
Avondale College
Cooranbong, NSW
Australia
The problem of the Matthean understanding of law has proved

resistant to resolution, despite a mini-deluge of scholarly output on the
subject. In contrast to the widely divergent approaches to the general
issue of law in Matthew, however, there is a strong majority opinion
that the Gospel was written amongst a Sabbath-observant community.1
Despite the occasional contrary voice,2 it is probably fair to describe this
majority opinion as a consensus. Nor is this consensus surprising, given
that it is based on strong evidence. Compared to the other Synoptic
Gospels, Matthew is clearly at pains to remove any possible doubt that
'It would be impractical to cite every reference to the Sabbath-observant nature of
the Matthean community, but the following might be considered representative: G. D.
Kilpatrick, The Origins of the Gospel According to St. Matthew (Oxford: Clarendon, 1946),
116; Giinther Bornkamm, Gerhard Earth, and Heinz Joachim Held, Tradition and
Interpretation in Matthew (London: SCM, 1963), 31, 81-83; Eduard Schweizer, Matthaus
und seine Gemeinde (Stuttgart: KBW, 1974), 138; John Mark Hicks, "The Sabbath
Controversy in Matthew: An Exegesis of Matthew 12:1-14," Restoration Quarterly 27
(1984): 79-91, esp. 91; Ingo Broer, "Anmerkungen zum Gesetzesverstandnis des Matthaus,"
in Das Gesetz im neuen Testament, ed. Johannes Beutler et al. (Freiburg: Herder, 1986),
137-141; J. Andrew Overman, Matthew's Gospel and Formative Judaism: The Social World
of the Matthean Community (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990), 80-82; David L. Balch, ed., Social
History of the Matthean Community (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991), 7, 48.
Tor example, Georg Strecker interprets Matt 12:1-14 in terms of Jesus' elevating the
moral aspect of the Sabbath over the ceremonial aspect (Der Weg der Gerechtigkeit
(Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962). E. P. Sanders rightly protests against this
kind of distinction between ceremonial and moral law in the teachings of Jesus (Jesus and
Judaism [London: SCM, 1985], 250-251). It is an alien category to the language and
thought world of the Gospel accounts, especially the Gospel of Matthew. Graham Stanton
raises doubts as to whether the redactional changes the evangelist has made to his Markan
Vorlage really do indicate that the community was still Sabbath-observant, and in his
conclusion states that there is not enough evidence to confirm or deny the possibility (A
Gospel for a New People: Studies in Matthew /Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1992], 203-205).
231
232
the Sabbath might not retain its validity for the disciple of Jesus.3 It is
only in Matthew that Jesus defends his disciples as guiltless (avainoL,
Matt 12:7). Likewise, in defending the actions of the disciples, Matthew
includes three further arguments not found in the parallel Gospels (Matt
12:5-6, 7, ll-12a). Furthermore, there is no parallel to the dominical
saying recorded in Mark 2:27 (NTV), "The Sabbath was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath." By these differences the Gospel of Matthew
is more careful than either Mark or Luke to show that Jesus and the
disciples did not in any way break the Sabbath or speak of its demise.4
In fact, within Matthew, the dispute is about how the Sabbath should
3The current debate as to whether Mark or Matthew has prionty, as reflected in

Arthur Bellinzoni, ed., The Two Source Hypothesis: A Critical Appraisal (Macon, GA:
Mercer, 1985); and David L. Duncan, ed., The Interrelations of the Gospels, Bibliotheca
Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium 95 (Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1990),
does not affect this assertion. It is possible to see a difference of emphasis between two
synoptic Gospels without needing first to determine which derived from the other. The
only necessary assumption is that there is some kind of relationship between them, on
which not only both the "two-Gospel" and the "two-source" advocates agree, but also
those who are promoting yet other approaches.
*A discussion of whether either Jesus or the evangelists responsible for Mark or
Luke intended to abandon Sabbath observance lies outside the purview of this paper.
Willy Rordorf argues that Jesus' actions amount to deliberately provocative breaking of
the Sabbath: "The Sabbath commandment was not merely pushed into the background
by the healing activity of Jesus: it was simply annulled" (Sunday [London: SCM, 1968],
70; cf. 54-79). According to Rordorf, Jesus' attitude to the Sabbath was considered as
"something monstrous" (65) by the early church, which altered the tradition to explain
that Jesus' actions were not in fact contrary to the true meaning of the Sabbath. He
specifically denies that Matt 5:17-18 is an authentic saying of Jesus (77), and while he does
not say explicitly, one would imagine he also doubts the authenticity of Matt 12:3-7, 1112a, and would therefore explain them as part of the early church's "transform[ation] of
the content about Jesus' attitude to the Sabbath" (73). For Rordorf, Jesus' attitude is
shown by the authentic and provocative incident of the disciples' plucking grain, and
Jesus' reply that the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath. Rordorf is not alone in
suggesting that Jesus or the Gospels broke with Sabbath observance; see Harald Riesenfeld,
"The Sabbath and the Lord's Day in Judaism, the Preaching of Jesus and Early
Christianity," in The Gospel Tradition (Oxford: Blackwell, 1970), 111-37; M. D. Goulder,
Midrash and Lection in Matthew (London: SPCK, 1974), 17-18; Eduard Lohse, "T.ct00ctrov,"
TDNT7:22, 27-28. Others argue that Jesus and the Synoptic Gospels presuppose continued
Sabbath-observance: Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday (Rome: Pontifical
Gregorian Press, 1977); D. A. Carson, "Jesus and the Sabbath in the Four Gospels," in
From Sabbath to Lord's Day (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 57-97; Robert L. Odom,
Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1977),
18-34, 43-52; Sanders, 250, 264-267; Herold Weiss, "The Sabbath in the Synoptic Gospels,"
JSNT 38 (1990): 13-27; Walter F. Specht, "The Sabbath in the New Testament," in The
Sabbath in Scripture and History, ed. K. A. Strand (Washington, DC: Review and Herald,
1982), 92-105.
McIVER: SABBATH IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
233
be observed, not if it should be observed.5 That it should continue to

be observed is taken for granted.
Given this relatively secure datum, this article will attempt to
explore the implications of Sabbath-keeping for the vexed question of
the law in the Gospel of Matthew. Indeed, most of the issues related to
that wider question are reflected in the texts that deal with the Sabbath:
if the Sabbath law is still binding on Christians, then in what way has
it been transformed by the Christ event? Is Jesus' treatment of the
Sabbath law so radical that, in practice if not in theory, it overthrows
any significance the Sabbath might have in the life of a Christian? These
questions can only be answered by a careful scrutiny of the relevant
texts.
The Range of Evidence

Compared to Mark and Luke, Matthew somewhat deemphasizes
the Sabbath. The other two Synoptic Gospels place an account of a
Sabbath miracle right at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus (Mark
1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37). Indeed, it could be argued that both use Jesus'
treatment of the Sabbath as a paradigm for his whole ministry,
especially Luke. Not only is this Sabbath incident missing in Matthew,
the repositioning of the healing of Simon Peter's mother-in-law to 8:1415 removes its sequential association with the Sabbath (cf. Mark 1:21,
29; Luke 4:31, 38), even though the influx of others in need of healing
when it became evening (Matt 8:16a) remains inexplicable without the
information that these others had waited till after the Sabbath. Robert
Mohrlang argues that Matthew's omission is deliberate, as it has the
effect of removing Jesus' possible Sabbath violations from their
embarrassing position of prominence in the other two Gospels. The two
remaining Sabbath controversies are moved to a place in the Gospel
well after 5:17-20, where it has been clearly established that the law has
continuing validity.6 Be that as it may,7 the principal Matthean texts
that deal with the Sabbath are found in Matt 12:1-14. In addition, Matt
^The Gospel is concerned not so much with the question of keeping the Sabbath
at all, as with the question of how rigidly it was to be kept" (Kilpatrick, 116).
'Robert Mohrlang, Matthew and Paul (Cambridge: University Press, 1984), 9-10.
7 While Mohrlang's observations are inherently plausible and fit well with the
overall tenor of the Gospel, it is nevertheless possible that the healing of the demoniac
was omitted for other reasons, such as the possibility that the evangelist had already
decided to include the dramatic healing of the two Gadarene demoniacs (Matt 8:28-34) and
was wishing to limit the number of healings recorded in Matt 8-9, the two chapters
devoted to them. In other words, it is hard to speak with confidence on this matter.
234
11:28-30 and 24:20c should be mentioned in any discussion on the

Sabbath in Matthew.
Matt 11:28-30 is unique to Matthew and linked to Matt 12:1-14 in
at least three ways: (a) Matt 12:1-14 follows immediately on 11:28-30;8
(b) the rest Jesus promises in 11:28 fits thematically with the "rest" of
the Sabbath;9 and (c) the phrase ec emca> TW Kmpw (12:la), unique to
Matthew, underlines the connection between the saying and the
incident following. 10 To assist in carrying their burdens, Jesus enjoins
his followers to take his yoke upon them. 11 In Sir 6:18-31 and 51:23-27,
wisdom, law, and yoke are linked together: 12 the yoke of wisdom is
instruction in the law. This kind of linkage fits nicely the context of
this saying in Matthew. 13 Jesus' interpretation of the law would be the
8 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992),
299.
'Samuele Bacchiocchi, "Matthew 11:28-30: Jesus' Rest and the Sabbath," AUSS 22
(1984): 296-302; Daniel Patte, The Gospel According to Matthew (Philadelphia: Fortress,
1987), 167; Robert H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on His Literary and Theological
An (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 220; Richard B. Gardner, Matthew (Scottdale, PA:
Herald, 1991), 195; Eduard Schweizer, The Good News According to Matthew (London:
SPCK, 1976), 277.
'W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison, Matthew, ICC (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark,
1991), 2:288-289, 305; Robert Banks, Jesus and the Law in the Synoptic Tradition
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975), 113.
"The image of one carrying heavy burdens makes unlikely Eduard Schweizer's
suggestion that instead of a yoke used to assist in carrying heavy loads, Jesus is in fact
referring to the yoke of a prisoner of war, an otherwise attractive interpretation in the
light of the more stringent application of the law made by Jesus in places like Matt 5:21-48
(Good News, 272-273).
"Most commentators sense the importance of these texts to the interpretation of
this passage, but few would go so far as Goulder who claims that they are a midrash on
Sirach (362-363).
"M. Jack Suggs makes a convincing case for identifying Jesus with wisdom and his
yoke with his interpretation of law (Wisdom, Christology, and Law in Matthew's Gospel
[Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1970], 99-108. Others who so understand the
reference include Gundry (219-220) and Hans Dieter Betz ("The Logion of the Easy Yoke
and of Rest, Matt 11:28-30,"/BI 86 [1967]: 22-23. M. Maher shows evidence linking the
image of the yoke to the law ("Take My Yoke Upon You,' Matt. xi. 29," NTS 22 [1976]:
98-100). Celia Deutsch understands the reference to "my yoke" as a description of Jesus
as wisdom incarnate and specifically rejects any link between the yoke and the Torah
(Hidden Wisdom and the Easy Yoke: Wisdom, Torah and Discipleship in Matthew 11:25-30,
JSNTSupplement 18 [Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1987], 115-139). Other interpretations, such
as the suggestion that the yoke is "the yoke of a Kingdom in which 'Abba, Father' is
sovereign, the 'rest' of which is the peace of that new relationship with God" (A. M.
Hunter, "Crux CritocorumMatt xi.25-30: A Re-appraisal," NTS 8 [1961-62]: 248-249), or
MCIVER: SABBATH IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
235
easy yoke which he offers to the burdened, and the way in which Jesus'
interpretation of the law is easy is thereupon illustrated by his
understanding of the Sabbath. Thus Matt 11:28-30 should be understood
both as introducing the Sabbath controversies of Matt 12:1-14 and
informing the reader or listener that Jesus brings true rest to those
burdened by their understanding of the Sabbath.
A study of the phrase /nj6e aajSjSardii in Matt 24:20c, on the other
hand, probably should be excluded from this discussion of the Sabbath
in Matthew, despite its occasional use as evidence that the Matthean
community was Sabbath-observant.14 The flight spoken of in Matt 24:20
is so urgent that Jesus' listeners are not even to go into their houses if
they are on the roof, or cross a field to regain their cloak (24:17-18).
From 1 Mace 2:29-41 we learn that taking action to save one's life on
the Sabbath was considered appropriate long before NT times. While
there is always uncertainty tracing later Rabbinic thought directly back
into NT times, it is clear that the Rabbis taught that at times of deadly
peril the law of pekuah nepes took effect. In Rabbinic Judaism there
would be no question about fleeing in time of crisis, even on the
Sabbath day. It is even less likely that the members of a Christian group
like the Matthean community, who defended the right of their leader
to heal on the Sabbath, would have any qualms about fleeing for their
lives on a Sabbath. The phrase in Matt 24:20c would then have some
other significance unrelated to the Gospel's theology of Sabbath.15 Thus
that the yoke "is the yoke of the Kingdom, . . . [which] is to accept the sovereignty of
God and to give oneself to His service" (T. W. Manson, The Sayings of Jesus [London:
SCM, 1949], 186), or that the references to a yoke and rest refer to the prophetic image
of breaking the yoke of oppression and entering into national rest (B. Charette, "'To
Proclaim Liberty to the Captives': Matt 11:28-30 in the Light of Prophetic Expectation,"
NTS 38 [1992]: 290-297), all make valid theological points, but overlook the prominent
role the law takes in the Kingdom in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 5:19).
14 E.g., Giinther Bornkamm, "End Expectation and Church in Matthew," in
Tradition and Interpretation, 31; Dennis MacDonald, "A Response to R. Goldenberg and
D. J. Harrington, S.J.," in The Sabbath in Jewish and Christian Traditions, ed. T. C.
Eskenazi, D. J. Harrington, W. H. Shea (New York: Crossroad, 1991), 60-61; Erich Spier,
Der Sabbat (Berlin: Institut Kirche und Judentum, 1989), 111.
l5So also Stanton, 203-206. Eric Kun-Chun Wong takes Stanton to task for denying
the possibility that the Matthean community does not keep the Sabbath strictly, charging
him with using a predetermined conclusion to force the meaning of this particular text
("The Matthean Understanding of the Sabbath: A Response to G. N. Stanton," JSNT 44
[1991]: 3-18, reacting to Graham Stanton, "'Pray that your Flight may not be in Winter
or on a Sabbath': Matthew 24:20," JSNT 37 [1989]: 17-30 and republished as chap. 8 of his
Gospel for a New People). However, his suggestion that the phrase pr/de <ra/J/J<xr(p is a
concession to the "weaker brethren" of the Matthean community who wish to retain a
very strict observance of the Sabbath fails to account for the fact that all the available
236
the truly significant Matthean Sabbath passage is Matt 12:1-14, together

with its introduction, Matt 11:28-30.
Matt 12:1-8: The Incident in the Grainfield

The Pharisees' accusation that the disciples were breaking the
Sabbath appears to have been based on their understanding that by
plucking grain they were engaging in the work of reaping. 16 This
assumption is not challenged, despite the fact that the disciples' actions
are described as avainoi. In other words, their actions, while in technical breach of the Sabbath commandment, were not liable under law. 17
The defense against the charge is given in three stages: the example of
David, the analogy of the priests, and the citation from Hosea.
For a variety of reasons, a significant number of commentators
find the appeal to the example of David and his men eating showbread
inappropriate: There is no reference of any kind to the Sabbath in the
story of David and his men;18 the disciples' hunger does not seem
proportionate to the hunger and need of David and his men; and the
later Rabbinic rule pointed out that Halakah could not be determined
on grounds of Haggadah.19 These problems should make the interpreter
seek the point(s) of comparison between the two events rather than the
differences, because the three Synoptic evangelists considered that the
argument had merit enough to warrant its inclusion. Common to the
two events is the violation of the holy: the disciples violate the holiness
information would indicate that even they would consider it lawful to escape destruction
by fleeing on Sabbath.
"Morris, 300. Presumably rubbing the grain between the hands and blowing to
remove the husk could be understood as threshing and winnowing. Reaping, threshing,
and winnowing were all listed in the 39 categories of work prohibited by Sabb. 7:2.
'7 dc-ai'no?, i.e., without caria, charge, legal ground for complaint.
"Menah 95b records rabbinic discussion as to whether the showbread eaten by
David was baked on the Sabbath. Nothing of this is visible in the recorded words of Jesus,
who instead points out that David and his men were hungry (Matt 12:3), the element
highlighted by the Matthean inclusion of the observation that the disciples of Jesus were
hungry (v. 1).
"David Daube, The New Testament and Rabbinic Judaism (London: Athlone, 1956),
68-69; cf. Matty Cohen, "La Controverse de Jesus et des Pharisiens a propos de la
cueillette d'epis, selon Pevangile de Saint Matthieu," Melanges de science religieuse 34 (1977):
3-12. Daube himself points to the greatest weakness of such an assertion: whether or not
the distinction was valid for the time of Jesus. "To be sure, the principle in question was
the result of a long and slow evolution. But by the middle of the 1st cent. A.D.,
notwithstanding certain vestiges of a less rigorous attitude, it was, if not firmly established,
at least rapidly gaining ground" (69).
237
of a day, while David and his men violate the holiness of a place.20 A
first-century reader of or listener to the Gospel of Matthew might
reason that as a man "after God's heart" (1 Sam 13:14), whose life had
been blameless except in the case of Bathsheba (1 Kings 15:3-5), David
was guiltless, and thus his taking the bread was justifiable. But why was
it justifiable within the bounds of the text in Matthew? The two clues
provided are the reference to the disciples' hunger (Matt 12:Id, unique
to Matthew), and the insistence that God seeks mercy, not sacrifice
(Matt 12:7). Although a reference to the hunger of David is lacking in
1 Sam 21:1-6, it is supplied in Matt 12:3b (and parallels), linking the
actions of the disciples and the followers of David to the same
motivation: hunger.21 An argument that human need, any human need,
justifies the breach of Divine laws which would otherwise be observed
also fits well with the following miracle of Sabbath healing and is
perhaps the best explanation of the analogy with David.22
The next analogy, that of the priests' activities in the temple on
the Sabbath (Matt 12:5), shares a common element with David's actions
in taking the holy bread. Both David and the priests do something
which they should not do according to the law. It was not lawful (OUK
e%bi>, Matt 12:4b) for David and his men to eat the showbread.23
Likewise, the priests profane24 the Sabbath in the temple, but are not
liable under law. Exactly in what way they profane the Sabbath is not
spelled out, but we read that their prescribed duties did involve
activities which would have been described as unlawful for the Sabbath
20Phillip Sigal, The Halakah ofJesus of Nazareth According to the Gospel of Matthew
(Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1986), 133; cf. Morna D. Hooker, The Son
of Man in Mark (London: SPCK, 1967), 97-98.
21 Richard S. McConnell, Law and Prophecy in Matthew's Gospel (Basel: Friedrich
Reinhardt, 1969), 67.
22The suggestion of Banks, that the two events are further linked by the comparison
of David and the Son of David, while not inherently implausible, finds little support in
the text (115). Neither does the interpretation of Marcus J. Borg, that the link between
the two events was that the urgency of David's mission matched the urgency of Jesus,
overriding any considerations regarding the Sabbath (Conflict, Holiness and Politics in the
Teachings ofJesus [Lewiston: Edwin Mellen, 1984], 152-153.
23"The relation between the OT story and the present instance of infringement of
the Sabbath by the disciples of Jesus is obviously that righteous people are in both cases
doing what is forbidden" (Lohse, 22).
24Be/3i;Adu is used twice in the NT, here and Acts 24:6. One can profane the
Sabbath (Ezek 20:13), the sanctuary (Ezek 28:18; Acts 24:6), and God's name (Lev 21:6).
238
if performed anywhere besides the temple.25 The temple took

precedence over the Sabbath. How much more, then, should something
greater than the temple take precedence over the Sabbath.26 So far the
argument is clear, but what is present in the grain fields that is greater
than the temple? Commentators have put forward a wide variety of
suggestions: the Kingdom of God,27 Jesus as the incarnation of the Spirit
of God,28 the superior service of the disciples of Jesus,29 and the call to
provide for human life which is the required response to the love
command,30 to give but four examples. The Kingdom of God, the love
command, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18, 20) are all
important in Matthew, but appear nowhere in this pericope.
Furthermore, it is difficult to see that the disciples' plucking ears of
grain could be readily viewed as service. Perhaps it is best to understand
Jesus as the one who is greater than the temple.31 His presence would
certainly give full weight to the <J>6e, and it was on his authority that
the disciples were doing these things (cf. v. 8). If so, that Jesus should
25 One has only to consider the labor involved in dismembering and burning the
prescribed Sabbath sacrificesthe regular daily sacrifice (Num 28:1-8), together with the
extra sacrifices to be offered on the Sabbath day only (Num 28:9-10). Etan Levine wishes
to identify the profanation of the Sabbath spoken of here as the "rigorously defended
Pharisaic practice of reaping the first sheaves . . . offering . . . even if that day were a
Sabbath" ("The Sabbath Controversy According to Matthew," NTS 22 (1975-76): 481. It
is agreed that reaping this offering on the Sabbath nicely parallels the activity of the
disciples plucking grain, but the only identification of the kind of work provided in the
text of Matthew, that it takes place in the temple, makes it nearly impossible to maintain
any link with the reaping of the offering of first-fruits.
26So Davies and Allison, 2:314.
"Manson, 189.
28Georges Ganders points out: "Les Juifs affirmaient que Dieu remplissait le Temple
de Jerusalem de sa presence. Estimant egalement que le St. Esprit se trouvait dans les
chretiens, 1'apotre Paul leur disait: Vous etes le Temple de Dieu (1 Cor. 3/16) ou:
Votre corps est le Temple du St. Esprit (1 Cor. 6/19). A plus forte raison, done, Jesus
de Nazareth, incarnation de 1'Esprit de Dieu dans un homme, pouvait-il entendre qu'il
etait le Temple du Seigneur, le vrai Temple, plus encore que le Temple de pierres de
Jerusalem (Cf. J. 2/29-21)" (L'evangile de I'eglise [Aix-en-Provence: Faculte libre, 1970],
109).
29Birger Gerhardsson, "Sacrificial Service and Atonement in the Gospel of
Matthew," in Reconciliation and Hope, ed. R. Banks (Exeter: Paternoster, 1974), 28.
30Sigal, 132. Sigal openly acknowledges a preference for a non-Christological
interpretation, as this fits his thesis that there was little difference between Jesus and the
proto-rabbis, the forerunners of later Rabbinic Judaism (134).
M So Davies and Allison, 2:314; Gundry, 223.
239
be compared to the temple in this way is an extraordinary claim. The

temple was designated by God as the place to meet with his people
(Exod 29:42-45). It was the place where God manifested himself. Is the
claim that Jesus is greater than the temple a claim that Jesus is the
superior manifestation of God's presence,32 or that his mediation is
superior to that available through the temple? Certainly other writers
in the NT thought so (e.g., Heb 9:11-14, 24-26; 10:19-22), but this must
remain an open question as there is very little additional data on the
matter in the Gospel.33
The third argument involves the citation of a scripture found twice
in Matthew, and not elsewhere in the NT. What does "I desire mercy
and not sacrifice" mean in this context? The Pharisees are accused of
demanding sacrifice above mercy. By expecting the disciples to remain
hungry they are demanding sacrifice when in fact they should have been
showing mercy. Does this mean that mercy empties the Sabbath
command of all meaning?34 Hardly, because this very quotation is cited
to show that the disciples are avotinoi. Yet it does show a hierarchy of
obligation. The obligation of mercy is greater than the obligation of
Sabbath observance.35 Hos 6:6 was not a call for the Israelites to
abandon the giving of sacrificial offerings and, as used in Matthew, it
was not a call to give up Sabbath-observance. It was a demand that
priority should be given to the important matter of mercy. On the
grounds of mercy, the disciples' actions were not in breach of the
32So A. Schlatter, Der Evangelist Matthaus (Stuttgart: Calwer, 1959), 396.
33John P. Meier comments that, "In his very person, and finally by his sacrificial
death, Jesus replaces the Temple and all the sacrifices prescribed by the law" (The Vision
of Matthew [New York: Paulist, 1978}. This is a fairly accurate summation of the theology
of Hebrews. What makes one cautious of interpreting this verse in the same manner,
though, is that the Gospel of Matthew retains an ambiguous stance towards the temple
and its services, as indeed, did much of the early church, if the evidence of Acts is any
guide. Aside from Matt 26:28, there is no suggestion that the death of Jesus is linked to
sacrifices. In Matt 1:21 Jesus is given that name because he will save his people from their
sin. But as Gerhardsson points out, "The interpretation of Jesus' name says nothing about
the way in which Jesus saves his people from their sins. There is no suggestion that this
is to happen exclusively through his sacrificial death" (Gerhardssohn, 26). See also Tibor
Horvath, The Sacrificial Interpretation of Jesus' Achievement in the New Testament (New
York: Philosophical Library, 1979), 38-39.
''Alexander Sand notes: "Wenn es dem Verfasser des Matthausevangeliums auch
nicht ganz gelungen ist, in den Markuszusammenhang alteres Uberlieferungs gut
einzubauen, so wird seine redaktionelle Absicht doch deutlich: Erbarmen mit den
Mitmenschen lafit die Aufhebung eines Toragebotes zu . . ." (Das Gesetz und die Propheten,
Biblische Untersuchungen 11 [Regensburg: Friedrich Pustet, 1974], 61.
35Davies and Allison, 2:315.
240
Sabbath. Furthermore, these considerations make it unlikely that this

verse should be interpreted in terms of an inner ethical demand.36
The statement that "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" is not
an argument. Rather, it is nothing less than a declaration that Jesus
exercises authority over the Sabbath.
Two themes run through Jesus' defense of the disciples. First, there
is a hierarchy of obligation, even in the law.37 The need of the disciples
took priority over the prohibition of work on the Sabbath. Second,
there is a strongly christocentric focus. Jesus declares himself both
greater than the temple and Lord over the Sabbath. A significant part
of the reasoning appears to be that the disciples' actions were defensible
in terms of who Jesus is.
What is not said in defense of the disciples may be equally
significant. In Matt 12:1-8, Jesus does not dismiss the charge that
plucking the grain is Sabbath-breaking on the grounds that it is trivial.
Neither does he say that the Sabbath belongs to a segment of the law
which has no validity for his followers.
Matt 12:9-14: The Healing

Matt 12:9 underlines the linkage between the two Sabbath
incidents; the healing took place as the next occurrence in the flow of
events.38 The Matthean version of the healing is shaped to highlight the
basic issue of lawfulness. The question asked by the unspecified
interlocutors is unique to Matthew: "Is it lawful (ii-fanv) to heal on the
Sabbath?" (Matt 12: lOb). This, in fact, is a fair question, and one that
intrigues commentators to this day. Jesus healed the individual by a
word. Unlike what he did in John 9:6, Jesus did not make clay; and
unlike the incident narrated in Matt 9:6, he did not command the man
to carry his pallet on the Sabbath. There was no transgression even of
later Rabbinic strictures regarding the Sabbath. But the case was a
nonurgent one. A hand does not become "withered" overnight, and the
''This would go against Strecker, 32-33.

"Carson affirms: "The point is not only that some laws by their very nature
formally conflict with other laws, but that the more important law or principle takes
precedence" (66).
''Contrast Luke 6:6, where the healing is said to take place EC inpw (ra/3/J(XTO>,
which is likewise implied in Mark 3:1. Despite the common theme of controversy over
the Sabbath, it appears that the Matthean evangelist was at pains to link further the two
stories into an organic whole.
241
condition was certainly not life-threatening. Thus the healing could as

easily have been done outside the hours of the Sabbath.39
Jesus defends his actions on the basis of a qal wehomer argument:
if assistance is offered to a domestic animal, and if a person is of more
value than an animal, assistance should be offered to a person in need.40
The appropriateness of the citation of Hos 6:6 in Matt 12:7 is evident.
It is indeed lawful to alleviate suffering and misery on the Sabbath.
Assistance should not be restricted to life-threatening situations.
As with the previous incident, the evangelist has emphasized the
continuing obligation of Sabbath observance. Jesus was not going
beyond the real intention of the Sabbath by acts of healing. In a word,
his actions were perfectly lawful. But nevertheless one must inquire as
to the limitations that the evangelist might place on the principle that
all acts of mercy become lawful, even nonurgent ones like alleviating a
casual hunger or chronic, nonlife-threatening illness easily coped with
at another time. These questions lead naturally to consideration of the
implications which these two accounts have for the Matthean
understanding of Sabbath. Further, one must consider the significance
such an understanding might have for the Matthean concept of law.
Some Implications
Continuity of Law
The two Sabbath controversies recorded in Matt 12:1-14 illustrate
the evangelist's understanding of the continuity of the law, previously
expressed so dramatically in Matt 5:17-20. The law is preserved; Sabbath
observance is retained. Yet, though there is an undeniable continuity in
the disciples' relationship to the law, Jesus brings a freshness in his
approach to the law that is in strong contrast to the Pharisees who
oppose him in this incident (Matt 12:2, 14). Indeed, this freshness of
approach might almost be described as a radical transformation of the
law, a point taken up below.
Hierarchy of Law
In clear contrast to the teaching of the Pharisees described in Matt
12, Matt 12:1-8 outlines a clear hierarchy of law.41 In observing the
Sabbath, at times one law must be breached in the keeping of another
law. Some laws and principles of action are more important than others.
3'Gundry, 226.
"Daniel J. Harrington, "Sabbath Tensions: Matthew 12:1-14 and Other New
Testament Texts," in The Sabbath in Jewish and Christian Traditions, 49.
41 Bacchiocchi, 52-53; Carson, 66.
242
It is good to be so scrupulous in observing the Sabbath that one refrains

from plucking even a few ears of grain to eat them, but it is better to
place the alleviation of even trivial human need above such scrupulosity.
The two accounts highlight at least two important principles that
should take priority in deciding what is lawful activity on the Sabbath:
the principles of mercy (Matt 12:7) and of doing good (Matt 12:12).
Radical Transformation of Law
While the law is preserved, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that
it is radically changed at the same time. Human need should take
precedence over the Sabbath, understandably enough, but in both
examples the human need was not great. To what extent the disciples
were hungry is not said, but the casual plucking of grain does not give
the impression of resolving a life-threatening situation or even serious
hunger. Certainly, the disease of the man with the withered hand was
chronic, not acute. So, what happens to Sabbath observance when
human need, no matter how trivial, takes precedence? If, like Jesus,
much of one's weekly activity is taken up by healing, how does one
make a distinction between the Sabbath and other days of healing? If
trivial matters can intervene, what is left?
It is hard to know how the evangelist would have reacted to such
questions. From the way Sabbath-observance is carefully preserved it is
unlikely that any radical abandonment of distinctions made between the
Sabbath and other days is envisaged. But within clear view is a freer
understanding of what is appropriate for the Sabbath and what is not.
Christocentridty
The other theme that emerges, especially in the grainfield incident,
is the christocentric nature of the newly transformed Sabbath. The
presence of one who is greater than the temple underlies the disciple's
ability to break with Pharisaic conventions regarding Sabbath
observance (Matt 12:6). Furthermore, Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath
(v. 8). Thus the authority and presence of Jesus bring with them new
attitudes and new observances.
Implications for the Matthean Theology of Law
Each of these elements has implications for and resonances with
the way the law is treated elsewhere in the Gospel of Matthew. It will
not be possible to develop this in any detail, but two elements may be
indicated.
In the Matthean presentation of the Sabbath controversies in Matt
12:1-14 it clearly emerges that while the law is retained, in its very
retention it has become transformed by the central fact of the person
of Jesus. The law is under the authority of Jesus. He determines the
243
new directions in which the community will act. In this he has

unparalleled authority. These motifs find significant parallels in the
Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has not come to destroy the law, but to
fulfill it (Matt 5:17). Even though the smallest element of the law will
not be changed (v. 19), under the authority of Jesus new attitudes to the
law emerge, as indicated by the recurrent variations on the phrase
'H/coucraTe on ippeQri rolt; ctpxmoic;- . . iyfo Se \yu Ufj.lv on . . .(5:2122, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44). This new observance of the law
differs from the old. In other words, as with the Sabbath, all law is
transformed by the presence and authority of Jesus, even as it retains its
validity.
In Matt 12:1-14 there is a clear understanding that while all law
places an obligation on the follower of Jesus, some laws appear as more
important than others. This also finds parallels elsewhere in Matthew.
For example, in a saying unique to the Gospel, Christians are told not
to neglect paying tithe on the mint, dill, and cummin (Matt 23:23), yet
they should remember that there are weightier matters of the law:
justice, mercy, and faith. If there is any conflict, the lesser should
unhesitatingly be put aside. Not unique to the Gospel of Matthew, but
certainly close to the heart of its understanding of law, is the priority
given to love as the first and great commandment (Matt 22:34-39).
Conclusions
Matthew's treatment of the Sabbath controversies is distinctive in
many ways. The material unique to the Gospel shows greater interest
in the question of Sabbath observance within the parameters of the law
than the other Synoptics, although they also are interested in the
question. As it is reported by Matthew, Jesus argues on the basis of
continued validity for the law. He defends the correctness of his
disciples' plucking of grain on the Sabbath by emphasizing the
hierarchy of obligations found within the law: human need takes
precedence (12:3-4), as does the holy (12:4), and mercy is more
important than sacrifice (12:7). If these principles are taken into
consideration, the disciples are guiltless before the law.
Jesus defends his own actions of healing on the Sabbath on the
basis of the utmost importance of human need (12:11-12). Thus, while
the Sabbath law remains valid in the life of the believer, there is a
different relation to it than that adopted by the Pharisees in 12:2, 14.
The law is viewed from the perspective of the Christ event, with a clear
understanding that there are some principles which are to be upheld,
even though this might result in new ways of observing the Sabbath.
These observations might well form useful points of comparison with
other elements of the Gospel of Matthew which need to be consulted
in forming an understanding of the total Matthean theology of law.
244
SEMINARY STUDIES (AUTUMN 1995)
The Armies of Heaven and Doom for the Beast. A woodcut by Lucas Cranach.
Taken from Strand, Luther's September Bible in Facsimile.
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Autumn 1995, Vol. 33, No. 2, 245-264
THE ROLE OF THE HEBREW CULTUS,

SANCTUARY, AND TEMPLE IN THE PLOT AND
STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION1
JON PAULIEN
Andrews University
Introduction
Those who learn a second language generally come to realize that
people express themselves by means of codes. Words are made up of a
sequence of letters or sounds to which a particular meaning is attached.
Words, therefore, function as codes, which those who are uninitiated
into a language must learn one at a time. Linguistic codes are not
limited to words; however, they can involve phrases, sentences, and
even genres as well as words.2
In a literary work like the book of Revelation a series of codes is
organized to express the author's intention for the text. But since the
meaning of the codes within a given language system is constantly
changing, the potential meaning in a text may far exceed the original
intention of the author.3 Over time the author's intention for a text
'An earlier version of this article, "Intertextuality, the Hebrew Cultus, and the Plot
of the Apocalypse," was read to the Reading the Apocalypse Seminar (then known as the
Literary Criticism and the Apocalypse Consultation) of the SBL Annual Meeting in New
Orleans on Nov. 18, 1990. The concepts in this paper have greatly benefited from the
discussions of the seminar group over the last five years.
2Accordmg to Ray F. Collins, "literary criticism" has been used in three ways in
biblical scholarship: (1) as a synonym for source criticism, (2) as a way of seeking out the
author's original intention by means of the analysis of structure and the component
elements of the text, and (3) as a reference to the application of the laws of narrative from
contemporary literature to ancient texts. Collins, Introduction to the New Testament
(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), 116-117.
Collins' third approach to literary criticism is fairly recent and has not greatly
impacted biblical scholarship because of the use of extremely esoteric language codes. The
opening portion of this article reflects an attempt to simplify some of the insights of
contemporary literary criticism which aided in the development of'this essay. The
remainder of the essay also makes use of Collins' second approach.
'Michael Harris, "Text in Vision/Vision in Text: Toward an 'Open' Poetics for the
Apocalypse of John," paper read at the Annual Meeting of the SBL in Anaheim, CA,
November 18-21, 1989, 4; cf. Edgar V. McKnight, Post-Modem Use of the Bible: the
Emergence ofReader-Oriented Criticism (Nashville: Abingdon, 1988), 117-118; Norman R.
Petersen, Literary Criticism for New Testament Critics, Guides to Biblical Scholarship: New
Testament Series (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1978), 39-42.
245
2.46
may be lost to readers or even become distorted because of changes in

the meaning of the codes that the author utilized.4 The codes in a text
often mean one thing to an original author and something entirely
different to later readers.
The basic building blocks of a language, then, are codes made up
of words, phrases, and genres which the users of a language commonly
recognize and understand without particular effort. When a text makes
use of common language or explains unfamiliar codes to the reader, one
can speak in terms of "intrinsic" codes.5 Intrinsic codes do not require
that a reader have specialized skills or background in order to
understand the text. An everyday understanding of a given language will
suffice to understand such intrinsic codes.
Among those who speak a given language, however, there are also
specialized language codes familiar only to those who have been
initiated into their meaning.6 Such "extrinsic" codes depend for their
interpretation on information that is outside a given text.7
In contemporary literary criticism the extrinsic symbolism of a
book like Revelation can be described as "overcoding."8 In overcoding,
shared experience between an author and his or her implied audience
provides the context in which a work is to be understood. This shared
experience can arise out of direct, face-to-face contact within a group,
but it can also arise out of a common experience of reading. When
author and reader share a common literary heritage, a special kind of
^Contemporary literary critics are not particularly disturbed by this reality. A text
that takes on a life of its own may develop new and valuable significance as time passes.
To those who see particular value in the original intention of the author, however, the
phenomenon of code change may seem to threaten the integrity of the text. This is
particularly the case where texts (such as the Bible and the Constitution of the United
States) are considered authoritative.
5McKnight, 138-140.
'McKnight, 134.
'Ibid., 138-140. Harris, quoting Leland White ("Grid and Group in Matthew's
Community: The Righteous-ness/Honor Code in the Sermon on the Mount," Semeia 35
[1986]: 61-62), notes that "narrative codes include 'tacit meanings' which 'include both
presuppositions and intentions that are not or can not be specified in the text'" (5). The
Gospel of Mark, for example, contains a number of codes, including both Aramaic terms
and Jewish religious practices, which Gentile readers would not understand. When these
are explained within the gospel (cf. Petersen, 42), however, they become intrinsic.
*McKnight, 221. A classic example of overcoding is the English phrase "once upon
a time," which in addition to its natural significance conveys to the knowledgeable reader
information that a fictional account placed in an indefinite nonhistoncal time is in view.
Cf. Umberto Eco, The Role of the Reader: Explorations in the Semiotics of Texts
(Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1979), 19-20; McKnight, 222.
PAULINE: HEBREW CULTUS, SANCTUARY, AND TEMPLE
247
overcoding is afforded by the interplay between the author's text and

earlier texts (sometimes called intertextuality). Shared experience in
reading provides the context for heightened enjoyment and understanding of a literary work.9
New Testament scholars have widely recognized that the symbolic
overcoding of the book of Revelation is often grounded in a multitude
of intertextual allusions and echoes to previous texts such as the
documents of the Old Testament and Jewish Apocalyptic. 10 The purpose
of this article is to explore the possibility that a major source of
intertextual and cultural overcoding in the Apocalypse can be detected
in the furnishings and the rituals of the Hebrew cultus, sanctuary, and
temple as described in the Old Testament and elaborated upon in the
traditions of Early Judaism.
A number of scholars have noticed elements of the Hebrew cultus
in the Apocalypse.11 But apart from generalities the role of that imagery
in the author's overall structure and/or narrative plot has received only
superficial treatment. 12
The Introductory Passages
Building on the work of Kenneth A. Strand, I have noticed that
allusions to the Hebrew cultus appear primarily in the passages which
introduce the various visions in the Apocalypse, such as Rev 1:12-20;
'ECO, 21.
'"See my book Decoding Revelation's Trumpets (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews
University Press, 1988) for a thorough discussion of the extent of such allusions in the
Apocalypse and the varying success of those who have sought to master this aspect of the
book.
"J. A. Draper, "The Heavenly Feast of Tabernacles: Revelation 7:1-17, JSNT 19
(1983): 133-147; Austin Farrer, A Rebirth of Images (Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1970);
M. D. Goulder, "The Apocalypse as an Annual Cycle of Prophecies," NTS 27 (1981): 342367; L. W. Hurtado, "Revelation 4-5 in the Light of Jewish Apocalyptic Analogies," JSNT
25 (1985): 114; R. J. McKelvey, The New Temple: The Church in the New Testament
(London: Oxford University Press, 1969), 155-178; Lucetta Mowry, "Revelation IV-V and
Early Christian Liturgical Usage," JBL 71 (1952): 75-84; D. T. Niles, As Seeing the Invisible
(New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961); Massey H. Shepherd, The Paschal Liturgy and the
Apocalypse, Ecumenical Studies in Worship, vol. 6 (Richmond, VA: John Knox, 1960);
Leonard Thompson, "Cult and Eschatology in the Apocalypse of John," JR 49 (1969): 330350; idem, The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire (New York: Oxford University
Press, 1990), 70; Hakan Ulfgard, Feast and Future: Revelation 7:9-17 and the Feast of
Tabernacles, Coniectanea Biblica, New Testament Series, vol. 22 (Lund: Almqvist &
Wiksell, 1989).
12 The sweeping and imaginative attempts by Farrer and Niles have been largely
ignored by most scholars.
248
chapters 4 and 5; and Rev 8:3-5. 13 It may be helpful at this point to

briefly outline the macrostructure of the book of Revelation as I
understand it. 14
Prologue (1:1-8)
Introductory Scene (1:9-20)
The Seven Churches (2:1 - 3:22)
Introductory Scene (4:1 - 5:14)
The Seven Seals (6:1 - 8:1)
The Seven Trumpets (8:7 - 11:18)
Introductory Scene (11:19)
The Wrath of the Nations (12:1 - 15:4)
The Wrath of God (16:1 - 18:24)
The Final Judgment (19:11 - 20:15)
The New Jerusalem (21:9 - 22:5)
Epilogue (22:6-21)
"Note the following helpful essays by Strand: "Chiastic Structure and Some Motifs
in the Book of Revelation," AUSS 16 (1978): 401-408; "The Eight Basic Visions in the
Book of Revelation," AUSS 25 (1987): 107-121; Interpreting the Book of Revelation
(Worthington, OH: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1976); The Open Gates of Heaven, 2d ed. (Ann
Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Publishers, 1972); "The 'Victorious-Introduction' Scenes in the
Visions in the Book of Revelation," AUSS 25 (1987): 267-288.
The most significant of these works for this study is the one entitled "The Eight
Basic Visions in the Book of Revelation." This article was reprinted with some
modifications in Frank B. Holbrook, ed., Symposium on RevelationBook I, Daniel and
Revelation Committee Series, vol. 6 (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992),
35-49.
Strand divides the book of Revelation into eight visions with a prologue and an
epilogue (see "The Eight Basic Visions," AUSS 25 [1987]: 108). Each is preceded by a
"victorious-introduction scene with temple setting" (see "The Victorious-Introduction
Scenes," AUSS 25 [1987]: 268). I find this outline basically convincing except for the
designation of Rev 16:18-17:3a as an introductory vision with temple setting, leading to
the treatment of Rev 17 and 18 as a separate vision. I prefer to treat Rev 17 and 18 as an
elaboration of the bowl vision of Rev 15 and 16. The result is a seven-part outline with
seven introductory scenes followed by seven visionary descriptions. This minor
disagreement should not cause anyone to overlook my basic debt to Strand.
14 In an extremely helpful dissertation Ekkehardt Miiller ("The Microstructure of
Revelation 4-11," Ph.D. dissertation, Andrews University, 1994, 10-11) speaks about
"macrostructure" as the organization and arrangement of the broad text sequences of a
book and of its larger blocks of text. "Microstructure," by way of contrast, is concerned
with the relationships between sentences and the various verbal, grammatical, and
syntactical entities in the small structures of a work.
249
The first of these introductory scenes (1:9-20) utilizes cultic

imagery to portray the living presence of the risen Jesus among his
churches on earth; the heavenly temple is not in view. 15 The seven
lampstands seem to be an explicit reference to the ten lampstands placed
in the outer room16 of Solomon's temple (1 Kgs 7:48, 49). 17The garment
worn by the "one like a son of man" may also recall the vesture of the
High Priest of the Hebrew cultus.18 This association of churches with
elements of the Hebrew cultus reminds one of how the Gk word nctos
(Rev 3:12) is applied to the church in such passages as 1 Cor 3:16,17; 2
Cor 6:16; and Eph 2:21; cf. 1 Pet 2:4,5. 19 The association is probably
grounded on the Early Christian concept of Jesus Christ as both the
Christian High Priest and the replacement for the glorious Shekinah
presence in the Hebrew tent/sanctuary.20
The second introductory scene (Rev 4:1-5:14) shifts the focus from
churches on earth to a vision of the heavenly sanctuary/throne-room.21
The scene contains a thorough mix of images from nearly every aspect
of the Hebrew cultus.22 The word for door in Rev 4:1 (thura), for
15The scene occurs on Patmos itself, and the seven lampstands represent the seven
churches. The explicit invitation to "come up" or ascend into the heavenly realm comes
later in Rev 4:1. Alberto R. Treiyer goes to great lengths to show that the scene of Rev
1:9-20 takes place in the outer room of the heavenly sanctuary. It seems to me that this
goes against the explicit statements of the text, particularly the "ascension" language of 4:1
(The Day of Atonement and the Heavenly Judgment [Siloam Springs, AR: Creation
Enterprises International, 1992], 498-503).
"Sometimes referred to as the "holy place" in contrast to the inner room containing
the ark of the covenant, which was called the "most holy place."
"Treiyer indicates that Revelation as a whole is based more on the descriptions of
Solomon's temple, than on the tent sanctuary of the Pentateuch, while in the epistle to
the Hebrews the opposite is the case (472).
18 The podereand the golden sash suggest such descriptions as Exod 28. I do not
imply that the imagery of this passage has only cultic significance. Imagery in Revelation
tends to have multiple significance (cf. Robert Dean Davis, The Heavenly Court Judgment
of Revelation 4-5 [Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1992], 65-67). Within the
confines of this article, only cultic imagery is being explored.
"Cf. McKelvey, 92-132.
2Cf. Exod 40:34,35; Ezek 10:4,5. The High Priesthood of Jesus Christ is one of the
central themes of the book of Hebrews. Jesus' replacement of Yahweh's glorious cultic
presence is also expressed in John 2:13-22 (where he replaces with his physical body the
temple buildings which were intended to house Yahweh's glory) and Matt 18:20 (which
recalls Aboth 3:2. "If two sit together to discuss Torah, the Shekinah rests between them").
21 Thompson, "Cult and Eschatology," 335.
22Davis (118-143) offers the most comprehensive survey of the cultic imagery in Rev
4 and 5 that I am aware of, although I do not accept his conclusions in every detail.
250
example, appears scores of times in the LXX in relation to the Israelite

tent/sanctuary, temple, and liturgy.23 Trumpets (4:1) were used in the
cultus as well as in battle (Num 10:8-10). The three precious stones of
Rev 4:3 were all found in the breastpiece of the High Priest (Exod
28:17-21).24 The twenty-four elders remind the reader of the twenty-four
courses of priests in the temple (1 Chr 24:4-19).25 The seven lamps
(lampades) may recall the lampstands in Solomon's temple, although a
different Greek word is used.26 The sea of glass makes use of the Greek
word (tbalassa) applied to the molten sea in Solomon's temple (1 Kings
7:23, 24).27 The proximity of the four living creatures to the throne in
Ezek 1 and 10 reminds one of the four major cherubim associated with
the inner sanctuary of Solomon's temple (Exod 25:18-20; 1 Kings 6:2328) ,28 Jewish tradition also associates the lion, calf, man, and eagle with
the four banners that surrounded the Israelite encampment in the
wilderness (cf. Num 2).29 The calf was sacrificed as a sin offering for
both priest and congregation (Lev 4:1-21).
In Rev 5 many of these images are repeated but with some
additions. The slain Lamb of 5:6 is reminiscent of the widespread use of
lambs in the various sacrifices of the Hebrew cultus (Exod 12:3-5; 29:3842; Lev 3:7; 4:32; 5:6; 14:10; Num 6:12; 28:19-21; 29:4, 10, 15). In 5:8 the
24 elders hold golden bowls of incense which are interpreted as the
prayers of the saints. Both the incense and the prayers of the saints are
likewise associated with the continual morning and evening sacrifices of
23 Cf., for example, Exod 29:4, 10, 11; Lev 1:3, 5; 1 Kings 6:31, 32, 34.
2*The connection with the High Priest.'s breastpiece is enhanced by the fact that
sardius was the first stone listed in the Hebrew of Exodus 28 and jasper the last. Thus all
the tribes are represented in the stones of the oldest and the youngest sons of Jacob (cf.
Josephine Massingbaerde Ford, Revelation, AB 38 [Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975],
71, 85; McKelvey, 173). The emerald represented Judah, the tribe from which Messiah was
to come (Gen 49:8-10; Rev 5:5, cf. Davis, 120).
It may also be significant that in the LXX of Exod 28:21 the breastpiece is said to
be "sealed" (sphragidon) with the names of the twelve tribes.
25Thompson, The Book of Revelation, 70; Robert E. Coleman, Songs of Heaven (Old
Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1980), 39.
2The LXX word for the candlestick is luchnia, the word used in Rev 1:12,13,20. Cf.
Thompson, The Book of Revelation, 70.
"Cf. Thompson, "Cult and Eschatology," 337, note 24; idem, The Book of
Revelation, 70.
28Coleman, 32. The term "cherubim," of course, also applied to other "angelic"
creatures whose images were carved into the walls and doors of the temple and worked
into the curtains as well (cf. 1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; 2 Chron 3:14).
MIbid., 31.
251
the cultus (Ps 141:2, cf. Exod 29:38-42). The blood of the Lamb (Rev
5:9) provides the means to purchase the peoples of the earth for God.
The elders serve God in analogy to the priests of the OT sanctuary
(5:10, cf. Exod 19:5, 6).
No passage in Revelation contains a larger quantity or a wider
variety of allusions to the Hebrew cultus than the introductory scene
of Rev 4 and 5. Such a variety of references could only come from an
occasion in which the entire temple/sanctuary was involved. Only two
such occasions appear in the Hebrew cultus: the Day of Atonement
and the service of inauguration (Exod 40; cf. 1 Kings 6-8).
For several reasons I believe that the best identification for the
imagery in Rev 4 and 5 is the service of inauguration.30 First of all, Rev
3:21 associates the scene of Rev 5 with the cross and the enthronement
of Christ, events that are linked with the establishment of the heavenly
cultus by the author of Hebrews.31 Second, lambs were appropriate for
sacrifice during the service of inauguration (Exod 40:29, cf. Lev 1:10,
etc.); the Day of Atonement required a male goat instead.32 Third, the
linguistic codes associated most specifically with the inner room of the
30Both Davis (220-226) and Treiyer take the position that the scene of Rev 4-5 is a
Day of Atonement scene. Because of space considerations, I do not deal with their arguments here. Suffice it to say that I do not find their approach convincing because it seems
more philosophical and thematic than exegetical. Perhaps these points of difference can
be examined in detail in later publications. The reason Rev 4-5 does not allude directly
to the inauguration passages of the OT (Exod 40:34, 35; 1 Kgs 8:10-11) is probably that
the primary focus of the passage is a royal enthronement (see Ranko Stefanovic, "The
Background and Meaning of the Sealed Book of Revelation 5," Ph.D. dissertation,
Andrews University, 1995). Since the Lamb of Revelation combines the roles of priest and
king, the passage combines the imagery of royal enthronement with the imagery of temple
inauguration.
"Heb 8:1-10:22. The "overcoming" of Christ at the cross (cf. Rev 5:5) and his
enthronement with the Father, which appear to be the main themes of Rev 5, are linked
as past points in time by Rev 3:21. I have argued elsewhere ("The Seven Seals," in
Symposium on RevelationBook I, 201-204) that Rev 3:21 is of specific and intentional
importance to an understanding of the vision of Rev 4:1-8:1.
32Although lambs were sacrificed on the Day of Atonement, they were sacrificed
as part of the tamid (Exod 29:38-42; Num 28:3-8) or as part of the general preparation for
a festival that was in no way unique to the Day of Atonement (compare Num 29:7-11
with the entire context of Num 28 and 29). Where the services unique to the Day of
Atonement are described (Lev 16; cf. Yoma 3:8, 9; 4:1-3; 5:4; 6:1-8), there is no mention
of lambs. Other animals are used, male goats being the most distinctive.
252
sanctuary (naos33 and kibotos>lf] are absent; so is the language of

judgment.35 If Yom Kippur were in view we would expect Rev 4 and
5 to be filled with lang-uage related to the inner shrine and judgment
(cf. Rev 11:18, 19). Instead, the immediate result of the lamb's sacrifice
is intercession (5:8) and the outpouring of the Spirit (5:6). Finally, the
implicit structuration of the Apocalypse associates Yom Kippur with a
later portion of the book.36
Scene three (Rev 8:2-6) continues in the celestial sanctuary/temple,
offering a view of the outer chamber or holy place of the temple with
its continual services of intercession, involving the burning of incense
and the blowing of trumpets.37 Although Charles and others have
suggested that the scene points to Yom Kippur,38 a careful comparison
of the scene with the tractates Tamid and Yoma in the Mishnah
underlines its association with the tamid services of the continual
sacrifice rather than with the annual cultic rites associated with the Day
of Atonement.39
33In the first 10 chapters of the Apocalypse, the use of twos is limited to Rev 3:12
and 7:15; both have the eschatological consummation in view. The term naos, associated
with God's throne in Rev 7:15 and 16:17, does not occur in chapters 4 and 5.
34The kibotos was the ark of the covenant, the most sacred object of the Israelite
sanctuary, whose cultic use was limited to the services of Yom Kippur. This word is used
in Rev 11:19 where the inner room of the heavenly temple is clearly in view.
35In fact, the Greek words for judgment and judging are totally absent from the
scene. The only time a Greek word for judging appears in the first half of the book is in
Rev 6:10 and there the assertion is that God has not yet begun to judge!
Davis (22-23, 157-188) and Treiyer (474-567) have invested much effort in the
attempt to demonstrate that the scene of Rev 4-5 is a judgment scene along the lines of
the Day of Atonement and Dan 7. I have dealt with some of these issues in more detail
in my earlier article on the Seven Seals (cited above), 206-221.
I am not as opposed as I once was to describing Rev 5 as a judgment scene, but I
see it as the judgment of the Lamb (in relation to the significance of the Lamb's sacrifice),
not the eschatological judgment of humanity announced in passages such as Rev 14:7.
Where eschatological judgment is clearly in view, John uses the Greek language of
judgment. Where reference is made to judgment in relation to the cross, the Greek
language of judgment is absent.
36The language of judgment (krino, krisis, and krima) is widely utilized in the
Apocalypse after the explicit .appearance of the inner naos of the heavenly temple (11:19).
See below for a brief description of the role of Yom Kippur in the Apocalypse.
37 The blowing of trumpets is mentioned neither in relation to the original Yom
Kippur of Lev 16 nor in the detailed description of the Mishnah tractate Yoma.
38See the discussion in Decoding Revelation's Trumpets, 309-323.

3'Roger Lucas, a doctoral student at Andrews University, first pointed me to the
evidence for this conclusion. Study of the originals confirmed that the scene of Rev 8:2-6
253
The fourth cultic introductory scene (Rev 11:19)40 offers an explicit

view of the inner chamber of the Hebrew sanctuary (naos) with its ark
of the covenant. The fact that this scene appears in the context of
judgment (11:18), after the multiple blowing of trumpets is strongly
supportive of an association with the cultic activities of Yom Kippur.41
The fifth introductory scene (Rev 15:5-8) takes up the language of
inauguration again.42 However, it portrays a de-inauguration of the
heavenly sanctuary/temple, a cessation or abandonment of its cultic
activity during the events that immediately follow.
The sixth cultic introductory scene (Rev 19:1-10)which
introduces the visions concerning the rider on the white horse, the
thousand years, and the judgment at the great white thronecontains
the closest linguistic parallel in the book to the scene of Rev 4 and 5.
There is, however, a significant difference. While Rev 19:1-10 makes
mention of throne, worship, and Lamb, explicit references to
is modeled on the daily liturgy, rather than that of the Day of Atonement. The incense
altar was the main event of the tamid; it was bypassed during Yoma (Tamid 6:2, 3; cf.
Yoma 5:1). In the tumid liturgy the priest is given the incense; during the celebration of
Yoma he gathers his own (Tamid 6:2, 3; cf. Yoma 5:1). The incense of tamid is ministered
on the incense altar; the incense of Yoma is ministered on the Ark of the Covenant
(Tamid 6:3; cf. Yoma 5:5). If, as is argued below, the tamid liturgy is central to the
structuration of this half of the Apocalypse, the identification of Rev 8:2-6 with the outer
room and the tamid service of the Hebrew cultus is reasonably certain.
*tn agreement with Bowman's outline; cf. J. W. Bowman, "Revelation, Book of,"
IDB 4:58-71. Many scholars prefer to see Rev 11:19 as part of the seventh trumpet (11:1518) rather than as the introduction to chapters 12ff. Ekkehardt Miiller (325-331), however,
has offered some fresh argumentation in favor of a division between 11:18 and 11:19,
which have settled the matter in my mind.
The issue may not, however, be as decisive as it seems. The boundaries of the book
of Revelation tend to be soft, and often point in both directions from a literary
perspective ("duodirectionality"). See Jon Paulien, "Looking Both Ways: A Study of the
Duodirectionality of the Structural Seams in the Apocalypse," a paper read at the annual
meeting of the SBL, Chicago, November 19, 1988; cf. also Leonard Thompson, "The
Mythic Unity of the Apocalypse," in SBL 1985 Seminar Papers, 13-28.
41In the Pentateuch, as in contemporary Jewish liturgy, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh
Hashanah) precedes Yom Kippur (Lev 23:23-32).
"The use of the phrases "tent of witness" (tes skenes tou marturiou) and "smoke of
the glory of the Lord" (kapnou ek tes doxes tou theou) combined with the fact that no one
could enter the temple creates a strong allusion to Exod 40:34,35. An additional allusion
to 1 Kings 8:10,11, where a similar scene is described at the dedication of Solomon's
temple, may also be intended.
254
furnishings and other elements from the Hebrew cultus are absent.43
The heavenly sanctuary/throne room has faded from view.
The last introductory scene (21:1-8) introduces the New Jerusalem
climax of the Apocalypse. The city's descent to earth creates the
counterpart to chapter one; God is again with His people on earth. The
key statement is found in Rev 21:3, "the tabernacle of God is with
humanity, and He will tent with them, and they will be His people,
and God will be with them."44 Although there is no temple in the scene
that follows (Rev 21:9-22:5; see specifically 21:22) there are many
allusions to the Hebrew cultus.45
These introductory sanctuary scenes, therefore, show two definite
lines of progression. First, the reader's attention is drawn from earth to
heaven and then back to earth again. Second, within the heavenly
portion of the heaven/earth dyad, the reader is led from the
inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary/throne room through its two
liturgical compartments to a scene of its cessation, followed by its
absence. These progressions are illustrated on p. 255.
Since all seven introductory scenes center around worship, the
actions of priestly figures, and/or temple/sanctuary structures, their
relationship to the Hebrew cultus is relatively explicit. Other cultic
patterns are more implicit. They require the kind of "shared experience
of reading" noted earlier. Nineteen hundred years after the production
of Revelation, dogmatism regarding these patterns would probably be
inappropriate. An examination of the background literature related to
the Hebrew cultus, however, may lead to a number of implications for
our understanding of the original meaning of the text.
Although the term "Lamb" is certainly a cultic image, its use in Revelation is so
ubiquitous that it does not necessarily carry cultic weight by itself (see Rev 6:16 and 17:14
as examples of "Lamb" used as a title for Jesus without any intention of importing cultic
significance into the account). The term for the "fine linen" worn by the bride of Rev
19:7,8 (hussinon) is by no means limited to the priesthood and cultus in the LXX (cf., for
example, Exod 36:35; 1 Chron 15:27; Esth 1:6; Ezek 16:13).
*The latter part of this verse recalls the language of the covenant between Yahweh
and Israel (cf. Lev 26:12; Jer 32:38; Ezek 37:27).
45The cubical shape and the radiance of the new Jerusalem recall the inner sanctuary
of the Hebrew cultus (1 Kings 6:20; cf. Coleman, 154; McKelvey, 176). The stones from
which the foundation is built remind the reader of the stones on the breastpiece of the
High Priest (Exod 28:17-21; cf. Coleman, 153). The twelve gates in four directions may
allude to the encampment of the twelve tribes around the tent/sanctuary in the desert
(Num 2; cf. Ezek 48:30-35). The description in Rev 22:1-5 is built on that of the
eschatological temple of Ezek 47 and Zech 14 (cf. Ulfgard, 4, note 16). God's servants
offer Him "sacrificial service" (latreusousin) before His throne (22:3). In addition to the
above are allusions to the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) as outlined below.
(1) Rev 1:12-20
255
EARTH
(2) Rev 4 and 5 (Inauguration)

(3) Rev 8:3-5
(Intercession/outer room)
(4) Rev 11:19

(5) Rev 15:5-8
(6) Rev 19:1-10
(7) Rev 21:1-22:5
(Judgment/inner room)
HEAVEN
(Cessation)
(Absence)
.
EARTH
The Daily and the Yearly Sacrifices

The structure of the book of Revelation may have been developed
in part on the basis of reference to the daily and yearly sacrifices of the
Hebrew cultus. While the OT gives few details of the tamid service, a
comparison of Rev 1-8 with Mishnaic sources reveals striking parallels
between this section of the Apocalypse and the continual tamid services
of the temple, as recollected in the Mishnah.46
As the first major act of the tamid, a selected priest opened the
great door of the temple, entered the outer room of the temple, and
trimmed the lampstand, making sure that each of the lamps was burning
brightly and had a fresh supply of oil (Tamid 3:7, 9; cf. Rev 1:12-20).
Following this act the great door of the Temple presumably remained
open, as repeated entries into the outer room were made thereafter
(Tamid 6:1-3; 7:1, 2; cf. Rev 4:1).47 Both Revelation and the Mishnah
references to the tamid include Exod 29:38-43; Num 28:1-8; and Ezek 46:13-15.
The primary source for the description of the daily sacrifice is the tractate Tamid in the
Mishnah. I do not intend to suggest that the author of the Apocalypse was quoting from
the Mishnah, for the Mishnah as we know it was published roughly a hundred years later.
(On the dating of the Mishnah see Jacob Neusner, Judaism: The Evidence of the Mishnah
[Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981]; idem, The Mishnah Before 70, Brown Judaic
Studies, no. 51 [Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987J. In an oral society traditions such as are
found there were not manufactured out of thin air, but usually had long histories of
development. It seems to me that the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. was not the
point at which the detailed practices of temple liturgy began to be developed, but that the
recollections of the Mishnah had a basis in the practices that took place in the pre-70
temple. See Gary A. Anderson, "Sacrifice and Sacrificial Offerings (OT)," ABD 5:885-886.
The many parallels listed in my paper would certainly point to the aliveness of these
concepts at the end of the first century.
41n Rev 4:1 the verb translated "standing open" (NTV) is a Greek perfect, implying
that the door had been opened at an earlier time and was standing open at the time John
is called to enter. Cf. Treiyer's struggle with this comparison (669-670).
256
refer next to the slaying of a lamb (Tamid 4:1-3; Rev 5:6), which did
not begin until it could be certified that the great door was open (Tamid
3:7).48 The lamb's blood was then poured out at the base of the altar of
burnt offering in the outer court of the Temple (Tamid 4:1; Rev 6:9).49
After the pouring out of the blood, incense was offered at the golden
altar in the Holy Place (Tamid 5:4; Rev 8:3, 4; cf. Luke 1:8-10). Then,
during breaks in the singing (Tamid 7:3; Rev 8:1), trumpets were blown
to indicate that the sacrifice was complete (Tamid 7:3; Rev 8:2-6).50
Not only does this portion of the Apocalypse contain potential
allusions to all the major details of the tamid liturgy, it alludes to them
in essentially the same order. Thus, the material making up the septets
of the churches, seals, and trumpets would be subtly associated with the
activities in the temple related to the continual or tamid service. If the
introductory scenes to the seals and the trumpets septets signify
inauguration and intercession, reference also to the tamid service would
be appropriate.
It is interesting, therefore, that in Rev 11 one finds language
reminiscent of the annual liturgy of Yom Kippur. Strand has pointed
out that Rev 11:1, 2 contains an allusion to the Day of Atonement.51
This allusion is followed by an even more explicit one in Rev 11:18,19.52
48 Cf. Treiyer, 670-671.
49Since no blood was ever poured out at the base of the incense altar in the temple
(Exod 30:1-10; 40:5), it seems likely that Rev 6:9-11 contains a reference to the sacrificial
altar in the courtyard outside the temple (Exod 29:12; 40:6; Lev 4:7, 18, 25, 34, etc.).
"But cf. Treiyer, 671. While D. T. Niles observed the possibility of connection
between Revelation and the Tamid and was the means of calling it to my attention (On
Seeing the Invisible, 112-114), he mistakenly, I believe, sought to pursue the parallel
throughout the Apocalypse. This forced him to see enough material in a couple of phrases
in Tamid 7:3 to provide the basis for the last half of the book. It seems far more likely
to me that the overall liturgy of the tamid provided a cultic structuration for only the first
half of the Apocalypse.
s'Kenneth A. Strand, "An Overlooked Old-Testament Background to Revelation
11:1," AUSS 22 ( 1984): 317-325. In Lev 16, which outlines the liturgy of Yom Kippur,
atonement is made for the High Priest, the Sanctuary, the altar, and the people. The only
other place in Scripture where the terms Sanctuary, altar, and people are combined is in
Rev 11:1,2. Since the NT High Priest Qesus Christ) needs no atonement, the reference to
sanctuary, altar, and people being measured appears to be a deliberate recollection of the
Day of Atonement as a day when these are evaluated or "measured" (cf. 2 Sam 8:2 and
Matt 7:2).
The possibility that this pericope may have come from a source (Adela Yarbro
Collins, Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1984],
65-67) should not impact on a literary study of the final form of the text.
52The association of the inner shrine of the temple with judgment in 11:18, 19 can
point to no other aspect of the Hebrew cultus than the Yom Kippur liturgy. Another
257
From these points on in the Apocalypse there is repeated focus on the naos
or inner sanctum of the temple where the central activities of Yom Kippur
took place.53 Judgment language and activity, a central theme of Yom
Kippur, is also a major concern of the second half of the Apocalypse.54
The visions of the second half of Revelation, furthermore, portray
a division of all humanity into two groups. There are those who serve
the true God, represented in Revelation by the true trinity (introduced
in Rev 1:4, 5). The true God is portrayed as sending out three angels of
proclamation to the whole world (Rev 14:6-12), calling for decision
(14:7). On the other hand, there are those who serve a counterfeit
trinity (the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet; Rev 16:13), which
are portrayed as sending out three demonic spirits to gather
representatives of the entire inhabited world to the place called in
Hebrew Har-Mageddon (Rev 16:13, 14, 16). A final battle between these
worldwide forces results (17:14). The solemn appeals of 14:6-12; 16:15;
and 18:4 also imply a spiritual division of humanity.
Such a division along spiritual lines took place also in relation to
the lots cast over the two male goats on Yom Kippur.55 On that day individuals chose between two types of atonement, the one offered by the
service and the one represented by their own ultimate death.56 In the
Apocalypse the entire world is represented as facing such a life-anddeath decision (cf. Lev 23:29, 30). The above evidence suggests that the
heaven/earth dyad related to the Hebrew cultus in Revelation is accompanied by a daily/yearly dyad in which the first half of the Apocalypse
is subtly modeled on the daily liturgy of the tamid while the latter
portion of the book reflects the annual liturgy of Yom Kippur.
Revelation and the Annual Festivals
A number of scholars (such as Farrer, Niles, and Goulder)57 have
suggested that the Apocalypse as a whole is also patterned according to
the order of the annual festal calendar of the Hebrew cultus. While such
claims are easily overdrawn, I do believe that the language chosen by
the author of the Apocalypse offers evidence of such a pattern.58
association with the Day of Atonement may be the call to judgment in Rev 14:7 which
is followed by a grape harvest (Rev 14:17-20), activity which typically occurred around
the time of Yom Kippur.
"Rev 11:19 (2x); 14:15, 17; 15:5, 6, 8 (2x); 16:1, 17; 21:22 (2x). Cf. Yoma 5:1-4.
"Rev 14:7; 16:5, 7; 17:1; 18:8, 10, 20; 19:2, 11; 20:4, 12, 13.
55 Lev 16:7-10; cf. Yoma 4:1.
*Yoma 8:8, 9.
57See footnote 11 for bibliographic information.
58I am indebted to my colleague at Andrews University, Richard M. Davidson, for
many of the parallels described in this section on Revelation and the Annual Feasts. See
258
The epistolary septet of Rev 1-3 contains a number of images

related to Passover, the primary spring festival. Nowhere else in the
Apocalypse can one find such a strong concentration of references to
Christ's death and resurrection (cf. Rev 1:5, 17, 18).59 The searching
scrutiny of the churches by "one like a son of man" reminds one of the
Jewish household's search for leaven just before Passover (cf. Exod
12:19; 13:7). The manna mentioned in Rev 2:17 (cf. Exod 16) was
associated in Early Judaism with both the original Passover and the
Passover on which the Messiah was expected to come.60 Rev 3:20 calls
for a meal of mutual fellowship. Since Passover is the only festival firstcentury Christians considered fulfilled by the earthly Christ (1 Cor
5:7),61 it would be fitting to associate it with that portion of the book
where Christ is portrayed in his ministry to the churches on earth.62
As the inauguration of the heavenly sanctuary, the throne-scene of
Rev 4-5 is fittingly associated with Pentecost. The song of Rev 5:9, 10
Davidson, "Sanctuary Typology," in Symposium on RevelationBook I, 121-126. The many
other parallels between his article and this one can be attributed to our involvement
together in team-taught classes and Davidson's familiarity with an earlier draft of this
article, as his copious footnotes clearly indicate. The intention of this article is to update
these ideas and bring them to the attention of the wider scholarly community.
I am well aware that the pattern of annual festivals being suggested here is far from
explicit, with the probable exception of the Feast of Tabernacles. Connections with the
other four Pentateuchal festivals range from probable to possible. Cf. Treiyer (663-668)
for examples of possible objections to some of these connections.
59Although the slain lamb is mentioned in the next part of Revelation (Rev 5:6), its
death was understood to precede the scene in Rev 5 (Rev 5:5, 6; cf. 3:21). If the "Lord's
Day" of Rev 1:10 were the Quartodeciman Easter (Kenneth A. Strand, "How Sunday
Became the Popular Day of Worship, These Times, November, 1978, 24; Goulder, 356)
the connection would be even stronger since the Asian churches probably celebrated
Easter on Passover at the time the Apocalypse was written (cf. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical
History 5.23-25).
"ti John 6, the manna, Passover, and Jesus' messianic role are tied together in the
debate with the crowd in the synagogue at Capernaum. See Raymond Brown, The Gospel
According to John I to XII, AB 29a, 2d ed., 265-266, for documentation on the relationship
between manna, Passover, and the Messiah in Early Judaism.
61 The Christian's "Passover sacrifice" took place at the crucifixion, an event that
took place during a Passover feast (Matt 26:2,17-19; Mark 14:1,1 2, 14, 16; Luke 22:1, 7-15;
John 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14). This association is underlined by the eucharistic connections
with Passover found repeatedly in the Fourth Gospel (John 2:13-22; 6:1-66; 13:1-20). While
the Fourth Gospel also understands Jesus to be the fulfillment of Sukkoth, the Feast of
Booths, with its emphasis on water and light Qohn 7:2, 37-39; 8:12; 9:5), this fulfillment
was postponed until after His glorification and ascension to the Father (John 7:37-39;
20:17).
"Goulder's association of the seven lampstands with the Paschal candle which
burned in ancient churches from Easter to Pentecost is plausible, if the tradition can be
traced to first-century Asia Minor (355).
259
recalls the language of Exod 19:5, 6, which describes the inauguration

of Israel as the people of God. According to Exod 19 the giving of the
law on Mount Sinai took place on the fifth day of the third month, the
day that was ever after celebrated as the festival of Pentecost.63 As the
New Moses, the Lamb receives, as it were, the new Torah from God in
Rev 5. Christ's death produced the "blood of the covenant" (according
to Matt 26:28), an apparent reference to the covenant ratified on Mount
Sinai (Exod 24:8).64 It should not surprise us, then, that the Jewish
liturgy for the festival of Pentecost included the reading not only of
Exod 19 but also of Ezek 1, a major literary background to Rev 4-5.65
The blowing of seven trumpets near the center of the book (Rev
8-9; 11:15-18) echoes the Feast of Trumpets, which was celebrated on
the first day of the seventh month (Tishri). The Feast of Trumpets is
closely associated in Jewish thought with the new-moon festivals that
were celebrated at the beginning of each month.66 Since the months of
the year in the Jewish calendar are numbered beginning with Nisan,
there is a sense in which the Feast of Trumpets comes as the climax of
a seven-month series of mini-Feasts of Trumpets. The festival, in
principle then, covers the span between the spring and fall festivals. If
John is familiar with Jewish thinking in these matters, and we have
already seen abundant evidence that he is, the seven trumpets of
Revelation probably represent the ongoing sequence of seven months
with the seventh trumpet representing the Feast of Trumpets itself. It
is, interestingly, within the seventh trumpet (Rev 11:18) that we find
the first explicit use of judgment terminology in Revelation. In Jewish
thought the seventh-month Feast of Trumpets ushered in the time of
judgment that led up to the Day of Atonement (cf. 11:18, 19).
"Israel arrived at Sinai on the first day of the third month, according to Exod 19:1.
The three days of preparation would indicate that the giving of the law was on the fifth
day of the third month, coincident with the date of Pentecost. Cf. Hayyim Schauss, The
Jewish Festivals: History and Observance, trans. Samuel Jaffe (New York: Schocken, 1938),
87-89. Evidence is lacking in Jewish sources to demonstrate conclusively that this
connection was made in the first century. However, according to Jub 6:16, Pentecost was
celebrated as a perpetual renewal of the Noachic covenant some 200 years before the
Apocalypse was written. Thus, it is not unlikely that the feast had developed associations
with the Sinai covenant as well by the time Revelation was written.
"Robert H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on His Literary and Theological An
(Grand Rapids: 1982), 528; cf. idem, The Use of the Old Testament in St. Matthew's Gospel,
Supplements to Novum Testamentum, vol. 18 (Leiden: Brill, 1967), 57-59.
"Goulder, 356; cf. Meg. 3 la.
"Schauss, 117; cf. Num 10:10; Ros Has 1:3, 4; 3:1.
260
Correspondingly, from Rev 11:19 to near the end of the book there is
an increasing focus on judgment.67
The importance of Yom Kippur imagery to the material in Rev 1220 has already been discussed above and will not be repeated here. The
last of the five basic festivals of the Levitical system (cf. Lev 23) was the
Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkoth which followed Yom Kippur. In the
language of the Apocalypse, the harvest is over (cf. Rev 14-20). God is
now "tenting" with His people (Rev 21:3). Therefore, the end-time
celebrations of the Apocalypse are filled with images of feasting, palm
branches, music, and rejoicing, as was the Feast of Tabernacles. 68 The
primary images of the feast, water and light, find their ultimate
fulfillment in Rev 22:1, 5.69 This connection was not unique to Early
Christianity; the rabbis had already associated the messianic stream of
living water in Zechariah with the water-drawing ceremony of
Sukkoth.70
Since the Feast of Trumpets functioned as the climax of seven newmoon festivals (Num 10:10), it formed the bridge between the Passover
and Pentecost festivals of spring and the Yom Kippur and Sukkoth
festivals of autumn. The above evidence may, therefore, indicate a
spring/fall dyad within the Apocalypse, dividing at roughly the same
point in the book as the daily/yearly dyad, and coinciding with the
center point of the liturgical sequence of the introductory passages.
The transition point for both dyads coincides with the opening of
the scroll in Rev 10. If it could be demonstrated that the two scrolls of
Rev 5 and 10 were the same, and time does not permit the exploration
of that thorny issue,71 these dyads come at a major move within the
Apocalypse toward a resolution of the eschatological situation within
which the author and his implied readers find themselves. This is
"Rev 14:7; 16:5, 7; 17:1, etc.
"Cf. Rev 7:9ff. and Rev 19:1-10 as well as Rev 21-22. Cf. Sukkah 3:1, 8-16; 4:1-4, 7,
8; 5:1. Some may wish to argue that the Tabernacles imagery of Rev 7:9ff. is evidence that
the kind of overall scheme presented here does not work. I would suggest, instead, that
Rev 7:9ff. functions as an example of what Harris calls "premature closure" or an
"episodic plot" (Harris, 16-17).
"Sukkah 4:9; 5:2-4.
"According to Ulfgard, 4, note 16. I obviously disagree with McKelvey (163), who
argues that the Feast of Tabernacles is the dominant image of all the liturgical scenes in
the Apocalypse.
7 'However, note the suggestions of Fred Mazzaferri, The Genre of the Book of
Revelation from a Source-critical Perspective, Beiheft zur ZNW 54 (Berlin: Walter de
Gruyter, 1989), 265-279.
261
supported by evidence that the fall festivals were understood in the first
century as anticipations of the ultimate eschaton.72
Concluding Implications
What contribution can the above make toward a literary understanding of the Apocalypse? First of all, the patterns observed in this
article all suggest a linear plot to the Apocalypse.73 While scholars have
observed abundant evidence of recapitulation and "premature closure"
in the book,74 its linearity must not be ignored. Like most literary
works that originate in oral cultures, strict linearity is not observed, but
is broken up by a high degree of repetition and enlargement, thus
creating a continuous narrative with an "episodic plot."75 The cultic
background, however, overcodes the imagery in a linear direction.
The presence of strong allusions to Sukkoth in Rev 7:9-17, long
before the consummative Feast of Tabernacles in chapters 21 and 22, on
the other hand, underlines the fact that the linear closure of the
Apocalypse is repeatedly anticipated by "premature closures."76 Thus,
Fiorenza's appellation "conic spiral," for all its shortcomings,77 is an
excellent summarization of the plot of the Apocalypse.78 An even more
accurate analogy may be that of a musical scale, which continually
"Thompson, "Cult and Eschatology," 330-331.
"By "linear plot" I mean a natural flow of action from beginning to end, as opposed
to a series of episodes or "short stories" that have only a loose connection with each
other. Harris ( 9-17) cites R. H. Charles, The Revelation of St. John, ICC (Edinburgh: T
& T Clark, 1920)l:xxiii-xxvii; David Aune, "Revelation," Harper's Bible Commentary (San
Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), 1301; and Jan Lambrecht, "A Structuration of
Revelation 4,1-22,5," in L'Apocalypse johannique et I'Apocalyptique dans le Nouveau
Testament, ed. Jan Lambrecht, Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium,
vol. 53 (Gembloux: Leuven University Press, 1980), 77-104; as supportive of a linear
structure in the Apocalypse.
"Harris cites the following as prominent supporters of a "recapitulation" view:
Adela Yarbro Collins, Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse (Philadelphia:
Westminster, 1984), 149; David Barr, New Testament Story: An Introduction (Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth, 1987), 282-295; and Sophie Laws, In the Light of the Lamb: Imagery, Parody,
and Theology in the Apocalypse of John, Good News Studies, vol. 31 (Wilmington, DE:
Michael Glazier, 1988), 16.
"Harris, 16-17.
That the allusions to Sukkoth are nearly as strong in 7:9-17 as in the last section
of the Apocalypse has been noted by a number of scholars such as Ulfgard, Draper (see
note 11 for documentation) and Comblin. According to Ulfgard, Comblin sees no less
than ten major parallels between Rev 7:9-17 and Rev 21,22 (Ulfgard, 86, note 368). Rev
7:9-17 does not negate the festal-year Structuration of the Apocalypse but functions as a
proleptic depiction of the realities of the consummation recounted in chapters 21 and 22.
"See Harris, 11.

"Elisabeth Schiissler Fiorenza, The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment
(Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985), 171.
262
progresses in a linear direction while reviewing earlier tones in everricher vibrations.

Second, Harris has pointed out that Mediterranean society in the
first century A.D. grasped ideas in terms of dyads or matching pairs,
such as the shame/honor system.79 Three further dyads; heaven/earth,
daily/ yearly and spring/fall are suggested in this study. These three
dyads appear to point in the direction of a two-part focus for the book.
The first half of Revelation, based on the daily sacrifices, the spring
festivals, and the inauguration and intercession provided by the cosmic
Christ, focuses on the ongoing realities of a world impacted upon by
the Christ event, while the second half of the book, based on the yearly
sacrifices, the fall festivals, judgment, and the abandonment of
intercession focuses on the anticipated consummation.
This observation supports the approach of Strand, who argues on
the basis of the book's chiastic structure that Revelation falls naturally
into two halves, whose emphasis he terms "historical" and "eschatological." 80 This approach parallels the pattern of the other two great
"apocalyptic" passages of the NT, Matt 24 (with its parallels in Luke 21
and Mark 13) and 2 Thess 2. Each of these passages contains a section
that focuses on the immediate realities of the Christian age (cf. Matt
24:3-14 and 2 Thess 2:3-7), followed by a section which gives special
attention to the anticipated climax at the parousia (2 Thess 2:8-12; Matt
24:15-31, especially w. 27-31).81 Revelation appears to be based on a
similar pattern.82
'Included among his citations on that point were the following: Bruce Malina, The
New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology (Atlanta: John Knox, 1981);
idem, Christian Origins and Cultural Anthropology (Atlanta: John Knox, 1986; John H.
Elliott, "Patronage and Chentehsm in Early Christian Society," Forum 3/4 (1987): 39-48;
Halvor Moxnes, The Economy of the Kingdom: Social Conflict and Economic Relations in
Luke's Gospel, Overtures to Biblical Theology (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988); idem,
"Honor, Shame, and the Outside World in Paul's Letter to the Romans," in The Social
World of Formative Christianity and Judaism: Essays in Tribute to Howard Clark Kee, ed.
J. Neusner, E. S. Frerichs, Borgen, and R. Horsley (Philadelphia: Fortresss, 1988), 207-218.
'"Kenneth A. Strand, Interpreting the Book of Revelation, 2d ed. (Naples, FL: Ann
Arbor Publishers, 1979), 43-58.
8 'This dual perspective is particularly clear in Luke where the "Times of the
Gentiles" (21:24) form a bridge between the description of A.D. 70 and the general
realities of the Christian age (21:7-23), and the description of the end-time (Luke 21:25ff.).
82 All three of the dyads observed draw attention to chapter 11 of the book as in
some way central to the whole, the crucial turning point. While the heaven/earth/heaven
movement of the introductory visions highlights the outer boundaries of the book, the
development in the heavenly temple moves to its climax at 11:19 and then fades out
progressively into oblivion. The daily/yearly dyad overlaps in chapter 11 as the trumpets
263
Third, while some may be inclined to consider this article an

exercise in fantasyland, it is imperative to keep in mind that when an
author's conceptual universe includes a cultic system with its own
complex inner associations and contrasts, the selection of one or another
image based on that system is likely to be of deep significance. To
illustrate, when the author describes the ark of the covenant instead of
the incense altar (Rev 11:19, cf. 8:3, 4), or Sukkoth instead of Passover
(Rev 21, 22) he is not picking images out of a hat, but is operating
within a narrative world that his ideal reader will also share. His choices
must be examined not only in terms of their inherent significance
within the cultic system, but also in the light of alternatives that were
not selected.
The cultic imagery of Revelation suggests that the ideal reader of
the book is one who, through shared competency in the texts and
liturgical practices of the Hebrew cult, is enabled to enter more deeply
into the world of the text. This leads us to two contradictory
possibilities. If Thompson and Goulder are correct that the cultic
elements of the Apocalypse reflect early Christian worship practices,83
the Hebrew cultus was, in a metaphorical sense, at least, central to early
Christian liturgy, and would have had deep literary and theological
significance for any early Christian's reading of Revelation.84 The other
possibility is that the book's highly specialized narrative world was
targeting a rather limited number of historical readers, perhaps a specific
subgroup of Jewish Christians, already educated in the cultic intricacies
of the author's conceptual world.85 In either case, readers without such
a background would have great difficulty in understanding and
of the tamid draw to a close in 11:18 while Yom Kippur imagery begins in 11:1. The
spring/fall dyad utilizes the trumpets of chapters 8-11 as the transition section. Thus, the
book of Revelation is divided into two fairly equal halves to highlight the
literary/theological movement from a focus on the results of the death of the Lamb and
its consequences for Christian existence to a focus on the eschatological consummation.
Such anomalies as the Sukkoth imagery of Rev 7:9-17 are explainable in terms of
the conic spiral or the tendency to premature closure in the plot of the Apocalypse. This
cultic structuration is not the only way to structure the book, but needs to be taken into
account in the development of the structure or plot of the book.
83Thompson, "Cult and Eschatology," 342-350; idem, The Book of Revelation, 72-73;
Goulder, 349-354.
"The book would then have provided further liturgical material for the churches
of Asia Minor. Cf. Thompson, The Book of Revelation, 72.
85 It is sometimes overlooked that the grammar of the introduction indicates that
there is a blessing only on those who read and hear "with understanding" (Rev 1:3).
264
appreciating the author's literary intent, which in fact is exactly what

has happened with regard to the Apocalypse over the centuries.
Is the cultic mentality of John typical of first century Christianity,
or was John speaking to a theological minority in the ancient
Mediterranean world? It seems to me that the centrality of the Old
Testament to early Christian thought and argumentation would lead to
general familiarity with one of its central features. This is certainly true
of the argumentation in the so-called Letter to the Hebrews, which
requires thorough immersion in the Christian significance of the
Hebrew cultus. The letters attributed to Paul86 and the Gospels also
show considerable familiarity with it.87 Our own lack of familiarity with
these cultic practices is no argument that early Christians as a whole
were unfamiliar with them. The metaphorical use of cultic imagery was
probably widespread among the early Christians.
While the reading of the book of Revelation suggested in this
article may seem needlessly complex to today's readers, an understanding of the Hebrew cultus provides a window into the complex thoughtworld revealed in this strange yet fascinating book.
86Rom3:25; 5:9, 10; 12:1; 15:16, 31; 1 Cor 3:16-17; 5:7; 6:19; 9:13; 10:18-20; 11:25;
2 Cor 2:14-16; 5:21; Eph 2:13, 19-22; 5:2; Phil 2:17; 4:18; Col 1:20; cf. Acts 21:26.
87Maw 5:23-24; 26:28; Mark 1:44; 14:24; 15:38; Luke 1:8-11; 2:22-24; 22:7-8,15-16,
20; John 1:29, 36; 2:13; 5:1; 7:2, 10-14; 10:22-23; 11:55-57; 12:1; 18:28; 19:14, 31, 36.
However, the implied audience of Mark's Gospel requires some explanation of Jewish
practices (Mark 7:3, 4).
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Autumn 1995, Vol., 33, No. 2, 265-283
THE RICH MAN IN JAMES 2: DOES

ANCIENT PATRONAGE ILLUMINE THE TEXT?
NANCY JEAN VYHMEISTER
Andrews University
Introduction
The episode of the gold-fingered man in splendid clothes and the
filthy pauper in Jas 2:2-4 is typically used to show God's preference for
the poor and condemnation of the wealthy. 1 Some authors disagree,
seeing it instead as an illustration of "proper relations of rich and poor
in Christian society" as outlined in Jas 2:1-13.2 Because the section
begins with a prohibition of 7rpocrw7roXr//ii/'ia, "favoritism," the passage
is also considered an "argument against the sin of prejudice"3 or a
condemnation of "snobbery."4
The following analysis suggests that the rich man of Jas 2 is
portrayed as a potential patron of the Christian synagogue to which
James was writing. Thus, I have come to agree with Bo Reicke that Jas
2:1-13 is a treatise on the "impropriety of currying favor with the rich".5
The client-patron relation, according to John H. Elliott, has
received far less attention than it merits, "particularly on the part of
students of early Christianity." He posits that "abundant literary and
epigraphic witness to this ancient institution" should be used to analyze
the New Testament setting. "Such an analysis, in turn, holds the
promise of clarifying more precisely key features of the social contours
'See Elsa Tamez, The Scandalous Message ofJames (New York: Crossroad, 1990), 44-45;
Pedrito Maynard-Reid, Poverty and Wealth in James (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1987), 48-67.
2 For example, James Adamson, The Epistle of James, NICNT (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1976), 102.
'John B. Polhill, "Prejudice, Partiality, and Faith: James 2," Review and Expositor
83 (1986): 395.
'Adamson, Epistle ofJames, 281.
5Bo Reicke, The Epistles ofJames, Peter, and Jude, AB (Garden City, NY: Doubleday,
1964), 27.
265
266
and cultural scripts which shaped the world and literature of early
Christianity."6
While the literature cited in this article indicates that ancient
patronage has illuminated a number of other NT passages, an understanding of patron-client relations has not yet explicitly affected the
interpretation of Jas 2:1-13. Following Elliott's lead, therefore, this
article explores how an understanding of ancient patronage may
contribute to the interpretation of Jas 2:1-13. In the first section,
patronage as a social institution in the world of the NT is discussed. In
the second, the passage itself is studied, with particular attention to the
rich man in w. 2-4, to examine the relevance of patronage for its
interpretation.
Patronage: The Patron-Client Relation

The following survey of patronage in the NT world is not
exhaustive. Its purpose is to provide sufficient background to re-evaluate
our understanding of Jas 2:1-13.
Patronage Defined
According to Halvor Moxnes, "patron-client relations are social
relations between individuals based on a strong element of inequality
and difference in power." The basis of the relation is reciprocitythe
mutual "exchange of different and very unequal resources."7 Services or
favors are often exchanged: the patron provides money, a dinner, or
security in court; the client composes a poem for the patron, renders
homage, or otherwise enhances his or her status.8
In their seminal study on patronage, S. N. Eisenstadt and Louis
Roniger also describe characteristics of the patronage relation. There is
an uneven exchange of resources: support and protection from the
patron; solidarity and loyalty from the client. In particular there is a
"strong element of solidarity in these relations, linked to personal honor
'John H. Elliott, "Patronage and Clientism in Early Christian Society: A Short

Reading Guide," Forum 3 (December 1987): 39.
'Halvor Moxnes, "Patron-Client Relations and the New Community in Luke-Acts,"
in The Social World of Luke-Acts, ed. Jerome H. Neyrey (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson,
1991), 242. A. Blok sees the patron-client dynamic functioning in a variety of relations:
father-son, God-man, saint-devotee, lord-vassal, landlord-tenant, politician-voter, among
others ("Variations in Patronage," Sociologische Gids 16 [1969]: 365-378.
'Barbara K. Gold, Literary Patronage in Greece and Rome (Chapel Hill: University
of North Carolina Press, 1987), 2.
VYHMEISTER: THE RICH MAN IN JAMES 2
267
and obligations." These relations are voluntary, yet binding and longterm.9
Patronage in the Greco-Roman World
Jo-Ann Shelton points out that the "patronage system was one of
the most deep-rooted and pervasive aspects of ancient Roman society."
Through these vertical relations the "upper class and lower class were
bound to one another in relationships which emphasized deference and
obsequiousness on the part of many toward a few." As a father had the
duty of protecting his family, the aristocrats were to "devote time,
energy, and money to the welfare of those inferior to themthe lowerclass massesand to provide public services without pay, but they
demanded in return gratitude, submission, and veneration." 10
One of the evidences of respect that patrons in Rome demanded
of their clients was a daily appearance at the salutatio. While the patron
benefited by appearing influential and powerful because of his many
visitors, the client had an opportunity to receive favors or promises
thereof. In one of his satires, Juvenal pointed out that at times "a meal
is the return which your grand friendship yields you." 11 Martial
describes in clever epigrams the feelings of clients. One is frustrated to
attend the salutatio only to find his patron absent. Another jokingly
suggests that the gold leaf supposedly from his patron's praetor crown
is merely a flake from the leg of his patron's couch, "scraped off by the
nail of a cunning slave." 12
Patronage contributed to politics in Rome. In 64 B.C. Quintus Tullius
Cicero wrote his more famous brother, Marcus Tullius Cicero, a letter on
how to make the most of patronage as he ran for public office.
Make sure that both the large number of your friends and also their
high ranks are quite apparent. . . . Take care that you retain these
supporters by reminding them of your campaign, by asking for their
votes, and by using every method to make sure that the people who
owe you favors understand that there will never be another
opportunity for them to return the favor, and that the people who
'S. N. Eisenstadt and Louis Roniger, Patrons, Clients and Friends: Interpersonal
Relations and the Structure of Trust in Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1984), 48-49; see also S. N. Eisenstadt and Louis Roniger, "Patron-Client Relations as a
Model of Structuring Social Exchange," Comparative Studies in Society and History 22
(1980): 49-51,
"Jo-Ann Shelton, As the Romans Did (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988),
13, 14.
"Satire 5.12-23.
"Epigram 2.32; 8.33.
268
desire your help understand that there will never be another

opportunity for them to put you under obligation to them.
. . . Make sure that you are attended every day by men from each
class, order, and age group. . . . Your attendants can also be divided
into three groups: (1) those who come to your home for the
morning salutation, (2) those who escort you from your home, and
(3) those who follow you through the city.
Come down to the Forum at the same time every day; for a large
crowd of escorts every day brings you great renown and great
respect. . . , 13
Seneca the Younger (ca. 4 B.C. - ca. A.D. 65) describes the foibles of
both patrons and clients. The greedy clients, he notes, do not court
"you for yourself; they merely court something from you." 14 On the
other hand, patrons torture their clients by making them wait and then,
"asleep and sluggish from last night's debauch," can remember "the right
name only after it has been whispered to them a thousand times."15 The
hypocrisy of the institution is clear.
Moxnes describes different types of patrons. Some are able to
provide for the clients from their own resources. On the other hand,
the broker-patron serves as a mediator; he does not give of his own
means, but facilitates the acquisition of goods or services by the client.
A benefactor-patron, in turn, is able to provide major benefits to a
commnity, for example, the construction of public buildings or
monuments or payment for a public festival. 16
Patronage operated throughout the Roman Empire on all levels.
Everett Ferguson notes that "everyone from slave to aristocrat felt
bound to display respect to someone more powerful than himself, up
to the emperor." 17 In Rome this social institution was especially welldeveloped, following specific social canons. Although patronage
functioned in other parts of the Empire, specific information is scarce.
Garnsey and Woolf surmise, however, that patronage functioned "in
"Quintus Tullius Cicero Some Thoughts about Political Campaigns 1.1-5; 8.29-31, 33;
9.34-38; 11.41-45; 12.48; 13.53; 14.54, 54, quoted in Shelton, 220-224.
"Epistle 19.4.
K On the Shortness of Life 14.4.
16Moxnes, "Patron-Client Relations," 248-249.
"Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1987), 45.
269
widely separated parts of the Roman empire, operating alongside

systems of rural dependancy." 18
Regarding patronage among Jews, Danfel Sperber notes that "the
Rabbinic literature contains evidence of the spread of the phenomenon
of patronage from about the mid-third century onwards." The rabbis
described God as more willing to help than a patron. 19 Sperber's time
frame is later than the first-century setting of James, but one might
conjecture that patronage was known earlier among the Jews.
Patronage in the New Testament

The New Testament provides no explicit discussion of patronage
or the patron-client relation. However, recent studies suggest that
patronage is evident in the text, as might be expected in a first-century
Mediter-ranean environment.20 Several aspects of the Luke-Acts
narration may be related to patronage. Jerome H. Neyrey posits that
"patron-client relations, then, are an indispensable scenario for
understanding the full meaning of the social relations in Luke-Acts,
especially those that deal with food and meals."21 In his book, The
Economy of the Kingdom, Moxnes describes several aspects of the patronclient relation, then applies them to Palestine as Luke describes it in his
Gospel.22 It is possible, according to Vernon K. Robbins, that
Theophilus was a patron of Luke, from whom Luke would have
"Peter Garnsey and Greg Woolf, "Patronage of the Rural Poor in the Roman
World," Patronage in Ancient Society, ed. Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (London: Routledge,
1989), 166. See also Peter Garnsey and Richard P. Sailer, The Roman Empire: Economy,
Society, and Culture (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987), 28-29, 122; Richard
P. Sailer, Personal Patronage under the Early Empire (Cambridge: University of Cambridge
Press, 1982).
"Y. Beracbot 9.1, as quoted in Daniel Sperber, "Patronage in Amoraic Palestine
(c. 220-400): Causes and Effects," Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient
14 (1971): 234. The text reads: "A man who has a patron, if he has trouble, he does not
barge in on him suddenly, but comes, stands outside at his gateway, and tells the servant,
'So and so (i.e. I) is standing at the gate of your court; perhaps you will permit him to
enter'. Not so the Lord. If trouble comes upon a man, he does not have to cry to Michael
or Gabriel (God's servants, the Angels), but straight to Me, and I will answer him
immediately."
!0For example, Bruce J. Malina, "Patron and Client: The Analogy behind Synoptic
Theology," Forum 4 (March 1988): 2-32.
"Jerome H. Neyrey, "Ceremonies'in Luke-Acts," in The Social World of Luke-Acts,
374.
"Halvor Moxnes, The Economy of the Kingdom (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988),
especially 36-47 and 62-64.
270
received sustenance while doing his writing; he repaid Theophilus by

dedicating the book to him.23
The story of the healing of the centurion's servant (Luke 7:2-10)
suggests the brokerage of patron-client relations.24 The Jewish elders
came to Jesus requesting that he should heal the centurion's servant,
because he "loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue" (v. 5).
Bruce Malina goes further in his interpretation of patronage in the
New Testament. He sees Jesus as the broker between God the heavenly
patron and the clientele he gathers during his ministry.25
Some commentators have caught glimpses of patronage in the
epistles. Prominent Christians may have been benefactors of their local
churches. Ferguson sees Phoebe (called diKKomq and -Kpoardnq, Rom
16:2) as a "patroness," one "who gives aid and who had the resources to
do so."26 In his commentary on James 2, Peter H. Davids implies a
potential patron-client relation between church members and the goldringed man in splendid clothes when he says: "If a wealthy person
entered the church or was a member, there would be every reason to
court him. His money was seen as a means of survival. Certainly one
should not offend him."27 Leaders of house churches in the early
Christian church might well have been patrons or benefactors: among
them, Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), Aquila and Priscilla (Rom 16:4-5; 1 Cor
16:19), and Stephanas (1 Cor 16:15). 28
In a 1992 study on patronage in the church of Corinth, John
Chow concludes that "patronage was one of the important ways
through which relationships in first-century Corinth were structured."
When the problems in the Corinthian church are viewed in "light of
the convention of patronage in Roman Corinth," some important
aspects of these problems can be attributed "to the presence, influence
and activity of some who functioned as patrons of the church."29 The
divisions at the Lord's table (1 Cor 11), Chow feels, "probably reflect
some of the same distinctions between patrons and inferiors." If the
"Vernon K. Robbins, "The Social Location of the Implied Author," in The Social
World of Luke-Acts, 321-322.
"Moxnes, "Patron-Client Relations," 241-242.
"Malina, "Patron and Client," 2, 11, 13.
26Ferguson, 45.
27Peter H. Davids, The Epistle ofJames: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 33.
J8Wayne A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1983), 78, 98, 119.
"John K. Chow, Patronage and Power (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1992), 188.
271
immoral man were a patron, the church might have been proud of
himin spite of his lapse. Further, the difficulty in giving up eating at
the idol temple might have been due to an unwillingness to break off
connections with powerful patrons in Corinth.30 Chow suggests that
"Paul's directives [to the church in Corinth] were aimed at
strengthening the horizontal relationships in the church and these
directives, in effect, carried subversive implication for vertical patronclient ties in the church."31 Although Chow's conclusions may go
beyond what the evidence warrants, some indications of patronage in
the Corinthian church are evident.
The Benefactor Patron
The concept of patron-client relations between individuals can be
extended to group relations. Whereas the patron provides advantages to
an individual, the benefactor grants benefits to a community or even a
nation. Frederick Danker has collected 53 examples of the recognition
of benefactors, mostly from the Graeco-Roman world in which the
New Testament appeared. The inscriptions and documents provide what
.Danker calls a "profile" of the human or divine benefactors: they are
virtuous, generous, and reliable. Benefactors confer benefits which
include forgiveness, healing, and financial aid. The natural response to
benefactors is public honor and gratitude.32
Examples of honorific decrees illustrate the role of the benefactor
and the response of the community. From Julia Gordos in Asia comes
a grave inscription from the year 75/76 A.D.; Theophilos is honored
with a public reading of commendation, and an inscription for "having
contributed all good-will towards his country, having lived his life as
master of his family, providing many things for his country through his
generalship and tenure as agoranomos and his embassies as far as Rome
and Germany and Caesar."33 An honorific decree from Mysia (mid-first
century A.D.) extolls the virtues of Apollonis. She was honored by the
whole city "because of her parents' virtue and that of her husband, and
because of her own moderation."34 On a marble stele found in Benghazi,
Decimus Valerius Dionysios is honored by the Jews of the city for
30Ibid., 189.
31Ibid., 190.
"Frederick W. Danker, Benefactor: Epigraphic Study of a Graeco-Roman and New
Testament Semantic Field (St. Louis, MO: Clayton, 1982).
3!G. H. R. Horsley, New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity (North Ryde,
NSW, Australia: Macquarie University, 1981-1989), 2:58-60.
"Horsley, 4:10-17.
272
plastering the floor of the amphitheater and adorning its walls with
paintings. He is to be exempt from "liturgies," crowned with an "olive
crown," and named "at the new moon."35
In Judaism the support of the synagogue was a most common and
appreciated way of contributing to the community. An example appears
in Luke 7, where the Jewish elders urged Jesus to heal the centurion's
servant because he had built them a synagogue (v. 5). Synagogue inscriptions recovered by archeology amply illustrate this kind of benefaction.
Baruch Lifshitz has compiled 102 examples of inscriptions relating
to support for construction, maintenance, or reconstruction of Jewish
synagogues. These come from as far apart as Syria-Palestine and Spain;
they range over several centuries. Some record the donation of .the
whole synagogue structure, as in Lifshitz' first inscription from Greece:
"I have built the synagogue from its foundations." 36 Others tell of those
who contributed an altar,37 a fountain,38 or so many feet of pavement. 39
Most of these synagogue benefactors appear to have been Jewish,
even when they bear Latin names, which indicate their accomodation
to the environment.40 On the other hand, some inscriptions suggest
non-Jewish benefactors. For example, Julia Severa aided in the reconstruction of a synagogue in Phrygia; the same lady appears in another
inscription as a pagan priestess.41 Paul Trebilco concludes that she was
"a pagan who was favourably disposed towards the Jews and built a
synagogue as their patroness."42
The "benefactor" was a person who undertook some activity in
favor of a group, often the construction of a building. In turn, he or she
received the grateful homage of the community.
The Interpretation ofJames 2:1-13
In interpreting Jas 2:1-13 in the light of ancient patronage, I have
made several assumptions. The first is that Christian congregations
35Horsley, 4:202-209.
36Baruch Lifshitz, Donateurs etfondateurs dans les synagogue juives (Paris: Gabalda,
1967), 13.
37Ibid., 21.
38Ibid., 38.
3'Ibid., 42-45.
"A Jewish woman of Rome even bore the name Isidora, "gift of Isis" (Jean Baptiste
Frey, CIJ, vol. 1, Europe [New York: KTAV, 1975), Ixviii.
"Lifshitz, 34-36,
"Paul R. Trebilco, Jewish Communities in Asia Minor (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1991), 59.
273
might have had patrons or, more probably, benefactors. Patronage

language appears repeatedly in James.43 However, it most obviously
points to God as the authentic Patron of Christians, especially in
chapter 1, where James points to the "giving God" who is ready to
provide whatever one may lack (w. 4, 5). Vv. 6-8 indicate that one must
ask in the right waywith full faith. Those who have God for a patron,
even though they may suffer trials, will eventually receive a crown of
life (1:12), not merely a golden leaf from a praetor's crown as might a
Roman client. Perfect gifts do not come from earthly patrons; they
come down from the Father above, the Patron who does not change his
mind according to the day's mood (1:17). In earthly patronage, patrons
who had their own clients often had a patron themselves. Thus, if
Christians are clients of God, they are also patrons of the less fortunate,
the widows and orphans of 1:27.
A second set of assumptions has to do with the epistle itself. While
it cannot be determined with total certainty that James the early leader
of the Christian churches in Jerusalem wrote the epistle, evidence and
tradition strongly suggest the possibility.44 Furthermore, the epistle
seems to reflect the situation of the cosmopolitan Jerusalem church as
depicted in Acts. In addition I believe the book is a literary epistle
addressed to a group of believers, and is a unified treatise on issues they
were facing.45 Its theme is perhaps best expressed by Edmond Hiebert,
who affirms that: "Tests of living faith is indeed the unifying theme of
the epistle and . . . provides ready access to its contents."46 In his letter
James deals with how Christians ought to live their faith under differing
circumstances.
*I owe much of the data in this paragraph to the reactions of Jerome H. Neyrey
to my presentation on patronage in James 2 at the Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity
Seminar, Notre Dame University, 17 March 1993.
"Davids, James, 9; Ralph Martin, James, WBC (Waco, TX: Word, 1988), xxi-lxi;
Adamson, Epistle ofJames, 22.
45F. O. Francis, "The Form and Function of the Opening and Closing Paragraphs
of James and 1 John," ZNW 61(1970): 110-126. This, despite Martin Dibelius, who
emphasized the discontinuity and "lack of theology" of James because "paranaesis provides
no opportunity for the development and elaboration of religious ideas" (James, rev.
Heinrich Greeven, trans. Michael A. Williams, Hermeneia [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1976],
5,21.
"D. Edmond Hiebert, "The Unifying Theme of James." Bibliotheca Sacra 135 QulySeptember 1978): 224. A. S. Geyser suggests the key to the unity of James is to be found
in a "reconstruction (from internal evidence) of the social and religious condition of the
addressees." Thus the "seemingly haphazard and unconnected string of moralizing proverbs and trite sermonettes may shape into a consistent picture" (A. S. Geyser, "The Letter
of James and the Social Condition of His Addressees," Neotestamentica 9 (1975): 25-33).
274
SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995}
If indeed the theme of the epistle is "tests of living faith," Jas 2:1-13
speaks of the test posed to faith by irpoau>iro\r)n\l/ia, "favoritism." One
might even suggest that the kind of favoritism that here tested the
believers' faith was that routinely shown in the practice of patronage.
An analysis of the flow of the passage suggests several sections:
1 Prohibition: Do not mix favoritism and the Christian faith
2-4
Illustration: Favoritism in the congregation and its
condemnation
5-7
Explanation: Why favoritism makes no sense
8-9
Expansion of the prohibition: Sinful favoritism is not compatible with loving one's neighbor as fulfillment of the law
10-11 Caution: Favoritism is much a sin as adultery or murder
12-13 Warning: Judgment by the law of liberty is sure
This article does not propose to present an exegetical study of the
whole passage. It only looks at the those verses where the interpretation
of the passage might be affected by a better understanding of the ancient
social convention of patronage.
The Prohibition
In Jas 2:1, the Christian congregation is forbidden to mix acts of
Trpoawiro\r]it,\l/ioi with their faith in Jesus. The prohibition is stated in
the present tense: the recipients of the letter are to stop committing
these acts.
The word irpoaojiroXrj/ii/'iQ;, from irpoawirov Aa/i/Samp, is unique
to the New Testament and was probably unintelligible to non-Jews or
Christians of Gentile background. The phrase is modeled on the
Hebrew, ns'panim, "lift faces," reflecting the custom in which the one
greeted by a respectful, face-down person, lifted that face in sign of
recognition and favor. "Partiality" and "favoritism" are appropriate
translations of irpoacoiroXrj/ti/'iQ;. One might translate the verb, as does
the TEV, to "treat people in different ways because of their outward
appearance."47
This prohibition echoes Lev 19:15: "You should not be partial to
the poor nor defer to the great" (cf. Deut 1:17; Exod 23:2-3).48 As does
47See Eduard Lohse, "irpoauiroKrtîa," TDNT, 6:779-780. Jouette Bassler surveys
divine impartiality in the OT, deuterocanonical and rabbinic literature, Philo, and Paul;
the description of God's impartiality explicates what is expected of humans in this area
(Divine Impartiality [Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1982J.
"On Lev 19:15, Kenneth G. Phifer states: "It is instructive to note that this
Leviticus passage cuts both ways. The poor shall not be favored nor the rich treated with
subservience. James's words also imply a call to equitable treatment regardless of outward
appearance" ("James 2:1-5," Interpretation 37 [July 1982]: 278).
275
the Torah, the New Testament views irpoau>ifo\rm^/ia in a negative

light: Jesus does not do it (Mt 22:16; Mk 12:14; Luke 20:21); nor does
God (Acts 10:34; Rom 1:11; Gal 2:6). Jas 2:9 calls vpoawiroK-qîa sin.
The Illustration
As a "flagrant demonstration of partiality,"49 James 2:2-3 describes
the reaction of a Christian congregation to the entrance of a splendidly
dressed gentleman and a filthy pauper. The condition is given as thirdclass, potentialsomething that could happen. This is not necessarily a
story of something that had happened; one would assume, however,
that, to be effective, the example was related to the experience of the
believers receiving the epistle.50
eiq (n>vccyuyr\v u^d)?. Here the "synagogue" is a Christian congregation or meeting place, belonging to the brothers addressed in v. 1.
Although some scholars would contest this notion, NT and patristic
usage of the term point to the normal meaning of "synagogue" as a
meeting place, in this case for Christians.51
' Avr\p xpvao&ctKTuXioq ii> ia6f\n Xa/t7rpd. The man is not called
rich. However, his appearance the gold rings and splendid clothes
shows he has means and social status; he is relatively "richer" than
others in the synagogue. His demeanor demands respect and honor.52
The word xpuaoSamiAiog is unique and is considered by some to
have been coined by James.53 The meaning, however, is clear: the man
wore gold on his finger (or fingers). Garnsey and Sailer point out that
the wearing of a gold ring was an entitlement of equestrians;54 thus, our
man would have been of noble class. On the other hand, Juvenal speaks
of a slave-born citizen of Egypt who "airs a summer ring of gold on his
49Cain H. Felder, "Partiality and God's Law: An Exegesis of James 2: 1-13," /ft T 39
(Fall-Winter 1982-83): 53.
'"Roy Bowen Ward, "Partiality in the Assembly," HTR 62:1969):88.
s'Some scholars suggest that ffuvaywyrj here refers to a court scene (for example,
Martin, 57-58, 61; Maynard-Reid, 56-58). For patristic writings using avvayiiiff\ to refer
to Christian gatherings, see Ignatius To Polycarp 4.2; Hermas Mandate 9, 11, 13, 14; see
also Smit, 64.
52 On the question of honor, closely related to patronage, see Jerome H. Neyrey,
"Honor and Shame in Luke-Acts," in The Social World of Luke-Acts, 25-65. On the honor
claimed by the display of wealth, see Jerome H. Neyrey, "Poverty and Loss of Honor in
Matthew's Beatitudes," paper presented at the CJA Seminar, Notre Dame University,
October 1992, 4-7.
"Adamson, Epistle ofJames, 106.
^Garnsey and Sailer, 116. On the use of gold rings by Roman men, see Epictetus
Discourse 1.22.18; Pliny Natural History 33.12.
276
sweating finger" and Epictetus describes the wearing of rings as one of

the "ways whereby an indignity may be done to manliness."55 By the
first century A.D. earlier restrictions on the use of gold had eased. More
than one ring began to be worn, often as a mark of dignity, but also as
an ornament or a personal seal.56 In Luke 15:22, the father places a ring
on the prodigal's finger as a sign of acceptance and honor. The use of
rings appears as normal in the Mishnahsignet rings for men and plain
ones for women.57 The gold ring (or rings) would show the gentlemen
to be somewhat affluent, not necessarily a truly wealthy man or a noble
Roman.
The basic meaning of Xa^Trpot; is "brightly shining." Reicke has
conjectured that the splendid clothing refers to the toga Candida worn
by a magistrate; thus the individual might have been seeking electoral
support from the Christian congregation.58 The meaning of Xa/i7rp6g
differs according to the word it describes. The term appears eleven times
in the New Testament, with six referring specifically to clothing: the
mocking "gorgeous robe" Herod's soldiers put on Jesus before sending
him to Pilate (Luke 23:11); the "shining garments" of the heavenly
messenger sent to Cornelius (Acts 10:30); the two occurrences in Jas 2;
and two references to "bright" linen clothing in Rev 15:6 and 19:8.
Philo gives \afjiirp6q as an antonym of pvirapoq, even as James does
here.59
James here describes the man as conspicuously well-dressed. His
garb, like the ring, shows that he has means and statusor at least that
he wishes to have people believe so.
The gold-fingered man in shiny clothes has been identified by some
as an outsider to the Christian congregation. Perhaps he was a politician
seeking election, says Reicke, who points out that "the magnates of the
Roman empire were interested in acquiring the political support of
different organizations by generosity towards their members."60 Ropes
says this man would not be a Christian, but perhaps might "worship
the same God."61 For Dibelius this person was not a Christian, or at
55Juvenal Satire 1.25-30 and Seneca Natural Questions 7.31.
56R. A. Higgins, Greek and Roman Jewelry (London: Methuen, 1961), 189.
"Mishnah Kelim 13:6; 11:8; Shabbath 6:1-3.
58Reicke, 27.
59Philo On Joseph, 105.
"Reicke, 27.
"James Hardy Ropes, The Epistle of St. James, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark,
1973), 197.
277
least no longer properly included in the Christian church.62 Laws

stresses his equestrian rank.63 In her passionate defense of the poor and
indictment of the rich, Elsa Tamez finds that none of the rich in James
belong to the Christian community, "or at least the author does not
think they should belong to it."64
On the other hand, that a rich man might be a member of a
Christian congregation should not be surprising. The book of Acts
clearly shows that relatively well-to-do Christians belonged to the
Jerusalem congregation: Barnabas (4:36), Ananias and Sapphira (5:1), and
Mary (12:12-14) owned property. The Christians in Antioch (11:28-30),
as well as those in Asia and Greece (Rom 15:26; 1 Cor 16:1; Acts 24:17),
were able to provide relief to their brothers and sisters in Judea. The
Shepherd ofHermas undoubtedly presupposes the presence of wealthy
people in the church.65 Meeks points out that Deissmann is to blame for
the erroneous idea that first-century Christians were mostly from the
lower classes; to the contrary, he gives prosopographic evidence of the
large number of persons from higher social classes.66 From a different
perspective, Ralph Martin finds that "how to treat pagans would hardly
cause division," thus suggesting that the man was a Christian.67
However, Maynard-Reid is probably right in stating that "the issue
of whether the rich person is a Christian or not has no relevancy in this
context."68 According to Felder, although the rich man and the poor are
the actors, James' topic is the "fraudulent criteria of the assembly's
judgments and 'acts of partiality'."69 The theme here is the incompatibility of faith and partialitya favoritism such as that entrenched in
the patronage system.
Ae /cm KTuxbg iv pvirapq <rOf\Ti. In the LXX and other Greek
literature, a difference is made between irevrji; and TTTCOXO?- The first
means poor; the second, destitute. The New Testament uses the first
only once (2 Cor 9:9), in a quotation of the LXX of Ps 112:9. Whether
the exclusive use of TTTWXO? signifies that all the poor of the New
"Dibelius, 87, 88.
"Sophie Laws, A Commentary on the Epistle ofJames (San Francisco: Harper and
Row, 1980), 98.
"Tamez, 31.
^Simile 1.8-11; 2.5-7.
"Meeks, 51-73.
"Martin, 61-62; see also Laws, 99, 100; Davids, 46.
"Maynard-Reid, 44.
"Felder, 56.
278
Testament were totally destitute, one must doubt.70 The word

appears 34 times, of which 23 describe a person (or persons) lacking
what is needed to live decently.71
Four words from the same root as pvirapot; appear in the New
Testament. Their common idea is that of filth. The poor man's clothes
are not merely shabby, they are filthyquite understandable if he has
only one very old garment.
In Jas 2, the poor man is defined by the description of his clothes,
in stark contrast to the shiny garments of the gold-fingered rich man.
He is very, very poor, a pauper, perhaps a social outcast, possibly a
beggar, with no honor due him, with nothing to offer to the
congregation.
Su K&dov d)6e KorAug . . . Eu KO.&OV vwb TO viroirobiov fiov. The
instruction to the rich man, to sit well, may mean either, "You sit here
fitly, appropriately, in the right way, splendidly," or "Please sit here"
(RSV). In any case the words put in the mouth of the usher show that
the man in shiny clothes is offered preferential treatment along with the
seat.
The poor man, on the other hand, is toldrather abruptlyto
stand or sit "under my footstool." Again, words are put in the usher's
mouth, but his attitude represents that of the congregation. Perhaps
sitting "under" the footstool is an exaggeration as are the caricatures of
the persons involved in the story. Adamson suggests that the viro-jrodiov
is actually the Latin podium.72 In any case, the filthy pauper is relegated
to the place of the honorless, the worthless.
In the Jewish context of the first century, sitting in special places
brought honor. Preferential seating arrangements in the Jewish
synagogue are alluded to in Luke 11:43; these are called "chief seats in
the synagogues" in Matt 23:6 and Luke 20:46. Luke 14:7 tells how Jesus
observed the Pharisees "picking out the places of honor at the table"; he
immediately related a parable about a wedding feast, where someone
occupied the place of honor, only to be moved "in disgrace ... to
occupy the last place" (w. 8-9). His advice was to take the last place and
wait for the host to say, "Friend, move up higher"; "then you will have
honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you" (v. 10).73
70See Tamez, 24.
71 On TTTUXOC, see Ernst Bammel, "Hraxo?," TDNT, 6:885-915.
72James Adamson, James: The Man and His Message (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989),
278.
73 On the significance of seating arrangements at meals, see Jerome H. Neyrey,
"Ceremonies in Luke-Acts," in The Social World of Luke-Acts, 364-366.
279
In the Roman world, seating arrangements showed status and were

carefully observed. In Spain, detailed regulations existed for seating in
the amphitheater and theater; fines were imposed on those who
inappropriately sat in "better" seats.74 Suetonius and Tacitus describe
how specific seats or rows of seats were designated for different kinds
of people; senators, soldiers, civilians, singlesall had a clearly
determined place to sit in public spectacles.75 Two honorific decrees
from Tarentum (fourth century A.D.) mandate that the benefactors
should "receive front seating at the contests" as a sign of the city's
recognition of their benefits.76 Seating at banquets and dinnerand
sometimes the quality of the food and drink offeredwas arranged for
the "display of distinction of status."77 Regarding the importance
attributed to particular seating arrangements, Garnsey and Sailer
contend that, "putting everyone in his proper place was a visual
affirmation of the dominance of the imperial social structure, and one
calculated to impress the bulk of the population of the empire."78
Admittedly the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles do not reflect
church practice in the first century. However, it is interesting to note
the fourth-century instructions to deacons and deaconesses in charge of
church seating. When visitors came from another parish, the deacon was
to question them regarding their status and then "conduct everyone to
the place proper for him." After briefly describing the place for different
kinds of people, the Constitutions continue: "Let the deacon be the
disposer of the places, that every one of those that comes in may go to
his proper place, and may not sit at the entrance." The final portion of
the instructions regarding church suggests circumstances similar to those
in James' church.
But if after the congregation is sat down, any other person comes
upon you of good fashion and character in the world, whether he
be a stranger, or one of your own country, ... let the brethren
receive him by the deacons; and if there be not a place, let the
deacon by speaking, but not in anger, raise the junior, and place the
stranger there. And it is but reasonable that one that loves the
"Garnsey and Sailer, 117.
* "Suetonius Augustus 44; Claudius 21; Tacitus Annals 15.32; Garnsey and Sailer, 117.
76Danker, 65.
"Gamsey and Sailer, 122. Stambaugh and Balch suggest that the partiality described
in the Corinthian agape feast (1 Cor 11:21) might have resembled the pattern set by
secular banquets, often given by patrons Qohn E. Stambaugh and David L. Balch, The New
Testament in Its Social Environment, ed. Wayne A. Meeks [Philadelphia: Westminster,
1986], 114.
^Stambaugh and Balch, 117.
280
brethren should do so of his own accord; but if he refuse, let him

raise him up by force, and set him behind all, that the rest may be
taught to give place to those that are more honourable. Nay, if a
poor man, or one of a mean family, or a stranger, comes upon you,
whether he be old or young, and there be no place, the deacon shall
find a place for even these, and that with all his heart; that instead
of accepting persons before men, his ministration towards God may
be well-pleasing. The very same thing let the deaconess do to these
women, whether poor or rich, that come unto them. 79
James' vignette to illustrate partiality or favoritism presents, then,

two men coming into the assembly. One is obviously well-to-do; his
gold rings and splendid robe display not only his ability to provide well
for himself, but also his claim to honor. The other is extremely poor
and dirty. The first is able to provide benefits for the congregation; he
may already be a benefactor of the congregation; the second has nothing
to offer. For the firstas would be expected for persons commanding
the respect of the communitythere is a special place. For the second,
there is a corner on the floor, at the feet of the usher. For the possible
patron, there is deference, for the outcast, nothing. The decision on
how to treat these twoaccording to their appearanceis condemned
by James as one made by "judges with evil thoughts" (v. 4).
The Explanation
In w. 5-7 James points out the absurdity of currying the favor of
a rich person or patron. He gives three reasons. Snobberyparticularly
the kind so common in patronageis absurd in view of the fact that
(a) God has chosen the poor for his special purpose; (b) the rich do not
deserve honor since they are oppressive, even dragging people to court;
and (c) their conduct is a blasphemy to the name Christian invoked
over the believers. 80
6 0eoc; eeAeaTO rovg Tmoxoug. The terminology of "choosing"
was familiar to Jewish thinking. God chose Abraham (Gen 18:19) and
Israel (Deut 4:37; 7:7; 10:15; 14:2). In fact God had chosen a people "for
his own inheritance" (Ps 33: 12); his "chosen ones" would inherit the
mountains of Judah (Isa 65:9). Jesus, as recorded in the NT gospels,
repeatedly spoke about the chosen ones (Matt 22:14; Mk 13:20: Luke
"Constitutions of the Holy Apostles 2.7.47-58, ANF 7:421-422. "If any be found
standing in places not their own, let the Deacons put them to shame and bring them back
to their places. . . . Let the people also, when they meet in the church, be placed together
according to their class" (Ethiopic Didascalia [London: Oriental Translation Fund, 1834],
94-95.
!0D. Edmond Hiebert, The Epistle offames (Chicago: Moody, 1979), 156.
281
18:7; John 15:16). Christians also knew themselves to be chosen (Eph

1:4; 1 Pet 2:9).
The concept of God's "choosing the poor" may have originated
from the sayings traditions of Jesus. According to Matthew and Luke,
Jesus understood it to be his mission to bring good news to the poor
(Matt 11:5; Luke 4:18; 7:22; cf. Matt 5:3; Luke 6:20).81
oi irXoUffioi KaraSvvaarevovaiv \>i,wv KCC\. oAroi E\Kovan> Vfiaq ei.
icptrppta. Rich people who claim honor from the congregation, such as
would a benefactorand evidently the beringed man in shiny
clothesare not deserving of respect because their conduct is not
respectable.82 They are not the only defective Christians in the
congregation; there are those whose tongues offend 0as 3:5-6), some
who allow jealousy and strife in their hearts (3:14-15), some who are
boastful (4:13-17), and others who fail to pay just wages (5:1-6). These
oppress their brethren.
The verb KarocdwotOTevui is used twice in the New Testament:
once in Acts 10:38 of the overpowering of the devil and here in James.
Its meaning is "to oppress, exploit, dominate."83 In the LXX, the verb
is used of socioeconomic oppression (among others: Deut 24:7; Jer 7:6;
Ezek 18:7; Amos 4:1; 8:4), especially of the oppression of the poor,
widows and orphans: "And do not oppress the widow or the orphan,
the stranger or the poor" (Zech 7:10).84
OTUTOI jSAao^jj/iouo-ij' TO KotXbv ovofia. The conduct of the rich
constitutes blasphemy of the "good name" by which the Christians are
called. 85 In the New Testament, words from the root /3XaCT0r;îQ! all
8'On the relation between James and Matthew, see Massey H. Shepherd, Jr., "The
Epistle of James and the Gospel of Matthew," JBL 75 (March 1956):40-51; Davids, 48.
Patrick J. Hartin finds 34 correspondences between James and the synoptic tradition; most
occur in the Matthean Sermon on the Mount (James and the Q Sayings ofJesus ( Sheffield:
JSOT, 1991), 141-145.
82Although the rich man may be an outsider (so, Laws, 99-100; Reicke, 27; Hiebert,
161), I prefer to consider him an insider, a friend if not a member (see Adamson, Epistle
offames, 102; id., fames, 251; Ward, 95-97; Martin Hengel, Property and Riches in the Early
Church: Aspects of a Social History of Early Christianity [ Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974], 47).
"So BAG; the word is not discussed in TDNT.
"The Epistle to Diognetus 10.5 warns: "To be happy does not, indeed, consist in
lording it (KOtootouvotaTEviii) over one's neighbors, or in longing to have some advantage
over the weaker ones, or in being rich and ordering one's inferiors about" (Library of
Christian Classics [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1953], 1:221). Ongen of Alexandria urges the
Christian duty of helping the KCfraovvctOTevonEvoi<; Trrcoxoi? (Enarrationes in fob 6, PG 17,
col. 93). Gregory of Nazianzus (ca. 329-390) warns against accumulating fields and houses,
while oppressing the poor (In Sanctum Pascha, Oratio 45, PG 36, col 648).
85Felder, 59.
282
carry the basic concept of violating the power and majesty of God. For
Christians, blasphemy in this sense included Christ. Denial of Christ or
causing someone to speak ill of Christ or the Christian way also
constituted blasphemy. "Any bad or unloving action can contain it
[blasphemy], either because it resists the holy will of God or because it
causes the enemies of Christianity to calumniate it (1 Tm. 6:1; Jm. 2:7;
R. 2:24; Tt. 2:5)."86 Martin translates the phrase: "bring into disgrace the
fine name by which you are called."87 Laws agrees that the "unloving
litigiousness" of the rich brings "into disrepute among outsiders" the
Christian name they bear.88 This use of /SXaa^ry/iew is illustrated in
2 Pet 2:2, where because of false teachers among the Christians, r| 65o
rfjg a\riOeia<; /SXao^Tj/trjflfjaeTca.
The three rhetorical questionswhich must be answered in the
affirmativeconstitute an indictment, not only of the rich, but of those
who cater to the rich expecting to obtain favors.89 James' Christians,
says Smit, are "overly friendly towards the richand at the same time
insulting and without care or sensitivity towards the poor." Their
conduct shows
that they have learnt, like all people, that it is wise and clever
conduct to favor the rich and powerful, since they can perhaps
award you something, while you can hardly expect anything from
the poor, from orphans, widows, marginalized. They do not act out
of neighbourly love, fulfilling God's will, but 'they treat people in
different ways according to their outward appearance,' and thereby
they 'commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."90
In the final verses of the segment on partiality, James gives the

theological implications of his presentation on favoritism. He points out
that the favoritism they practice, as illustrated in their obsequious
treatment of the one who could provide benefits to them as individuals
or a congregation, is incompatible with loving one's neighbor as the
fulfillment of the law (w. 8-9). In fact, favoritism is as much a sin as
adultery or murder (w. 10-11). Finally, Christians are warned that they
will surely be judgedand condemnedby the law of liberty for their
dishonest conduct (w. 12-13).
"Hermann Wolfgang Beyer, "Pâafania," TDNT, 1:621-625.

!7Martin, 66.
8S Laws, 107.
""Ropes, 195; Felder, 59.
'"Smit, 63.
283
Conclusion
In the light of the ancient patronage system described in the first
part of this article, Jas 2:1-13 takes on new contours. If patronage lies
in the background of this passage, James is not so much condemning
the rich and pronouncing himself in favor of the poor as he is
advocating Christian respect for all, regardless of means or position. The
congregation to which the epistle is adressed is admonished to practice
God's impartiality. They are to eliminate the obsequious treatment of
the beringed man in splendid clothes, even if by currying his favor they
may obtain benefits for their congregation. At the same time, they
should give to the pauper loving and considerate attention, in spite of
the fact that he has nothing to offer the community. Equal respect for
all would undercut the dishonest social relations that support patronage.
If James is offering a critique of the effects of ancient patronage
on the congregations he is writing to, the use of this passage to support
the condemnation of the rich and support for the poor is not justified.
Instead, the thrust of the message is directed, as is the rest of the epistle,
to the attitudes of the people in the congregation itself. They are to
cease considering what people can do for them before deciding how to
treat them. They are to apply their Christian faith to the test of
favoritism and show the world that the Christian community applies its
faith by treating everyone with respect.
The passage also indicates that the great reversal does not wait
until the judgment day. Even now the man in splendid clothes must not
assume that the congregation owes him special favor; he should not
think of himself more highly than he ought (Rom 12:3). Likewise, the
pauper is to know himself a citizen of God's kingdom (Luke 6:20).
284
SEMINARY STUDIES (AUTUMN 1995)
The Lamb on Mount Zion, the 144,000, and the Three Angels. A woodcut by
Hans Holbein. Taken from Strand, Woodcuts to the Apocalypse from the Early
Sixteenth Century.
ANDREWS UNIVERSITY
DOCTORAL DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS
Andrews University doctoral dissertations are microfilmed by University Microfilms
International, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
SCRIPTURE IN THE THEOLOGIES OF W. PANNENBERG AND D. G.

BLOESCH: AN INVESTIGATION AND ASSESSMENT OF ITS ORIGIN,
NATURE, AND USE
Author: Frank Michael Hasel, Ph.D., 1994
Adviser: Fernando Luis Canale
Scripture has played an authoritative role in Christian theology for
centuries and has been at the very heart of Protestant theology from its
beginning. The rise of modern historical criticism, however, has let to
a crisis at the very foundation of Protestant theology. In this context
this dissertation seeks to set forth, analyze, compare, and evaluate the
concept of Scripture in the theologies of two contemporary Protestant
systematic theologians, who represent significantly different concepts of
Scripture. The theologians chosen for study are Wolfhart Pannenberg
and Donald G. Bloesch.
A brief introduction, delineating the objective, research methodology, and delimitations of the study, is followed by an issue oriented
overview of the concept of Scripture in theology, that begins with the
Protestant Reformation and describes important theological representatives who significantly influenced the concept of Scripture in church
history up to the present time.
Chapter 3 focuses on Wolfgang Pannenberg's concept of Scripture
by describing his understanding of its origin, nature, and use. In the
second part of this chapter an analysis of theological and anthropological presuppositions which influence his concept of Scripture is
attempted. Chapter 4 describes Donald G. Bloesch's concept of
Scripture, following the same pattern as chapter 3.
The final chapter compares the positions of Pannenberg and
Bloesch and evaluates them on the basis of the internal consistency of
their views. The assumptions and presuppositions upon which their respective positions seem to rest are also taken into consideration. It appears that despite their fundamentally different starting points and significant differences in their positions there are a number of surprising
similarities between Pannenberg and Bloesch which seems to suggest
that the concept of Scripture is determined for both theologians ultimately by presuppositions that are derived and shaped extra scripturam.
285
286
THE COMPOSITION OF TRIPOLAR PRONOUNCEMENT

STORIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Author: Hans-Otto Reling, Ph.D., 1994
Adviser: Robert M. Johnston
In the Gospel of Mark one finds narratives with three main
characters. These stories, which belong to the category of pronouncement stories, I call tripolar pronouncement stories. These narratives
have not been recognized, nor has their significance been examined.
I utilize in my study the principles of narrative criticism. Subsequently, I analyze the eight tripolar pronouncement stories of the gospel
of Mark according to the plot, characters, setting, and rhetoric of the
story.
The tripolar pronouncement stories that can be identified in the
Gospel of Mark are: (1) Mark 2:1-12 (The Healing of the Paralytic), (2)
Mark 2:15-17 (Jesus' Company with Sinners), (3) Mark 2:23-28 (Plucking
of Grain on a Sabbath, (4) Mark 3:1-6 (The Healing of the Crippled
Hand), (5) Mark 7:1-13 (Clean and Unclean), (7) Mark 10:35-45
(Zebedee's Sons), and (8) Mark 14:3-9 0esus' Anointment). Elements
that these narratives have in common are that they portray three main
characters and unfold in a threefold progression of the plot with
description, reaction, and reply.
The significance of tripolar pronouncement stories can be
recognized (1) in comparing them with pronouncement stories that have
two main characters (dipolar narratives), (2) in their contribution to the
Gospel as a whole, and (3) in their impact upon the reader.
Dipolar pronouncement stories present only one party who
approaches Jesus with a question or criticism. In tripolar pronouncement stories, two parties are set in dramatic juxtaposition to each other,
creating a lively and complex situation, to which Jesus then responds
with a pronouncement. Dipolar narratives present Jesus as a corrector,
commender, responder, winner, and teacher, whereas tripolar pronouncement stories portray him also as a judge, vindicator, ally,
protector, mediator, and authoritative example. Because of their detailed
description of relationships, I have called these stories case studies in
social interaction.
DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS
287
THE SODOM/EGYPT/BABYLON MOTIF IN THE BOOK OF

REVELATION
Author: Edwin Earl Reynolds, Ph.D., 1994
Adviser: Jon Paulien
This study observes in the book of Revelation the motif of a Great
City which was variously characterized as Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon.
It sets out to determine the significance of this characterization by
tracing the Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon traditions in the OT, the NT,
and the relevant extrabiblical literature. Then it seeks to learn how John
used the motif throughout the book of Revelation and to understand
the implications of the motif for John's theology.
Chapter I is an introduction to the dissertation, to the book of
Revelation, and to the literature relevant to the dissertation.
Chapter II outlines the evidence for the Sodom/Egypt/Babylon
motif in Revelation, then explores the three traditions in the background literature to observe the significance which these traditions may
have contributed to John's use of the motif. Several significant features
shared by the three traditions emerge, which shed light on John's choice
of Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon to characterize the Great City.
Chapter HI shows first how the key elements shared by the three
traditions were used by John in highlighting certain features of the
Great City and its impending judgment in Revelation. A broad study
of the book follows, to determine the extent of the motif in the book.
Elements of the motif may be found throughout the book, but are
particularly prominent in the latter half of the book, beginning with
chap. 11. The limits of the motif are considered, with special focus on
the role of Jerusalem in John's theology. Finally, some theological
implications of the Sodom/Egypt/Babylon motif are discussed. The OT
record of God's dealings with people and nations in the past seems to
have become, for John, a key to understanding His present and future
dealings.
Chapter IV presents the conclusions of the study.
BOOK REVIEWS
Bauckham, Richard. The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation.
Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1993. 512 pp. $59.95.
The Climax of Prophecy consists of eleven essays, all of them written by
Richard Bauckham. One third of the articles have been published before and are
presented in this volume in revised form. Two thirds of the essays have not
been previously published. In 1993, The Theology of the Book of Revelation by
Bauckham was included in the series New Testament Theology. That
publication was much shorter (169 pp.) than the present volume; however,
several lines of interpretation proposed in Theology of the Book of Revelation, are
further elaborated in Climax of Prophecy. Nevertheless, there are differences
between those two volumes. The shorter one is more interested in theology,
whereas the tome presently reviewed pays more attention to the literary and
historical questions.
In his excellent introduction, Bauckham mentions four methodological
aspects which unite the essays in Climax of Prophecy: (1) Concentration on the
literary composition of Revelation is imperative. (2) The use of the OT in the
Book of Revelation is a vital key to its understanding. (3) Although we cannot
be sure that John knew and used any non-apocalyptic apocalypse, nevertheless,
Revelation's "primary literary context is the tradition of Jewish and Christian
apocalypses" (xi). (4) The historical context including the political and economic
history of the first century world is essential for an appropriate interpretation
of Revelation. Bauckham provides also a short outline of each of his essays.
The first chapter deals with the literary structure of Revelation, with
repetition and variation, and with numerical composition. The author is
especially interested in the macrostructure of the Apocalypse. The expression
"in the spirit" occurs four times in Revelation marking three major transitions.
An identical expanded formula is found in 17:3 and in 21:10 pointing to two
parallel sections in Revelation which deal with two cities and, at the same time,
denote the climax of Revelation: Babylon's destruction prepares the way for the
descent of the New Jerusalem. Bauckham opts for five divisions of Revelation,
perceives the trumpets as coming forth from the last seal, identifies the scroll of
Rev 5 with the open scroll in Rev 10, and observes a chiastic order with regard
to the appearance and subsequent destruction of the principal enemies of God
and his people.
In his essay "The Use of Apocalyptic Traditions", Bauckham establishes
from four examples: (blood and horses in 14:20, completing the numbers of the
martyrs in 6:9-11, giving up the dead in 20:13, and the silence in heaven in 8:1)
that John did not borrow from other apocalypses, although he probably knew
them in oral form.
Using a tradition-history approach, Bauckham studies "Synoptic Parousia
Parables and the Apocalypse." He claims that Rev 3:3, 20 and 16:15 are
288
BOOK REVIEWS
289
dependent on the synoptic parables of the Thief and the Watching Servant and
shows that "parousia parables were widely used ... in the primitive church,"
were collected from an early stage, and "suffered from deparabolization" (103).
This was the case especially with 3:20. Three arguments in favor of an
eschatological interpretation of 3:20 are listed.
Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the Christology and pneumatology of
Revelation. The Book of Revelation draws a clear distinction between worship
of the angels on the one hand and worship of Jesus and God on the other hand.
Although Jesus belongs with God on the divine side and correctly receives
worship, monotheism is not questioned. In Revelation, the Holy Spirit is the
Spirit of vision, the Spirit of prophecy, and the reality behind the symbol of
seven Spirits, which also provides an eschatological perspective.
The next two essays draw attention to Revelation's rich imagery. The
chapter entitled "The Lion, the Lamb, and the Dragon" points to Christ's
conquest by sacrificial death. The victory of the lamb is at the same time the
defeat of the dragon. One of Revelation's major end time images is investigated
in "The Eschatological Earthquake."
In the eighth chapter, Bauckham explores the image of holy war in
Revelation. The Messiah conquers as the divine warrior. However, his victory
is gained by non-military means, namely by his sacrificial death. The
participation of Christians in this war is expected. They need to take sides and
resist the enemies by witness and suffering to the point of death. The heavenly
perspective reveals that defeat is in reality victory.
Bauckham's longest essayexactly one hundred pagestreats "The
Conversion of the Nations" in the Apocalypse. He claims that "the sacrificial
death of the Lamb and the prophetic witness of his followers are God's strategy
for winning all the nations of the world from the dominion of the beast to his
own kingdom" (336-337). Bauckham suggests that John takes up from the OT
the most universalistic hope and incorporates it in his prophecy. In order to
prove his interpretation Bauckham investigates universal terminology in
Revelation, important concepts of Rev 10-11 and 14-15 (the scroll, the eating of
the scroll, the measuring of the temple, the two witnesses, the first fruits and
the harvest, and the Song of Moses), the idea of the New Jerusalem, the
testimonia tradition (1:7; 22:16b), and the fourfold formula for the nations. In
his opinion, this interpretation that the witness of the church will lead to the
conversion of the nationsis his most original contribution.
The last two essays deal with Revelation's critique of the Roman system
of tyranny and oppression. Chapter 10 is concerned with the economic critique
of Rev 18. The last essay on "Nero and the Beast" suggests that "the figure of
Nero (who is identified as the beast by its number 666) is a major key to
understanding Revelation's portrayal of the imperial power as the beast" (xvii).
The legend of Nero's return is examined. However, only Christ's parousia can
establish an eternal kingdom.
Readers may disagree with some of Bauckham's methods (e.g., the
employment of Traditionsgeschichte), as well as with some of his conclusions
(e.g., taking the scrolls of Rev 5 and Rev 10 as only one identical scroll). They
290
might wish to understand definitely if the author opts for or against

recapitulation, and they might feel that in some cases Bauckham seems to
disregard microstructural studies. Nevertheless, this volume is very helpful and
provides many fresh insights into the Book of Revelation, its major themes, and
its theology.
The extensive bibliography is useful. Unfortunately, despite Bauckham's
emphasis on OT sources, he omitted Decoding Revelations'* Trumpets, in which
J. Paulien develops a methodology for determining with high probability the
OT sources in Revelation and the manner in which John uses them. Bauckham
provides three indexesone for the scriptural passages cited, another for ancient
persons and places, and a third for modern authors. The Climax of Prophecy is
worthy to be studied and owned by any serious student of the Apocalypse.
71726 Benningen
Germany
EKKEHARDT MiJLLER
Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed. The Archaeology ofAncient Israel. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press, 1992. xxi + 398 pp. $45.00.
Edited by Amnon Ben-Tor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The
Archaeology of Ancient Israel was initially published as a Hebrew-language
textbook in 1991. Now translated into English, it represents the collaboration
of seven Israeli scholars, each contributing a chapter encompassing their period
of specialization.
In the introductory chapter, Amnon Ben-Tor provides a general overview
of archaeology in the region, including a brief definition of archaeology, a
background and history of the discipline as well as an overview of the
geography and topography of Palestine. In his discussion of American and
Israeli schools Ben-Tor provides a long list of archaeologists trained at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem along with their contributions in the field. The
American school, however, is described all too briefly with references to only
a few key individuals and sites. The impression is left that American
contributions ended with the excavations at Gezer and Tell el-Hesi in the 1970s
and 80s. No mention is made of current excavations at Ashkelon, Tel MiqneEkron, the Caeserea Project, the Sepphoris Excavations, and the Lahav Project,
representing the five largest excavations in recent years conducted by the
American school, some in partnership with Israeli institutions. The statement
that American contributions were "formed mainly in the wake of renewed
excavations" (7, see also 5) would, thus, have been tempered by a balanced
account of recent activity. Furthermore, the recent British, German, and French
contributions to the archaeology of Israel are neglected, with the exception of
Kenyon (Jericho), de Vaux (Tell el-FarD ah North), and Perrot (Beersheba).
Ofer Bar-Yosef of Harvard University authors the chapter on the
Neolithic period, approaching the subject with an overview of recent theories
of explanation for the Neolithic revolution. The chapter by Rivka Gonen on
BOOK REVIEWS
291
the Chalcolithic period examines material culture, including artistic expression

(the Nahal Mishmar hoard in particular), ossuary burial practices, basalt bowls,
and other distinctive features, in the context of a broad socioeconomic approach
to the period.
The Early Bronze Age is considered according to chronology, settlement
patterns, economy, architecture, pottery, material culture and foreign relations.
Amnon Ben-Tor's description is, therefore, broad. The development of
urbanism is one of the important characteristics of the period, yet its impact is
lost in descriptions of fortifications, public dwellings, and domestic dwellings
without an adequate understanding of the nature of urbanism. Only in the
concluding section is "the decline of urban culture" discussed and attributed to
a number of possible factors, including northern invasion, ecological
explanations, and attrition between city-states. Here Ben-Tor writes of the EB
IV period lasting only 100 to 150 years (2350-2200 B.C.), a problem which
receives more attention in the following chapter.
Ram Gophna of Tel Aviv University covers the Intermediate Bronze Age
(Albright's MB I and Dever's EB IV), using terminology typical of the Israeli
school. His bane throughout the chapter is Dever who in 1973 revived G. E.
Wnght's "EB IV" terminology and applied it to the entire period, thus reflecting
the perceived continuity between this period and the previous. Gophna, in his
description, admits this continuity in terms of metallurgy (148) yet describes
both continuity and discontinuity in the pottery repertoire (145). In his
characterization of burial types and customs he writes, "many of the shaft
tombs were used for individual burials, but some served for entire families."
The opposite is more accurate. Most of the shaft tombs (Khirbet el-Kirmil,
Khirbet el-Kom, Jebel Qa D aqir, Dahr Mirzbaneh, and cAin Samiya) contained
multiple burials that remained disarticulated, an important factor in favor of a
mixed-subsistence pastoralist society. Thus the issues and debate surrounding the
socioeconomic structure of the period are left unresolved. Although the most
recent Cmtributi e Materials di Archeologia Orientate III (Rome: Universita degli
Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"), a dissertation published in 1990 by Gaetano
Palumbo, was probably not available to the writer at the time of publication,
it is perhaps one of the most comprehensive treatments of the period to date.
The coverage of the Middle Bronze Ages is stimulating. The late Aharon
Kempinski, well-known for his treatment of Megiddo during the MB period, has
attempted this long overview though several aspects seem overlooked. A section
on burial customs is not provided, neither one on the economy or social
structure of the period. How did MB society develop and what brought about
its decline? This question is not addressed. Nevertheless, the discussions of
architecture, material culture, and metallurgy reflecting strong Syrian and
Mesopotamian influences are beneficial. The concluding retrospective view of
the Middle Bronze Age addresses some of the epistemological questions
pertaining to the relationship of archaeology, history, and culture. Little of this
theoretical reflection, however, seems to have made its way into the chapter.
The Late Bronze Age by Rivka Gonen emphasizes the numerous internal
and external developments in the region including the emergence of Egyptian
292
domination and its influence on the rise and decline of Canaanite culture as well
as the development of the Canaanite alphabet. Amahai Mazar of the Hebrew
University writes the Iron Age I chapter, reflecting a similar approach taken in
his monograph (see below). Certain redundancies were detected, such as the two
sections on "Terminology" and "Terminology and Chronology," but the general
description of the period was concise and thorough.
The Iron n period, by Gabriel Barkey of Tel Aviv University, comprised
the longest chapter in the book. This volume would be worth its purchase on
the strength of this chapter alone. It provides a detailed approach combining
both archaeological and written sources. Special attention is given to
architectural features, material culture, and the archaeology of Jerusalem. Plates
of pottery characteristic of Iron Ha, nb, and He would have added to the
chapter. A discussion of the development of society and economy were also
omitted, possibly for the sake of providing adequate description of other
aspects.
The Archaeology of Ancient Israel is a significant contribution in assessing
the current state of archaeology in the Levant. Its 47 color photographs, 268
figures, and 11 tables provide the requisite illustrations for such a publication.
Although a meager bibliography is provided for each chapter, the lack of
footnotes and extensive references weaken its potential effectiveness as a
resource tool. In this case, Mazar's Archaeology of the Land of the Bible (10000586 B.C.E.) (New York: Doubleday, 1990) or Weippert's Palastina in
Vorhellinistischer Zeit (Miinchen: C. H. Beck, 1988) provide the adequate
references expected in a student textbook along with a similar breadth of
coverage. In spite of these observations, The Archaeology of Ancient Israel
provides an important perspective of the discipline through the eyes of leading
Israeli archaeologists. On these merits alone it is a necessity for anyone wishing
to remain current in the archaeology and history of ancient Israel.
W. F. Albright Institute of
MICHAEL G. HASEL
Archaeological Research
91 190 Jerusalem, Israel
Blumhofer, Edith L., and Randall Balmer, eds. Modern Christian Revivals.
Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1993. 264 pp. Cloth,
$39.95; paper, $14.95.
Modem Christian Revivals compiles papers from a 1989 Wheaton College
conference, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Examining revivals in a
roughly chronological order, half of the essays address the American experience
while the remainder take up other parts of the world.
The American essays include studies of "Eighteenth Century Pietism and
the Revival Tradition in America" (Randall Balmer), "Christian Revival and
Culture in Early America" (Gerald F. Moran), "Revivalism, Renewal, and Social
Mediation in the Old South" (John B. Boles), "Early American Pentecostalism"
BOOK REVIEWS
293
(Edith L. Bhimhofer), and "American Revivalism from Graham to Robertson"

(David Edwin Harrell, Jr.). Other essays analyze "Revival and Enlightenment
in Eighteenth-Century England" (David Bebbington), "Insights from Norwegian
Revivalism, 1875-1914" (Frederick Hale), "Christian Revivalism in China, 19001937" (Daniel H. Bays), "Revivalism and Revolution in Latin America" (Everett
A. Wilson), and "Writing about Canadian Revivals" (George A. Rawlyk).
Although the essays collectively offer a comparative perspective, only two
individually take a transnational approach: "The Second Great Awakening in
Comparative Perspective: Revivals and Culture in the United States and Britain"
(Richard Carwardine), and "Keswick and the Experience of Evangelical Piety"
(David Bundy).
The editors believe that revivalism grows out of evangelicalism's emphasis,
in contrast to Roman Catholic and High Church traditions, on the role of
sentiments in one's relationship to God. They point out that revivalism thus
"assumes some sort of decline" (xii), from which it is recalling the faithful.
This understanding applies to all of the revivals examined in these essays,
although Keswick ultimately moved toward a "more developmental model of
spirituality" (131). A second transnational characteristic that emerges in these
pages is the extensive role of lay persons in revival, something documented by
virtually every essay in this book.
Although a comparative perspective reveals these common elements of
revivalism, differences also appear as time periods and cultures are juxtaposed.
Gerald F. Moran, for instance, argues that the American "Great Awakening"
played an essentially conservative role within its cultural setting, whereas the
Baptist and Methodist churches of the Old South were "countercultural" (61)
according to John B. Boles. David Bebbington, surprisingly, finds eighteenthcentury English evangelicalism to be a part of the Enlightenment milieu, while
nineteenth-century British revivalism at first challenged the social order before
finally accommodating to it, as Richard Carwardine states.
With one exception, all of the essays in this volume are based on primary
sources. Those addressing such areas as Norway, China, and Latin America,
while not the first studies, pioneer new scholarship. Perhaps the most
interesting essay is that of George Rawlyk, who rather than writing a research
piece, explores the tensions of being a historian of religion within an
increasingly secularized culture. He concludes that the rejection of Christianity
by many Canadians may actually bring about a purer evangelicalism.
This is a useful and stimulating collection of essays. It provides
information and interpretations regarding revivals in various times and places,
thereby offering a brief overview of value to both teachers and scholars. More
significantly, by bringing together under one cover studies of revivalism that
acknowledge its transnational character, it establishes a springboard for more
truly comparative studies.
Andrews University
GARY LAND
294
Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church 1532-1546. Trans.
James L. Schaaf. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 1993. xviii + 511 pp.
$42.00.
Martin Brecht's Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church 1532-1546 is
the third and final volume in his monumental series covering the entire life span
of Martin Luther. Because of the relative paucity of secondary coverage of
Luther after 1530, this volume is the most significant of the three.
To be sure, the "late Luther" had not been totally neglected prior to
Brecht's new book. Several Luther biographies give minor attention to the
period, and there are also significant works treating specialized areas (e.g., Mark
U. Edwards, Luther's Last Battles: Politics and Polemics, 1531-46 [Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University Press, 1983], and a multi-authored two-volume compilation
of essays edited by Helmar Junghans, Leben und Werk Martin Luthers von 1526
bis 1546 [Berlin: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 1983]). Brecht's publication is,
however, the first to treat in a detailed and unified manner the wide array of
significant aspects of the Wittenberg Reformer's career from 1532 to 1546.
In his foreword, Brecht has stated a reason for his choice of 1532 as a
starting point: namely, his "expectation that there were new discoveries to be
made in the relatively little-used later volumes of the Weimar Edition" (xii).
Another justification for beginning with 1532 was that the inauguration that
year of John Frederick as the ruler of Electoral Saxony brought to Wittenberg
and to the rest of Ernestine Saxony a new, or at least intensified, political
paternalism. Thus Brecht's publication gives us insights into how Luther lived
and operated within a changed religio-political climate.
Even a quick glance at the table of contents (v-viii) makes clear that Brecht
has left untouched no significant events, developments, circumstances, or
situations relating to the Reformer during the last fourteen years of his life.
Among the subject areas treated are Luther's completion of his Bible translation
(chap. 4); the spread of Lutheranism within the German lands and elsewhere
(chaps. 2 and 12); polemics and controversies that involved Roman Catholics
(chaps. 3, 7, and 13; and passim); theological disagreements and disputes that
occurred within Lutheranism itself (chap. 6; mainly the "Cordatus," "Schenk,"
and "Antinomian" controversies); and polemics that berated the Jews and the
Turks (chap. 13). Also, there are chapters that provide glimpses of Luther's
home life and personal affairs (chaps. 1 and 9), his activities as a university
professor (chap. 5), and his role as a pastor and church administrator (chaps. 10
and 11).
In this volume, one misses, however, any thoroughgoing theological
analysis at various places where such analysis would have been pertinent and
helpful. Also, I feel that Brecht's attention to Luther's eschatological beliefs and
concerns is too scant in view of the emphasis that the Reformer himself placed
on them, especially in his later years. There is, for instance, not even a succinct
example of the kind of treatment that has been given by Ulrich Asendorf,
Eschatologie bei Luther (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1967). In this
matter of theological analysis, we can bemoan the fact that Heinrich
BOOK REVIEWS
295
Bornkamm, known for his theological interests, was prevented by death from
producing the third volume of what he had begun (earlier than Brecht) as a
massive three-volume study of Luther's career.
Regarding Brecht's use of source materials, he points out that aside "from
insignificant trivialities, every text [in the later volumes of the Weimarer
Ausgabe] has been included in this presentation, although in different degree"
(xii). But he also makes substantial use of the earlier volumes of WA, plus
giving a considerable number of citations from various other collections of
primary source materials. His huge section of endnote references (385-444)
underscores the care with which he has worked.
James Schaaf, the translator for the English edition, has given us an
excellent rendition (approved by Brecht himself), but he has done much more.
Painstakingly he has searched out in the 55-volume American edition of
Luther's works all references that can be matched with Brecht's citations of the
WA, and has supplied them as supplements to the WA citations.
Two indexes (a general index for this volume, 445-460; and a "Subject
Index to Volumes 1-3," 461-511) conclude the volume. Further enhancement is
achieved by inclusion of a section of twenty photographs between pp. 14 and
15, and fourteen other pictorial illustrations (generally woodcuts) placed
appropriately throughout the volume.
In every respect, this is a book that deserves to be widely read. And
indeed, Brecht must be congratulated and thanked for his phenomenal
achievement in producing the entire set of volumes.
Andrews University
KENNETH A. STRAND
Cohen, Mark E. The Ctdtic Calendars of the Ancient Near East. Bethesda, MD:
CDL Press, 1993. 504 pp. Cloth, $37.50.
The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East by Mark E. Cohen is a
comprehensive study of the calendars and annual or semiannual festivals of
much of the Ancient Near East, including Mesopotamia, Elam, and the Levant.
Building on the pioneering efforts of scholars such as B. Landsberger (Der
ktdtische-Kalendar der Babylonier und Assyrer, 1915) and S. Langdon (Babylonian
Menologies and the Semitic Calendars, 1935), Cohen has brought together a vast
and up-to-date array of material relevant to over two thousand years of
calendars and festivals. Much of this material was not yet available to
Landsberger and Langdon, coming as it does from more recent excavations,
tablet publications, and studies of cultic calendars limited to certain cities or
periods.
Cohen's intention is "to provide a basic tool for further research" (ix) by
non-Assyriologists as well as Assyriologists. By making the material in this
volume accessible to non-Assyriologists, Cohen has provided a valuable
reference work for scholars and students pursuing various disciplines of Ancient
Near Eastern studies.
296
The book begins with an introduction to Ancient Near Eastern

perceptions of lunar and solar cycles and agricultural seasons, and an overview
of the development of calendric systems, which were intimately bound up with
cultic observances. The bulk of the book presents material by geographic
location, within overall divisions by millennium. For example, the section on
the Third Millennium B.C. includes Early Semitic Calendars, Lagas and Girsu,
Nippur, Ur, Umma, etc. A final section on festival themes brings together
information relevant to particular festival traditions, the Akttu Festival, and
festivals for men and gods of the netherworld. An index and selected
bibliography are provided at the end of the volume.
A number of features contribute to the usefulness and quality of the book
as a reference study: (1) an abundance of references; (2) translations, often with
transliterations of important texts; (3) cross-referencing and strategic redundancy;
(4) a high level of technical accuracy; (5) concise and generally lucid description
and argumentation; (6) appropriate caution, with recognition of limitations of
evidence, and (7) clearly marked distinctions between solid information and less
established hypotheses.
Two noteworthy hypotheses compellingly presented by Cohen are:
(1) The first millennium B.C. Babylonian akttu festival of spring may have
developed from separate festivals for the gods Nabu and Marduk (308, 441).
(2) Arahsamnu, the name of the eighth month in the Standard Mesopotamian
calendar, may have been borrowed from the Old Persian month name
Markasan(as), to which the Judean month name Marhesvan is remarkably similar
(302, 331). Since these ideas have important implications for the nature of the
akitu festival and the Standard Mesopotamian calendar, respectively, it will be
interesting to see whether or not they stand the test of time.
The title of the book, The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East, is
somewhat misleading in two ways. On the one hand, it implies a broader
geographic scope than Cohen has included, or could include. Some major
Ancient Near Eastern areas such as Anatolia and Egypt are not covered. On the
other hand, it implies the existence of wow-cultic calendars of the Ancient Near
East, which would be outside the scope of this book. In fact, the "cultic
calendars" were the only calendars of the Ancient Near East. They were cultic
in the sense that they were used for marking cultic (and often mythic) time and
in the sense that many months were named after festivals or gods. However,
these calendars were also used for noncultic purposes and there were
(apparently) noncultic month names, and months for which no festivals are
attested.
Cohen has achieved his goal of making the Ancient Near Eastern calendars
and festivals accessible to non-Assyriologists in that his book gathers much
material hitherto available only in the form of copies of cuneiform tablets or
in technical Assyriological articles unknown and/or unavailable to
nonspecialists. However, a significant percentage of the book is necessarily
devoted to detailed presentation of linguistic evidence and argumentation
regarding month and festival names and their significance. Some portions will
not be readily understood by readers lacking Assyriological background.
BOOK REVIEWS
297
Nevertheless, the general level of nonspecialist understanding could easily be

enhanced in future editions by the inclusion of a few basic explanations
regarding such matters as transliteration/ transcription conventions and
abbreviations for dating by regnal years.
Cohen generally presents evidence in a careful manner. However, the
following statement with regard to a spring New Year for the Israelites gives a
false impression: "For the Israelites the New- Year was the appointed time for
cleansing the temple (Ezekiel [sic] 45:18 . . ." (15). It is true that Ezekiel
prescribes the cleansing of the temple on the first day of the first month. But
the visionary temple of Ezekiel was never built and its procedures were never
carried out. The yearly day for cleansing the sanctuary/temple which was
actually practiced was the tenth day of the seventh month in the autumn (Lev
16; 23:26-32), known in postbiblical times as Yom Kippur, the Day of
Atonement.
The criticisms voiced above are minor. Cohen's work will be an indispensable reference guide to Ancient Near Eastern calendars and festivals for
years to come.
Andrews University
ROY GANE
Doukhan, Jacques B. Hebrew for Theologians: A Textbook for the Study of

Biblical Hebrew in Relation to Hebrew Thinking. Lanham, MD: University
Press of America, 1993. 278 pp. Paper, $28.50.
Jacques Doukhan, a Hebrew himself with a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Jewish
studies and postdoctoral research at Hebrew University, approaches the study
of Hebrew with an insider's sensitivity to nuances of meaning that escape the
average scholar. This volume contains a treasury of information that will fire
enthusiasm in teachers and motivate students to learn. Since language is shaped
by a people's culture and thought patterns, an outsider will never master it by
learning forms and syntax alone. Hebrew for Theologians is different from many
other grammars, in that it goes beyond the what of the forms to the whythe
philosophy of Hebrew thought that molded the language.
The author describes the Hebrew concepts of space, time, man, and God.
The language is dynamic, with verbs (pool meaning action) constituting the basic
units of the language from which the other parts of speech derive. Verbs are not
concerned primarily with time but rather with actionaccomplished (perfect
tense) and unaccomplished (imperfect). The seven verb patterns, each active
form having its corresponding passive, are diagramed as a menorah (with no
theological explanation)! The book goes beyond other textbooks in explaining
relationships between words: families of words, permutations such as reversing
of letters or changing one letter, and the variety of meanings (polysemy) of a
word. The Hebrew propensity for piling up several words into one, such as
construct chains or nouns with articles, prepositions, and possessive pronouns,
is an expression of unity and totality. The book abounds in pithy comments
298
(consonants are the body and vowels are the soul that gives them life) and useful
bits of information such as the meanings of the consonants and vowels (segol
meaning "grape cluster," qibbutz, "gathering," and sheva, "nothingness").
The Hebrew concept of time spawns fruitful theological reflection.
Doukhan explains that the Hebrews could synchronize events in the distant past
with the present and future as if they occurred simultaneously. Thus the
Sabbath became a reenactment of creation and a foretaste of the eschatological
Sabbath rest. Israel's concept of solidarity with people of the past and the future
enabled them to perceive past and future events as their own in the present.
Doukhan thinks the capacity of synchronization with past and future time is
what makes possible die apparent reversal of the perfect to the imperfect by the
use of the vav consecutive-conversive. Also, future events can be so sure that
they are spoken of in the perfect as if they had already happened (the prophetic
perfect, as in Jer 32:37-41). I conclude that this way of thinking was what
enabled prophets to blend their descriptions of impending disasters with the
future Day of the Lord (Isa 13:1-13; Matt 24:3, 15-27). It also seems to be the
basis for the typology of Scripture. God's "mighty acts" of Creation, the
Exodus, and the Conquest become types of all His later deliverances: the deluge
and new world (Gen 8:14-17), the exodus from Babylon (Isa 51:9-11), personal
deliverance from sin (Rev 1:6) and the creation of a new heart (Ezek 36:26;
2 Cor 5:17), and the final conquest of sin and death in the new creation (Rev
21:3-4).
Doukhan explains the organization of the Hebrew Biblenot only the
three divisions with the list of books in each one, but the notations regarding
paragraphing and reading divisions that puzzle the uninitiated reader, and the
accents used in cantillation which are named in terms of the medieval hierarchy
of emperors, kings, dukes, and counts.
For teaching methods this book uses a combination of deductive and
inductive methods. The first three chapters introduce the main facts about the
language: chapter I, the alphabetconsonants, vowels, and accents; chapter II,
morphology, including nouns, prepositions, conjunctions, verb tables, the seven
verb forms, participles, and infinitives; and chapter m, a basic vocabulary. These
chapters contain exercises in which the student identifies specific forms in the
Scripture passages to be presented in chapter IV. After the student has more or
less digested these big chunks of material in five to seven weeks, Chapter IV
introduces three passages of Scripture (Gen 22:1-19; Ps 23, and Mic 4:1-4) with
detailed explanations of each word, and background information where needed.
The chapter exercises for chapter 4 include parsing and sentences to translate
from English to Hebrew. For an additional $7 the student may purchase a 60minute audiotape containing the pronunciation of the alphabet, a verse-by-verse
reading of the texts, and cantillation in the Sephardic Masoretic tradition.
This method of studya quick introduction to the basic features of the
language followed by direct study of the Hebrew Biblehas its pluses and
minuses. During the first few weeks the student is enveloped in fog, especially
since examples of Hebrew forms are given before any vocabulary has been
introduced. But the fog gradually lifts as s/he gets practice with the Scripture
BOOK REVIEWS
299
text and its many repetitions. At the translation stage there is danger that the
student will look up every word as new, without remembering the paradigms.
To prevent this, the author inserts paradigms where needed. Since Chapter IV
parses all the words, the student may not get enough practice parsing.
When the time comes for a second edition, I would recommend the
following improvements:
1. There are sections of the book that need either simpler language or
better explanations as each technical term is introduced (e.g., mnemotechnic,
permutation, preformatives and afformatives, volitive, cohortative, polysemy).
The language in places is more technical than necessary, making it heavy reading
for the beginning student. Many terms used in Hebrew grammar are not even
in a standard English dictionary. The author should not assume that the student
already knows these words. Sometimes the explanations assume prior
knowledge, as in the discussion of the vav consecutive-conversive.
2. Include a glossary of grammatical terms for quick reference.
3. A better index, with subheadings, needs to be devised. For instance, if
one wishes to locate discussions of the vav consecutive-conversative, s/he must
look up every vav cited in the book.
4. The tables are not complete (no pronominal suffixes for plural nouns,
not enough verb charts).
Nevertheless Hebrew for Theologians is a hundred times more user-friendly
than the book I cut my eyeteeth on, William Harper's Elements of Hebrew,
which constituted cruel and unusual punishment. I would be comfortable using
it for a class in beginning Hebrew.
Union College
Lincoln, NE 68502
BEATRICE S. NEALL
Gangel, Kenneth O., and James C. Wilhoit, eds. The Christian Educator's
Handbook on Adult Education. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1993. 358 pp.
$22.90.
In 24 chapters by 25 authors, The Christian Educator's Handbook on Adult
Education covers the basics for church practitioners. The authors come from a
variety of Protestant backgrounds, all with experience in adult education or the
teaching of adult education. Gangel, from Dallas Theological Seminary, has long
been prominent in the field. His 1974 book, 24 Ways to Improve Your Teaching,
is still a useful tool. Wilhoit teaches Christian Education at Wheaton College.
The first two chapters establish the biblical and theological bases for the
process of adult education. Gangel begins his biblical tour with Jesus the master
teacher of adults, notes some OT examples of adult education, and constructs
a biblical model on the basis of Titus 2. The Bible must be central in church
adult education, says Edward Hayes. Next come the mission and ministry of the
church, together with the priesthood of all believers. "Adult learning at the turn
300
of the century needs to fix its bearing on eternal, unchanging truth" (46).
Wilhoit closes the section on foundations with a study on spirituality.
The next five chapters describe adult learners, their psychology, their
development, and learning patterns. One of these chapters, "Contributions of
Malcolm Knowles," written by Knowles himself, presents a distillation of
Knowles' decades of work in adult education. It also includes an
autobiographical sketch and an annotated bibliography of his own work from
1950 onwards.
Then come four chapters on teaching methods for adults. These deal with
small groups, inductive learning, goal setting, and curriculum. For James Galvin
and David Veerman, "curriculum for adult education is, in essence, the process
of planning educational experiences for adults" (178). Their cycle begins and
ends with the participantsdetermining their needs, enlisting their participation,
formulating clear objectives, designing a program, and evaluating the program
and its results.
Seven chapters discuss the different kinds of adult learners in the church:
young adults, singles, ethnic groups, and oldsters. Special attention is paid to
developmental theory and family-life education. The last chapters deal
specifically with educational programs in the church: Sunday school, workshops
and seminars, mentoring as teaching, and others. The possibilities seem to be
limited only by the creativity of the leader, although the lack of church budget
for education does pose threats to some programs.
Throughout the book, the emphasis is on discipling, on becoming people
of faith. While filling adults' minds with information may be helpful, spiritual
growth in grace is even more important.
The Handbook gathers in one source a great deal of useful material. Not
only is each chapter worth reading and digesting; at the end of each is a list of
sources "for further reading," which combined form an excellent bibliography
on Christian education. The material is well organized, highly readable, and upto-date.
If pastors would read the book, they might be more willing to support
Christian education for adults within the church. To ensure that a few future
pastors get an overview of the topic, I am planning to use the book as a text for
my next class in "Teaching Ministry."
Andrews University
NANCY VYHMEISTER
Gilkey, Langdon. Nature, Reality, and the Sacred: The Nexus of Science and
Religion. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. 266 pp. Cloth, $18.00.
In Nature, Reality, and the Sacred, Langdon Gilkey seeks to describe the
sacred links between science and religion. He rejects creationism because it
ignores science, it values doctrine over symbol, and it refuses to modernize its
cosmology. He also rejects scientism because of its ontological dogma and its
BOOK REVIEWS
301
ignorance of religion and of its own nonscientific ground. However, Gilkey

does not critique scientific methods or results.
In part one, Gilkey surveys the various perspectives on knowledge. First,
ancient cultures created value-inclusive systems, such as Dharma (India), Tao
(China), and Logos (Greece). The Greeks replaced mythology with the idea that
the divine is universal, timeless, rational order. Second, medieval Christian
thought posited a larger Hebrew-Christian framework where reason is
transcended by the divine, and human beings are the image of God. Third,
modem philosophy views nature as material, mathematical, universal, necessary,
rational, coherent, and without purpose, quality, formal/final cause, or deity.
Kant formalized this separation of faith and reason. Fourth, contemporary
thinkers (Whitehead, Tillich, Santayana) provide a way out of Kant's subjective
maze, namely critical realism. This development requires a hermeneutic of
science, philosophy and theology each with its unique data, evidence,
experience, authority, symbolism, and preunderstanding.
In part two, Gilkey proposes a role for theology based on science and
primal religion. Theology, he suggests, explains primal symbols in terms of the
meaning it finds in science and philosophy. On the other hand, he perceives
scientific-limit questions as puzzles demanding a spiritual symbolic system. The
classic answer to the limit question of viability was technology, but now we see
that technology must be slowed or stopped, lest it destroy us. Irrationality
threatens nature, on which rationality depends, and science is destructive,
submerging the sacred. Rescuing nature and humanity has become a religious
issue because religion responds to the dialectic of life and death, being and
nonbeing, which renews life and the environment.
Gilkey regrets that Western culture has lost the primal unity of
contingency and temporality. He argues that science need not separate nature
and value because meaning arises from process. Therefore we should see nature
in terms of spirit with a latent history. Orderly change requires a principle of
order. Progressing change needs a principle of progressive order called "God"
or the "evolutionary principle." Gilkey maintains that in the past, science and
religion failed to respect nature as an image of God's transcendence, immensity,
infinity, endlessness, wisdom, and power. We forgot to honor and love her as
ourselves. History and persons do provide symbols of God, but without the
symbols of nature, God would not be God. Nature is our mother and creator,
says Gilkey; through its processes God brought us into being. Gilkey translates
God as nature in the dictum of Acts 17:28: "In nature we live and move and
have our being .... Nature is source and ground of sacred power, life, and
order" (153).
In part three, Gilkey seeks to articulate the sacred in nature. Metaphysical
inferences are developed into a natural theology which does not prove God, but
is a basis for all other proofs. For Gilkey, natural theology is philosophical, not
religious. It is not the final criterion or center of theology and does not tell
much about God. Rather, natural theology is a first step in correlating religious
and nonreligious knowledge.
302
For Gilkey, a persuasive ontology begins with science and presents aspects
of nature inclusively, as principles of experience, as categories of all entities, and
as symbols of being. To see power, life, order, and dialectical unity as traces of
the sacred is an act of faith. Theism is superior to theories which deny sacred
traces by reduction or contradiction of facts or save the facts at the expense of
coherence.
For Gilkey, nature is dynamic process from actuality to possibility, with
increasing novelty, order, and value. Ontology includes nature and history,
objects and subjects, theory, and practice. The cosmos has a penumbra of
mystery with sacred traces pointing to the source of life, death, and grace. God
is "the unconditioned power to beyet present in each puff of existence; God
is the transcendent ground of freedomyet creative in each quantum jump as
in each human decision; God is the eternal source or order amid novelty,
uniting the determined past with the possibilities latent in the open future"
(203).
Having described the contents of Nature, Reality, and the Sacred, I turn
now to evaluation. There are many aspects to appreciate in Gilkey's book, for
example: his rejection of purely religious or purely scientific approaches; his
masterful survey of the historical shifts in the science-religion nexus; his
response to the challenge of limit questions, which makes theology a legitimate
hermeneutical inquiry; and his account of natural theology which concludes that
theism is the most reasonable explanation of nature in a scientific age.
However, I have three concerns. First, Gilkey seems unaware of those
creationists who neither ignore nor counter science, though they are as
concerned about scientism as he is. They emphasize doctrine over symbol in an
attempt to translate religious language into scientific understanding without
losing objective content. Gilkey's translation of religious language leads to
transformation of religious content (see W. Hordern, New Directions in Theology
Today [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966], 1:141-154). Second, Gilkey's emphasis
on the preunderstandings of science, philosophy and theology compromises his
recognition of Christian scientists, philosophers and theologians, who can and
must begin any inquiry with Christian preunderstanding. Third, in spite of
Gilkey's delimitations, it seems inevitable that natural theology, informed by
science, will take precedence in his "symbolic" theology. What is needed is a
theology which is not only communicable in this scientific age but is also
faithful to objective Christian revelation (see Chet Raymo, "God as Top
Quark," in Commonweal 121 [May, 1994]: 31-32).
In addition to helpful notes and an index, Gilkey has added a very useful
bibliography with sections tided "Historical;" "Religion and Science;"
"Theology and Philosophy;" "Technology, Ethics, and Society;" and "Creation
versus Evolution." Gilkey's book will provide stimulation and challenge to any
explorer of the important question of the nexus of science and religion.
Berrien Springs, MI
MARTIN FREDERICK HANNA
BOOK REVIEWS
303
Johnstone, William, lain McCafferty, and James D. Martin. Computerised

Introductory Hebrew Grammar. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1993, version
1.05. Full sound PC (disks 1, 2, 3 and 4), $69.95.
This innovative software is a tool for learning Hebrew grammar, mainly
intended for the beginning level and, to a certain extent, the intermediate level.
It comes in three different editions: (1) The non-sound edition comprising text
only; (2) the basic-sound edition including sound for selected parts of the
program; and (3) the full-sound edition which makes full use of digitally
recorded sounds for Hebrew vocabularies (see Figure 1). The two last editions
necessitate,
of
course,
additional
Eile Edit lext agc Help
hardware requireLessons 13-15
mentsa sound card
and speakers. Versions are available
morning
for
both
the
Macintosh and the
PC (Windows only).
Try to guess the meaning of the Hebrew word. Add it to your vocabulary
The program
book and check your answer. SOUND HAS BEEN ADDED TO THIS PAGE.
has five main sections. The first is
composed of introductory lessons to
Hebrew Grammar
Hebrew grammar,
including the study
Begimet
of the alphabet,
nouns, and verbs. A
Figure 1. The Vocabulary Section with the
scrolling list acting
Five
Main Sections Listed at the Bottom.
like a topical index
allows the user to
jump from one lesson to another. This feature is common to all other sections.
This section also includes tests and exercises.
The second section deals with more advanced grammatical concepts, such
as syntactical rules, the principal parts of verb types, binyanim of verbal forms,
and verbal suffixes. Here again the use of hypertext allows the user to move
from one lesson to another or even from one section to another.
The third section consists of a mini-dictionary. It displays the words
according to the alphabet letter selected, provides the English translation, and
optionally, some comments. This is where the full-sound edition becomes very
handy, because every word selected is spoken. With the integration of sound
and texts, this educational tool breaks new ground in the study of the Hebrew
language, because of its visual and auditory impact on the student. Besides, as
does any multimedia educational package, it makes learning fun and exciting.
304
The fourth section simulates a vocabulary book, which includes all

Hebrew vocabularies used at the different levels. It is basically a memorization
tool and can be used as flash cards. One would have wished that this software
would have included the possibility of expanding the vocabulary list. In the fullsound version, each word is spoken.
The last section of this software is a simulation of the grammar book by
James Martin, Davidson's Introductory Hebrew Grammar (Edinburgh: T & T
Clark, 1993). The user can choose from a scrolling list that contains all the
lessons. This section is structured in a way that necessitates the use of the
printed book. After a recommended reading from the book, each lesson gives
a brief summary of the grammatical rules, after which the student is given the
choice of either jumping to the next lesson, learning and reviewing the
vocabularies, or doing the exercise related to that specific lesson. Unfortunately,
the exercises are not included in the software and the student has to refer to the
printed book. The answers for the exercises, however, are provided.
The most obvious weaknesses of this software are three: (1) The
installation is entirely manual and can become a tedious task for the uninitiated.
With the proliferation of programming and utilities tools nowadays, one could
hope that future versions will have an automated installation. (2) The interface
is not only inconsistent at times, but lacks the three-dimensional effect
common to Windows applications, making the interface display dull and
unattractive. Most of the time, the rudimentary display does not permit one to
distinguish between function buttons and window screen for text-display only.
These remarks are even more significant since this software is a pedagogical tool.
(3) A few bugs in the program still persist and need to be removed in future
versions.
On the positive side, at any point in the program, the user can always
access different sections with ease. For instance, the mini-dictionary is only "a
button away." Each section ends with exercises and/or tests which make this
program very useful. It even keeps track of points scored by the student while
doing the exercises and corrects mistakes made.
Computerised Introductory Hebrew Grammar is a unique software that
inaugurates a revolutionary approach to the study of Hebrew grammar. It is
recommended for students who wish to learn Hebrew on their own. Its
extensive use of hypertext makes it a very versatile tool. It has also been
designed for use in a classroom setting, in which it would be most effective if
accompanied by Martin's book. The authors of this software should be praised
for pioneering in the field of joining multimedia technology to the study of
biblical languages.
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
MlARY ANDRIAMIARISOA
BOOK REVIEWS
305
Lane, William L. Hebrews 1-8 and Hebrews 9-13. WBC 47A, 47B. Dallas, TX:
Word Books, 1991. clvii + 617. $28.99 each.
Lane is noted for his commentary on Mark in the NICNT series. One
would then expect his contribution on Hebrews to the WBC series to be of
equally high quality. The reader will not be disappointed. Lane ranks well
among the recent outstanding commentaries on Hebrews that have appeared in
the last half dozen years or so (Attridge in Hermeneia, Bruce's 2d ed. in
NICNT, Weiss in Kritisch- exegetischer Kommentar iiber das Neue Testament,
Crasser in Evangelisch- katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, and
Ellingworth in NIGTC to mention a few).
Lane (xlix) echoes Attridge (5) in denying "positive identification of the
writer," but carries on a discussion of what can be known about the author:
from the reference to Timothy in 13:23 he is likely from the Pauline circle but
not Paul, since his Greek is "far superior to the Pauline standard" (xlix). Given
the refined style and rhetorical acumen, the writer has received an Hellenistic
education; from the intimate knowledge of the Jewish culms and the Scriptures
(albeit in Greek), the author is clearly Jewish. Hence Lane identifies him as a
Hellenistic Jewish-Christian.
On the basis of the reference to "a permanent city" in 13:14, Lane locates
the readers in an urban setting. As plausible a reading as this is, it does seem to
push the evidence a bit far. Certainly the reference to city in this verse is
metaphorical (note the reference to going outside the camp in v. 12do the
readers live in a camp as well?), as Lane acknowledges in his treatment of the
passage in the commentary proper. The question, however, is whether the
metaphor is chosen because the audience, living in an urban setting, can readily
identify with it (as Lane suggests), or because of the prominence which the city
of Jerusalem (and the heavenly or New Jerusalem) plays in early JewishChristian thought. The latter seems more likely given the polemic against the
Jewish cultus.
Lane situates the group in a house church whose roots are in the
Hellenistic synagogue. His discussion of the readers' background is more
detailed than that of the author. Most of the arguments Lane uses to describe
the readers seem more appropriate to the author: the use of the categories of the
Hellenistic-Jewish wisdom tradition, the mediatorial role of angels in the
transmission of the law, and the centrality of Moses. When he points out that
the author can refer to Biblical stories without elaboration, Lane is on safe
methodological ground. But the readers could be Gentiles well-indoctrinated in
the Jewish scriptures (godfearers or thoroughly discipled converts as 5:11-14
implies) just as well as Jewish-Christians. More care needs to be taken in
distinguishing elements of the text that reflect the author's situation and those
that reflect the background of the readers.
Lane places these readers in Rome and, by associating the crisis they
experience with Nero's persecution, dates the address to between A.D. 64 and
June, 68. This is admittedly speculative, though he makes as good a case as can
be made for associating the letter with Rome; he certainly reads 13:24b
306
correctly. In his discussion of the date he discounts the traditional argument

that the references to the Jewish cultus in the present tense imply a date before
A.D. 70. He follows the current trend that this argument is not valid because the
references to the cult are based on the tabernacle and not on the temple. But I
find it hard to see Jewish-Christians being tempted to return to the Jewish
cultus if that cultus is not in fact active. The author focuses on the wilderness
tabernacle simply because he bases his discussion on the biblical account of the
cultus. The same procedure can be seen in Philo.
Lane follows the trend to identify the genre of Hebrews as a sermon or
homily. The "homiletic" character of the letter is undeniable, though some
caution should be noted here, because many of the features designated as
sermonic are better described as rhetorical and can be found in works not
designated as homiletic. Lane's own discussion of the rhetorical features shows
that it can be associated with both deliberative and epideictic rhetoric. Lane
rather too readily dismisses the notion of "epistle." The evidence in chap. 13
and elsewhere in the letter points to an intimate association between author and
readers, and that he is addressing them from afar. Thus it is easy to see Hebrews
as a written address to be read before the congregation as a whole.
A noteworthy feature of Lane's commentary is the attention he pays to
newer trends in biblical studies. In his introduction he includes a section on
"Discourse Analysis," in which he notes the contributions of this relative
newcomer on the scene of biblical scholarship. Here he discusses the work of
Neely and Guthrie. This makes his probably the first English commentary to
incorporate the insights of this discipline. Very little, however, makes its way
into the commentary proper.
In his treatment of 6:19 Lane translates el<; TO eocotepov toG
KaTaireTaoimTOi;, as "the inner sanctuary behind the curtain" (147). In his
comments he asserts that the language here is used in the LXX to refer to
signify "the inner curtain that separated the sanctuary of God from the holy
place in the tabernacle" (154). Lane here fails to note that the syntax differs
from that in Lev 16 where eoorrepov is a preposition and not a noun. Nor does
he indicate that KaTcmeraona is the overwhelming choice in the LXX for all
three veils (inner, outer, and courtyard) of the wilderness tabernacle. He makes
reference to the "Throne of God" in his comment, where there is none in the
text. He does not demonstrate sufficient exegetical rigor here as he does
elsewhere in the commentary.
Lane's commentary is a major contribution to NT scholarship and will
long be a standard reference for the study of the book of Hebrews. While this
reviewer has focused on weaknesses (as reviews tend to do), this should in no
way detract from the usefulness and serviceability of Lane's accomplishment. It
deserves to be on the bookshelf of every student of the New Testament.
Berrien Springs, MI
MATTHEW M. KENT
BOOK REVIEWS
307
Liechty, Daniel. Sabbatarianism in the Sixteenth Century: A Page in the History

of the Radical Reformation. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University
Press, 1993. x + 94 pp. Paper, $13.95.
Sabbatarianism in the Sixteenth Century broadens the scope of Liechty's
earlier attention to Reformation and post-Reformation Sabbatarians (persons
observing Saturday as their special weekly day for rest and worship). In several
previous articles and in his earliest book entitled Andreas Fischer and the
Sabbatarian Anabaptists (Scottdale, PA: Herald, 1988), Liechty's focus was on
Anabaptist sabbathkeepers; in this new volume his coverage has expanded to
include Transylvania. In my review of his earlier title, I furnished information
about his personal qualifications and study in Eastern Europe that made him
eminently qualified to do research on Sabbatarian Anabaptism (AUSS 28 [1990]:
169-171), and that information is relevant for this volume, too.
This new book consists of two major pans: "Anabaptist Sabbatarianism
in Silesia and Moravia" (9-41), and "Unitarian Sabbatarianism in Transylvania"
(43-84). The main text is followed by endnotes (85-91) and a bibliography (9394).
The first part of this new work covers some of the ground as that which
Liechty treated in his earlier volume, albeit with certain important shifts in
emphasis (especially the fact that now there is less information on Fischer and
more on Oswald Glaidt). The major contribution of this new publication,
however, comes in the second main part of the book. There, Liechty first gives
brief information on "Hungary at the Time of the Reformation" (45-47); on
"The Rise of Unitarianism" in Transylvania, a region which in the sixteenth
century was located within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Hungary (47-50);
and on "Francis David and Unitarian Radicalism" (50-53). After detailing the
relevant religious and political backgrounds in the above-mentioned subsections,
Liechty shifts his focus to the main core of his study, the Sabbatarians in
Transylvania (53-84). This was a group that emerged within the Unitarian
community, but which formally broke away from it in 1588.
In the earliest history of Transylvanian Unitarian Sabbatarianism (from
1585 to 1638), two periods may be distinguished, when the leaders were Andreas
Eossi and Simon Pechi, respectively. The Sabbatarianism of Eossi was derived
from his own careful study of Scripture; a contemporary chronicle stated that
he reached his Sabbatarian conclusions because he "read his Bible too long [!]"
(56). His Sabbatarianism embraced various Jewish ceremonies, but it was
nevertheless, according to Liechty, a Christian confession rather than a Jewish
one.
Our. author sets forth in some detail the beliefs and practices of the firstgeneration Transylvanian Sabbatarians (57-67), introducing this discussion with
the following summary statement: "What we find in these writings [of Eossi and
the early Unitarian Sabbatarians] is a form of Christianity which has grounded
itself thoroughly in the Old Testament, which attempts to follow the teachings
of the Bible exclusively, and which has been strongly influenced by the
308
chiliastic eschatology of Matthias Glirius. There is also clear concern in this

theology to find bridges of commonality with Judaism" (57).
Pechi, although he was a disciple and adoptive "son" of Eossi, soon led the
Sabbatarians of Transylvania into a more Judaistic mold. In fact, he removed
from Transylvanian Sabbatarianism all elements that had distinguished it as
Christian except for the "Our Father in Heaven" (referred to by present-day
English-speaking Christians as "The Lord's Prayer"). The text of this prayer
contains no truly unique Christian expressions, but is worded in such a way
that Jews, as well as Christians, could recite it (72).
The whole episode of the rise of Unitarianism and then of Unitarian
Sabbatarianism in Transylvania occurred within the context of complex religiopolitical struggles, intrigues, and shifts in official positions regarding what was
called "religious innovation" (a negative characterization applied especially to
the Sabbatarians). The Unitarian Sabbatarians, after flourishing (with congregations in at least thirty villages and towns), suffered two severe persecutions in
the years 1618 and 1638. From the latter, the movement never fully recovered,
though for centuries there were still sabbathkeepers in Transylvania. Moreover,
even some members of the group who under pressure joined the Catholic,
Reformed, or other "recognized" churches, continued their adherence to
Sabbatarian beliefs.
For a period of 230 years, from A.D. 1638 to 1868, the Transylvania
Sabbatarians suffered repeated persecutions (78-79). The death knell to these
East-European Sabbatarians did not come, however, until "after 1941 and the
Nazi occupation" (83).
Liechty has presented his discoveries with both authority and balance.
However, although he has documented well the ties to Judaism, he has said
virtually nothing about any possible Islamic influence that might have been
related to the rise of Transylvanian Unitarianism. Perhaps there was none. But
since the Turks were virtually the political overlords of Transylvania, beginning
about the year 1526, a paragraph or two on the matter would have been helpful.
The reference in the book's tide to the "sixteenth century," which is fully
appropriate for the Anabaptist Sabbatarians, should be broadened in the case of
Transylvania, for most of the history of Sabbatarianism there falls into the
seventeenth and subsequent centuries. One further minor criticism may be
mentioned: the endnote style is rather peculiar and, furthermore, reference after
reference uses the abbreviation "ff." instead of giving exact citations.
Liechty's Sabbatarianism in the Sixteenth Century should be widely read,
for it gives an intriguing and competent account of heretofore little-studied
developments which deserve a rightful place in religious history and are
instructive in the matter of religious liberty and in the impact of religio-political
concerns on both Christians and Jews. Liechty makes a point of the fact that
among the Reformation-era and post-Reformation-era Christian Sabbatarians
there existed a non-prejudicial attitude toward the Jews (2-3), a rare occurrence
in the Europe of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Andrews University
KENNETH A. STRAND
BOOK REVIEWS
309
Linnemann, Eta. Is There a Synoptic Problem?: Rethinking the Literary

Dependence of the First Three Gospels.
Translated by Robert W.
Yarbrough. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992. 219 pp. $10.95.
Eta Linnemann is well known in scholarly circles. Her conversion to
evangelical Christianity caused her to rethink her support for the historicalcritical method of biblical interpretation, resulting in her surrendering the
Bultmann chair at Marburg University. In this volume she tackles the arguments
in favor of literary dependence in the Synoptic Gospels.
Linnemann begins by tracing the historical development of the argument
for literary dependence in the Synoptic Gospels. She describes how a theory
became accepted as an unquestioned assumption without the requisite scientific
investigation which should form the basis for such certainty, and how
subsequent investigations were done from the presupposition of literary
dependence, leading to a biased result. Thus, from the outset, Linnemann
attacks the credibility of any of the hypotheses that purport to explain literary
dependence among the Synoptics.
In Part 2 she does her own quantitative scientific investigation to
determine whether the actual evidence in fact supports any theory of literary
dependence, concluding finally that it does not. Regardless of what one thinks
of her conclusion, her statistical research is impressive, and certainly makes a
very significant contribution to Synoptic studies. Scholars should be grateful for
the wealth of data she has contributed to the field.
In Part 3 Linnemann asks whether the Synoptic Gospels could have arisen
independently, then posits a theory of independence which does not require
literary dependence to explain Synoptic relationships. She also attempts to offer
alternative explanations for features that are often held to support theories of
literary dependence, and postulates the probable origin of the Synoptic Gospels,
with support from the testimony of the Fathers.
In Part 4 she briefly raises the issues of the Fourth Gospel and its relation
to the Synoptics, closing with a suggested approach to the Gospels and a case
study involving the relationships between the Gospels.
Linnemann's work poses a serious challenge to the claims of critical New
Testament scholars. It deserves a serious response. Although she writes with an
apologetic goal, that in itself does not invalidate the objective nature of the data
she submits for evaluation. As she points out on pp. 12 and 40, Gotthold
Lessing also had an apologetic goal when he formulated the Synoptic problem
based on a theory of literary dependence, but that has not stopped scholars
from studying and adopting or modifying his hypothesis. She has the right to
begin from a presupposition different from that of Lessing and propose
alternative conclusions from a restudy of the evidence, submitting the results to
the world of scholarship for evaluation and feedback. She appeals for just such
feedback on p. 158.
There are several things that could have improved the book. Linneman's
qualification regarding other investigations of the Synoptic data, found in the
introductory question and answer section (12-13), needs to be repeated elsewhere
310
in the study where she repeatedly assens that the two-source theory resulted
from no thorough investigation of the biblical data (see, e.g., 25, 39, 65).Also,
chapter 8, in which Linnemann discusses the definition of literary dependence,
should have come sooner in the study, before she drew conclusions in chapters
3-7 about whether or not literary dependence can be shown from the data.
One could question the basis for Linnemann's quantification of the
Synoptic data, which for her was "the word as the smallest component of
meaning" (71). Often a phrase, rather than a word, may constitute the smallest
unit of meaning, especially with articular nouns and participles and with certain
prepositional and infinitival phrases. I wonder, too, how the statistics would
vary if she were to test words for similarity in content rather than for identity.
There were a few proofreading errors: "posses" (37), "a thorough an
investigation" (67), and "into to writing" (186). The "heavy" and "light" diagonal
lines described on p. 112 appear to be reversed on the chart on p. 113. Probably
more serious is the apparent error in the figures given in the summary (128). As
far as I can discern, the second sentence ought to read, "The above tables cover
3911 words, or 55.51 percent of the 7045 total."
Considering the fact that about seventy pages of the book deal with
statistics, it is remarkably concise and easy to read. It was not the dull reading
I had imagined it might be. I found it stimulating and challenging. It is always
good to have a provocative challenge to established thinking. Whether or not
Linnemann's work will change many minds from their established views
regarding the Synoptic problem, her diligence should evoke admiration and
invite a response from serious scholars. It is recommended reading for all
students and teachers of New Testament studies. Those especially who take the
Bible's own claims seriously will not want to miss this thought-provoking
study.
Adventist International Institute
of Advanced Studies
Silang, Cavite, Philippines
EDWIN E. REYNOLDS
McConville, J. Gordon. Grace in the End: A Study in Deuteronomic Theology.

Studies in Old Testament Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1993. 176 pp. Paper, $16.99.
McConville's collection of essays inaugurates a new series for Zondervan's
academic publishing section, a series which with this work promises to offer a
helpful dialogue with other (especially non-evangelical) perspectives in biblical
theology. As the subtitle suggests, McConville offers a survey of the central
theological ideas drawn from Deuteronomy (primarily) and the sacred history
recorded in Joshua through Kings.
The five essays found here draw heavily from previously published work
by the author; but that material is incorporated in a fashion that is conversant
with more recent research. McConville's first essay, a history of research, sets
BOOK REVIEWS
311
the stage for understanding the message of the Deuteronomic literature in its
historical (ancient Israelite) setting. Other essays deal respectively with the date
of Deuteronomy itself, the "Deuteronomic Idea in Joshua-Kings," a description
of Deuteronomic theology, and the relation of this total theology to that of the
New Testament.
McConville's central thesis is that Deuteronomy and its associated
literature are best understood by reading them as a historical and literary unity.
Modern critical studies of this literature have often divided the themes of
Deuteronomy into fragments that belong (supposedly) to different periods in
Israelite history. Many scholars view Deuteronomy itself as a kind of
schizophrenic book: it is composed (among other things) of early layers which
present a word of promise and election by God to his Israelite tribes during
premonarchic (or antimonarchic) times. Then, writers of a later (exilic or
postexilic) day superimpose a separate theology of judgment and punishment on
the basis of the Deuteronomic law code and covenant curses in order to explain
and justify the catastrophe of exile and the dispersion for God's people. Thus,
grace and judgment become the two great and separate poles of Deuteronomic
theology, and these poles account for the diverse tradition history found both
in the book and in Joshua-Kings.
McConville counters this viewpoint by arguing that Deuteronomy makes
best sense when read as a unity literarily and theologically. He argues that the
themes of grace/promise on the one hand and warning/judgment on the other
would make sense together for a number of periods within Israelite-Judaean
history, including the settlement period and that of the united kingdom. His
basis for this comes in his use of separate issues and themes (such as
Deuteronomy's law code, outlook on cult, Canaanite relationships, style, and
formal considerations) to overturn the long-standing seventh-century B.C.E. date
of the first edition of Deuteronomy (during the reign of Josiah).
Some of McConville's arguments are convincing. For instance, it is true
that in Deuteronomy grace and blessing, not judgment, are the final word. It is
the elective will and the grace of Israel's God Yahweh which enable his human
subjects under the covenant to obey his commandments (chap. 30). This is the
dominant theological theme which does not oppose the hardships and necessity
of obedience but rather makes good sense in light of those points.
What is missing in support of this thesis is important evidence from
within and without Deuteronomy itself. The book, for instance, looks back on
the settlement of the tribes in both cis- and trans-Jordan (1:12 and various
references to "beyond the Jordan"), knows of kingship in Israel (33:5,
misunderstood by McConville, p. 31), makes a direct anti-Solomonic reference
in 17:16 (cf. 1 Kgs 10:26-29), speaks of "going after other gods" as repetitiously
as does the book of Jeremiah, and even knows (in a prospective prophetic style)
of the events of exile and return (Deut 29:21-27). Moreover, McConville does
not draw upon the helpful inscriptional evidence from Palestine of the 7th-6th
centuries B.C.E. which strongly supports a date in that milieu for an early stage
of "D." Other important external evidence could be mentioned against the
author's views. Hence, the complexity of Deuteronomy's setting (and that of
312
its related literature) historically and theologically cannot easily be dismissed or

otherwise consolidated. Nevertheless, McConville has accomplished his task of
producing a brief, contemporary survey of Deuteronomy's theology from an
evangelical viewpoint. The inquiring seminary student will find Grace in the End
useful as a supplement to other standard works.
First United Methodist Church
Kermit, TX 79745
PAUL DEAN DUERKSEN
Millar, Fergis. The Roman Near East 31 B.C.-A.D. 337. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 1993. 618 pp. Cloth, $45.00.
The Roman Near East, an interpretive work on the Roman Empire and its
governing policies, is destined to be a reference classic for serious students of
Near Eastern history. Fergus Millar of Harvard, who has written many articles
evaluating Rome's role in limited areas, is well qualified to assess the Imperial
rule and expansion in the entire Near East. The book explains the roles and
interactions of the various people groups as they were affected by the expansion
of the Rome's Eastern Empire from the time of Herod about 31 B.C. to the
death of Constantine.
The book is divided into two parts: "The Empire," and "Regions and
Communities." The first part introduces the reader to the geographical
concerns as well as the governing policies of Rome as she expanded her control
in the Near East. This sets the stage for viewing the empire's interactions with
her neighbors in the second part. The author clearly illustrates the changing
governmental policies and how the rulers might have viewed this area during
these changing times. By using troop movements and governmental control in
tracing the development of the Empire in the Near East, the author
demonstrates that Rome's expansion didn't stop at the early empire as some
historians have maintained. The remainder of the book surveys social and
political changes in regions within the scope of the changing Empire.
Each chapter starts with a broad overview, which is followed by sections
organized geographically and presented chronologically. By citing inscriptions
and ancient historians, Millar traces the spread of Greek language and customs
and their adoption by the Romans.
In the first chapter the author defines the "Orient" and establishes its
geographical boundaries. He points out two problems of modern Orientalists:
first, as Westerners they have preconceived notions of what the 'Orient'
comprises; and second, they tend to read inscriptionsno matter how explicit
and informativefrom the perspective of their own preconceived notions.
The chapter on Arabia is typical of the many regions examined. Millar
begins by defining geographically the regions and cultures that will be discussed.
Through the use of archaeological and other primary sources, the author
presents a lucid view of the people groups of this region. The chapter's theme
is introduced with a question: "Should we see these cities too as representing the
BOOK REVIEWS
313
flowering of regional culture under Roman protection? Or as conscious bastions

of Hellenism in an 'Arab' world?" (391). A concept that is repeated throughout
the book is the idea that even though Rome granted colony status to cities and
regions, it was Greek culture, not Roman, that characterized the life of the
common people. Inscriptions are quoted to give the reader a view of life under
Roman rule. However, when handling questions where sufficient evidence has
not been found, footnotes point the reader to other authoritative sources. The
author's use of archaeological data mainly pertains to inscriptions, although he
presents other evidence, such as town plans and fort structures, that support his
arguments.
The book would have been more complete if, instead of starting after the
Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., it had gone clear back to 63 B.C. with Rome's first
invasion of the Middle East. This, however, would have made the book
prohibitively large. The maps are very useful for orientation of cities, but might
have been easier to use if they were placed in each chapter, rather than grouped
at the back of the book. Also included are several appendices.
This book is not an introductory textbook. It is not for a student who is
unfamiliar with Roman history. While the author does explain in detail many
aspects of the Imperial expansion, the many references to and citations of
untranslated Greek inscriptions make it challenging to read. On the other hand,
Millar offers the nonspecialist a plethora of resources for further study.
The book is destined to become a classic, because it bridges the gap
between classical historians and Orientalists. The book is recommended for any
serious student of Roman history.
Rochester, NY
HOWARD P. KRUG
Olson, Jeannine E. One Ministry, Many Roles: Deacons and Deaconesses through
the Centuries. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1992. 461 pp.
$21.95.
Jeannine Olson (Ph.D. in history, Stanford University) is an assistant
professor at Rhode Island College with a background of teaching at institutions
with a religious orientation (San Francisco Theological Seminary, Graduate
Theological Union). She has drawn from many earlier sources in an attempt to
construct a comprehensive picture of the deacon and deaconess movements
through the centuries.
The work follows a chronological pattern with chapters devoted to the
New Testament practice, the early church up to Constantine, the fourth to the
fifteenth centuries, the Protestant Reformation, the post-Reformation period,
the nineteenth century in Europe, the nineteenth century in Britain and
America, the early twentieth century, and contemporary trends. About 65
percent of the material is post-Reformation.
As the title indicates, the roles of deacons and deaconesses have been
perceived in a variety of ways depending on the historical period and the
314
particular denomination. To one nurtured in a faith community in which these

offices are held by congregationally elected lay people, it is somewhat surprising
to note the extent to which they have been considered clergy in other bodies
or at least seen as full-time, professional positions.
In NT times the diaconate was a ministry of service to the poor and
needy, but as the medieval church developed, the office came to have more
liturgical functions. It often came to be regarded as an assistant-pastor role and
often a stepping stone to the priesthood. From the Reformation on, the church,
rather than government was usually responsible for education, healing, and
welfare, and deacons and deaconesses often served as the teachers, nurses, and
social workers of society. Even today a significant professional diaconate exists,
especially among Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations.
The book's strong points are first of all its comprehensiveness. Olson is
not content with sweeping overviews but includes micro details of every
deaconess home, every rule of order, and every historical fact that she could
possibly discover. If the reader wants details about the history of deacons and
deaconesses, this is the place to look.
The work is also extremely well-referenced. Endnotes are included after
each chapter and total about seventy-two pages of small print, followed by a
bibliography of twenty-five pages.
A third favorable point is that the reader learns more about church
history than just the fortunes of deacons and deaconesses. In detailing this
history, Olson also necessarily includes much about the polity, governance, and
ministry of the Christian church and the major denominations that developed
from it. The decisions of church councilsas they affect ministryare discussed,
and considerable space is devoted to the ecumenical movement, especially as to
its impact on a common ministry.
For all its strong scholarship though, the book has serious weaknesses.
One is that it seems somewhat disorganized and difficult to follow. Of course,
the chapter organization follows a historical progression and therefore is logical.
But within the chapters, material seems often to be ordered without apparent
reason, and there is much repetition and overlapping. This is particularly true
in the chapters dealing with modern times where the text seems to "jump
around." Thus it can be confusing and difficult to integrate into a sensible
configuration.
The greatest weakness, in my opinion, is that the volume simply makes
very tedious reading. It may serve well as a reference work, but to read it from
cover to cover (as I did) takes a certain amount of dedication and grit. The
average pastor or Bible teacher will probably find four hundred pages of mostly
meaningless detail more than he or she wants to know about deacons and
deaconesses. The few specialists in the field, however, may find Olson's
magnum opus a real gold mine. It is not likely to make the religious best-seller
list.
Andrews University
ROGER L. DUDLEY
BOOK REVIEWS
315
Pinnock, Clark H. A Wideness in God's Mercy: The Finality of Christ in a World

of Religions. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992. 217pp. $14.99.
Confronted with the contemporary challenge of religious pluralism,
Christians are often called upon to reconcile their affirmation of the finality of
Christ as the only Savior of sinners with their belief in God's boundless
generosity and mercy towards all humanity. Clark H. Pinnock's book, A
Wideness in God's Mercy: The Finality of Christ in a World of Religions, transposes
the above problem into two theological axioms upon which he constructs his
"evangelical theology of religions" (13).
The two components of this theology are: (a) universality (God's love for
all humanity) and (b) particularity (the reconciliation of sinners through Jesus'
mediation) of God's plan of salvation (17). Pinnock believes that his book meets
the challenge of religious pluralism with a "biblically grounded and theologically
sound argument" (181), and also avoids certain soteriological errors within the
Christian community.
In charting a course to follow in this volume, Pinnock is faced with a
number of options: "exclusivism" (which maintains Christ as the Savior of the
world and other religions as zones of darkness), "restrictivism" (which limits
hope of salvation to people who have faith in Jesus Christ in this earthly life),
"inclusivism" (which upholds Christ as the Savior of humanity while at the
same time affirms God's saving presence in the wider world and in other
religions), and "pluralism" (the view that all religions lead ultimately to heaven).
Pinnock's position can best be bracketed within the "inclusivist" camp.
The book is organized in five chapters. The first two chapters"Optimism
of Salvation" and "Jesus, Savior of the World"offer biblical, theological and
christological reasons for rejecting the fewness doctrine, according to which
only a small number will be saved. Employing "a hermeneutic of hopefulness,"
Pinnock draws from the "universal orientation" of the biblical data to argue for
"the optimism of salvation"an expression that means that because of the
boundless mercy of God, salvation is going to be extensive in the number of
persons benefitted and comprehensive in scope (20). But while God's salvation
is going to be universal, this salvation is reached by way of particularity in
Christianity: i.e., a salvation through Jesus Christ. In making this christological
argument, Pinnock distinguishes between the ontological necessity of Christ's
redemptive work and the epistemological necessity to acknowledge Christ
before one could be saved: "There is no salvation except through Christ but it
is not necessary for everybody to possess a conscious knowledge of Christ in
order to benefit from redemption through him" (75).
Chapters 3 and 4"Religions Now," and "Religions Tomorrow"discuss
how Christians should relate to people of other religions. He maintains that a
recognition of the optimism of salvation contributes to an attitude of oneness
and love for people of other religions. Consequently, he recommends "truth
seeking dialogue" as the most effective strategy in the Christian's mission
activity. In chapter 5"Hope for the Unevangelized"Pinnock tackles the
question of whether or not those who have not heard the gospel could be saved.
316
In arguing for his affirmative response, Pinnock points to God's desire for all
to be saved as a fact that necessitates a universal access to salvation. He appeals
to a "faith principle," not the content of one's belief, as the basis of universal
accessibility to God's salvation (157-158). With respect to the fate of millions of
"premessianic believers"sincere seekers and followers of God (be they pagans,
Jews, or Gentiles) who have not heard about ChristPinnock suggests that "a
grace-filled postmortem encounter with Christ" ensures that they also "will be
saved (170-172).
There are some strengths in his work. Pinnock's bold attempt at a
theology of religions must be applauded by Christians who consider mission
and evangelism to be at the heart of their faith, and who constantly wrestle
with how they should relate to other religions. His careful distinction between
the ontological and epistemological necessity of Christ in soteriological
discussion is useful. His theological explanation, using general revelation and
God's prevenient grace, for the existence of truth and nobility in non-Christian
religions is also enlightening (102-113; cf. 46, 76). Finally, his evangelistic
strategy of "dialogue" appreciates the good in other religions, and thus avoids
the cultural snobbery and imperialism that has often attended the mission
activity of Christians (138-143). Without any a priori repudiating of other faiths
as either wholly good or wholly bad, he does a masterful work in debunking
the arguments of theological pluralists who seek to eliminate the finality claims
from Christology by reinterpreting the Biblical data (64-74).
This is not to suggest that everything is totally impeccable in Pinnock's
"optimism of salvation," his evangelistic strategy of "dialogue," and his
"hermeneutic of hopefulness."
While he seeks to ground his theology of religions on a sound biblical
basis, Pinnock leaves his readers to conclude that instead of allowing sola
Scriptura to shape his viewsas evangelicals have always insistedhis
"hermeneutic of hopefulness" is established on "both Scripture and experience"
(109, 106), "Scripture and reason" (158), and "historical factors, combined with
a fresh reading of Scripture" (42). What hermeneutic undergirds this "fresh
reading of Scripture"?
*
With regard to his "theology of optimism," two brief comments are in
order. First, the "faith principle" which underlies his theology (157) maintains
that the content of saving faith (without which "it is impossible to please God")
does not have to be knowledge of the truth about Jesus, but rather a belief that
God "exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb 11:6).
Accordingly, Pinnock writes, "A person is saved by faith, even if the content
of faith is deficient (and whose is not?). The Bible does not teach that one must
confess the name of Jesus to be saved" (158).
While we may agree with Pinnock that "people are saved by faith, not by
the content of their theology," and that "Faith in God is what saves, not
possessing certain minimum information" (157, 158), one is left wondering what
is entailed by this kind of "faith." Does "faith" in Hebrews 11:6the believe
that God exists and rewards those who seek himexhaust what is involved in
saving faith? Does not Satan also posses this faith (cf. James 2:19)? Can one
BOOK REVIEWS
317
legitimately dissociate how a person believes (the subjective component of faith)

from what he believes (the objective content of faith)? Does not the Bible teach
that the minimum information necessary for salvation is the good news of
salvation through Jesus Christ (fohn 3:16; Acts 4:12; cf. Rom 10:9-10)?
Second, Pinnock recognizes that there have been many "pagan saints"
before and after Christ, who though "informationally premessianic" (161), were
nonetheless accepted by God (e.g., Abel, Enoch, Noah, Job, Daniel,
Melchizedek, Lot, Abimelech, Jethro, Rahab, Ruth, Naaman, the Queen of
Sheba, the Roman centurion Cornelius, and the pagan astrologers who came to
worship Christ at his birth, etc.). These individuals, according to Pinnock,
received and responded to God's "premessianic revelation" and "prevenient
grace," a knowledge of God which will be "updated when they enter into his
presence" in a postmortem encounter with Christ (92-106, 172).
Pinnock's argument fails, however, to show whether or not the "pagan
saints" continued in their paganism once they were confronted with the claims
of God given in the premessianic revelation. He also does not address one
critical question that has to do with the content of the faith confessed by the
"pagan saints": If one believes that the institution of the sacrificial system in
post-fall Eden (and more comprehensively in the worship life of Old Testament
Israel) foreshadowed the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ, cannot it be argued that
the "pagan saints," just like post-messianic believers such as Peter, John, or Paul,
all confessed their faith in Jesus Christhowever fuzzy that knowledge of Jesus
Christ may have been?
It seems that while Pinnock exalts the finality of Jesus Christ as the only
Savior of sinners, at times he comes dangerously close to down-playing the
uniqueness and full deity of Jesus Christ as God-incarnate. He writes:
"Uniqueness and finality belong to God. If they belong to Jesus, they belong
to him only derivatively. He is not unique in his own right as an independent
being, but as the Father's beloved Son" (53); "Incarnation, then, is not the
normative category for Christology in the New Testament" (62). Could this
apparent devaluation of christology be the reason why he makes a theological
bid for a postmortem encounter of "pagan saints" with Christ (a doctrine that
lacks sound biblical and exegetical support)?
Finally, although Pinnock's evangelistic strategy of "dialogue" rightly
recognizes that other faiths share some similar concerns and views with
Christianity (138-143), it fails to show to what extent these are identical. For
example, a traditional religion in Ghana reveals that the worshippers "intend to
acknowledge the true God as we do" (97); the experience of Buddhists seeking
God teaches Christians about their need to be less materialistic and "more
spiritually Buddha-like" (140); the writings of a Hindu sect "celebrate a personal
God of love" (100). But the parallels and similarities between Christianity and
other faiths do not prove that the gods in these non-Christian religions are
identical with the personal, transcendent, and triune God of Scripture. Neither
does Pinnock explain whether spirituality in these religions is equivalent to
Christian spirituality whether being "spiritually Buddha-like" is the same as
being Christlike.
318
Despite the above weaknesses, A Wideness in God's Mercy will stimulate

contemporary evangelical thinking on the problem of religious pluralism.
Berrien Springs, MI
SAMUEL KORANTENG-PlPIM
Rhodes, Ron. Christ Before the Manger: The Life and Times of the Preincarnate
Christ. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992. 299 pp. $13.99.
In Christ Before the Manger, Ron Rhodes, Th.D., gives a glimpse of the
fellowship of the triune God such as Christ, the eternal Son, makes possible to
finite beings. For Rhodes, the sonship of Christ does not denote inferiority,
since for the Semitic mind "son of God" means "of the order of God" (12-13,
30-31). God is revealed in Christ according to a plan conceived for humankind
before time, to be carried out in time. This plan includes the preincarnate
appearances of Christ and culminates in an earthly millennial kingdom, after
which glimpses of God are replaced with his unveiled presence (14-15, 34).
Rhodes presents Christ as possessing all the divine attributes; he is the
image, exact representation, and fullness of God. Christ's immutable,
omnipresent divinity is mobile, active, and capable of local presence. These
attributes are comforting, Rhodes writes, because Christ can never change his
mind about using his power to secure us forever in faith (43-48). Rhodes further
expounds the biblical revelation of Christ as Creator, Preserver, Angel of the
Lord, Shepherd, Savior, Eternal Logos, holder of divine names, virgin-born, and
possessor of human life and eternal glory.
The discussion of Christ as Savior, Logos, and fully human deserves
special notice. (1) Christ's role as Savior was not an afterthought, but a part of
God's plan, which encompassed even sin. This plan was a matter of sovereign
decree, formulated on the basis of boundless wisdom and knowledge and
allowing for freewill decisions. God's eternal decree is his sovereign resolve and
purpose controlling all of creation (125-131). (2) Concerning the Eternal Logos,
in the OT the Word was an active agent of God while in the Jewish targums
"Word of God" was substituted for "God." Around A.D. 25, Philo developed
dualistic concepts of a good God, evil matter, and mediating logos. However,
John presents the Word as a divine person, unlike the OT or Jewish ideas (146148). (3) "All that Christ did among human beings in his preincarnate state
prepared in some way for what he would accomplish in his incarnate state"
(190). His conception was supernatural but His subsequent development was
normal, except that He never sinned. Christ did not cease to be God, but
neither did He use divine attributes for Himself. He became "God plus," for in
contrast to triune oneness, he has two natures (198-199). Rhodes postulates that
Christ, "with his divine nature and with his human immaterial nature . . .
departed from his human body" and returned "to the same physical body in
which he died" (201). The natures were without mixture or separation. Christ
is fully God and fully man, always conscious of deity and humanity, one Will-er
who possesses both a divine will and a human will (203-204).
BOOK REVIEWS
319
In his book, Rhodes reviews early Christian thought, referring to Church

Fathers and ancient creeds. He also takes note of contemporary theologians, not
to prove, but to support and illustrate his conclusions. However, Christ Before
the Manger is especially useful because of its biblical content. His writing style
is based on a conscious theological method. For Rhodes, viewing the OT
"Christo-centrically" is imperative in the light of Christ's claims, as recorded in
Scripture (17).
Rhodes' extensive use of biblical material (often more than ten references
per page) provides a useful introduction to the biblical revelation of Christ.
However, there were issues raised which seem to deserve more complete
treatment. Concerning the relation of time and eternity, Rhodes admits that his
idea of created time is based on "hints" from the Epistle to the Hebrews and from
extrabiblical sources (36-37, 149). However, while creaturely time began with
creation, God's time is another matter. See F. Canale's Toward the Criticism of
Theological Reason: Time and Timelessness as Primordial Presuppositions (Berrien
Springs, ML: Andrews University Press, 1983).
Other matters in need of clarification include God's attributes, the
millennial kingdom, Christian assurance, and human freedom. (1) What is the
relation between immutability and omniscience, and the "God plus" of
becoming human and learning what it feels like (198)? (2) Alternative
interpretations of the millennial kingdom of Christ deserve consideration.
(3) The linking of assurance with the idea of indefectability seems to ignore
certain Scripture passages such as: "make your calling and election sure ... so
you shall never fall" (2 Pet 1:10). (4)Rhodes holds that God acts in history
beyond his decrees, but his concept of sovereignty raises questions concerning
the goodness of God, human freewill, and human sin.
Finally, Rhodes' description of how the divinity as well as the immaterial
humanity of Christ survived death, seems inadequately supported. For instance,
Millard Erickson, writing from a perspective similar to that of Rhodes, agrees
with Rhodes that some Bible passages "seem to indicate an intermediate
[conscious] state between death and resurrection," but he acknowledges that
from the wider perspective of other texts, "the Bible does not view the human
being as body, soul, and spirit [as discrete entities] but simply as self." Erickson
approves H. Wheeler Robinson's conclusion that "the Hebrew idea of
personality is an animated body, and not an incarnated soul" (Millard J.
Erickson, Introducing Christian Doctrine, ed. Arnold Hustad [Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker, 1992], 173).
Of course Rhodes could not be expected to deal with all these issues
within the limits of his book. He has accomplished the aims he set for himself,
to survey the biblical revelation of the life and times of the preincarnate Christ.
His book is made doubly useful by an index, a bibliography, and 70 pages of
appendices on the names, titles, and types of Christ, fulfilled messianic
prophecies, difficult passages, Christian creeds, and ancient errors on the person
of Christ (229-299). I recommend this Bible-saturated book as a useful aid to
biblical study of the person and ministry of the preincarnate Christ.
Andrews University
MARTIN FREDERICK HANNA
320
Riches, John K. A Century of New Testament Study. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity
Press International, 1993. x + 246 pp. Paper, $17.00.
John Riches is Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism and head of the
Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Glasgow. His book offers
a critical analysis of the work done in NT studies in the last century, arguing
that developments in the discipline have corresponded to cultural shifts which
had their roots in major political and economic changes in society (233). He
seeks to understand the reasons for the shift away from the historical
approaches which, until recently, dominated the discipline, in favor of new
approaches to the text (ix, 240).
His work is divided into three sections. He begins with a historical survey
of the direction of NT studies to the end of the nineteenth century, followed
by developments from Johannes Weiss in 1892 to Rudolf Bultmann. This is the
most interesting part of the book, revealing the cultural and historical factors
which correlated with the studies of that period. The chapter, "Some Concluding Reflections" (233-235), gives a concise summary of major developments.
The second part focuses on the work of Bultmann himself. Riches is
unapologetic that the figure of Bultmann "dominates the book," for the latter
"dominated the discipline in this century by achieving a unique synthesis of
theological and historical interpretation of the New Testament" (viii). The
major weakness of Bultmann's interpretation, according to Riches, was his
existentialism, which focused exclusively on the self-understanding of the
individual and so failed to adequately account for social and political factors in
religious belief (87-88).
The third section surveys the work done since Bultmann. It is presented
in five areas: Jesus studies, Pauline studies, Markan studies, Johannine studies,
and NT Theology. Riches reveals how the weaknesses of one scholar provides
fodder for the work of others, but without ever achieving any assured results
or consensus. He criticizes every major scholar for failing to answer the pressing
questions in a balanced way. Each has his or her own agenda that influences the
results. Riches concludes that in maintaining the important synthesis between
history and theology, "there has been no notable successor to Bultmann's
Theology of the New Testament" (204). Not only that, but none of the proposals
made for the future of NT theology suggest that it might be possible to revive
Bultmann's synthesis (229). Rather, all but Hans Urs von Balthasar have
abandoned the attempt to produce a biblical theology that is both historical and
'actualizing' (229).
While Riches yearns for a new synthesis between historical and theological
studies of the NT, he is pessimistic about the likelihood of achieving it. He
points out that to date there has been no consensus achieved in either the
theology or the historiography of the NT. He asks, "Is the discipline as a whole
able to resolve such debates within its present frame of reference?" and answers
his own question: "If not, it might well seem that it will have to change that
frame" (162). Speaking of Markan studies, he notes that the present
"considerable diversity" is "unlikely to be resolved in the immediate future"
(169). In fact, he adds, since "a comprehensive reconstruction of the history of
BOOK REVIEWS
321
the tradition behind Mark is impossible, ... to make such a reconstruction the
basis of any account of Mark's theology is to condemn the discipline to
confusion" (169-170). He says something very similar regarding the possibility
of constructing a NT theology in general. With regard to Krister StendahPs
program for moving from the historical to hermeneutical reflection on the
theological meaning, he writes, "Most obviously, it is a programme that cannot
easily, if at all, move beyond the first stage. The work of the descriptive
historian is never done, and the biblical theologian who embarks on the task of
translating such original meanings into some meaning for today is chronically
in danger of being false-footed by subsequent developments in New Testament
historiography" (204).
Riches sees in today's pluralistic cultures and global society an increasing
avoidance by scholarship of any objectification of faith that may lead to
confessionalism and the superior culturalism manifested in the past by the
liberal tradition, especially in Germany and England before World War n. He
does not deny the validity of a confessional tradition, but he hopes that they
will "see the future of that confession as lying in a greater openness to other
traditions and religions" (231).
The book is a valuable contribution to the discipline, but there are
several areas in which it could be improved. First, it is difficult to read, due in
large part to the small, crowded type without any subheads or divisions to rest
the eye or to signal changes in the flow of thought within the long chapters.
This, combined with the technical nature of the language and the extended,
detailed critical argumentation, may account for the very significant increase in
editorial errorsover twentyin the last hundred pages: the proofreader also
apparently became wearied with the text.
Second, it is often difficult to discern where Riches is reflecting the ideas
of his source as opposed to his own ideas. Sometimes he writes as though an
idea is his own, but then the reader will find a page credit showing that the idea
is taken from his source. Where there is no page credit given, there is frequently
no clear basis for distinguishing whose idea is being represented.
Third, two features of Riches writing were done to excess and should
have been given some editorial attention. One is his proclivity to use the
expression, "that is to say," which is used far more than necessary. The other
is his obsession with using the feminine gender throughout for all generic
personal pronouns. I found "he/she" and "him/her" used in only one place, the
masculine alone never. It may not be important, but it is distracting to the
average reader because it is frequently unrepresentative of the context. A
balanced approach would be better.
A Century of New Testament Study is challenging reading, but will
reward the diligent, and is recommended for all those with an interest in the
discipline of NT studies.
Adventist International Institute
EDWIN E. REYNOLDS
of Advanced Studies
Silang, Cavite, Philippines
322
Roennfeldt, Ray C. W. Clark H. Pinnock on Biblical Authority: An Evolving

Position. With a Foreword by C. H. Pinnock. Andrews University
Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series, no. 16. Berrien Springs, MI:
Andrews University Press, 1993. xxiv + 428 pp. $19.99.
For the last three decades, Clark Pinnock has been an especially
articulate and prolific contributor to the shaping of contemporary evangelical
theology. Flis observations on the nature and function of Scripture have been
provocative and influential. Thus, Ray Roennfeldt has performed a useful
service in providing us with an overview and critique of Pinnock's developing
convictions in this area.
After providing a brief history of Protestant discussions of inspiration
and revelation, and offering a biographical sketch of Pinnock and a survey of
his thinking about a variety of theological issues, Roennfeldt proceeds, in the
book's two central chapters, to examine the contrasting views of the "early" and
"later" Pinnock. Roennfeldt characterizes the early Pinnock as a thoughtful
apologist for the inerrantist view of Scripture. Opposing subjectivism, Pinnock
relied on "evidentialist" apologeticsdesigned to provide compelling rational
support for Christian beliefsto defend his position; he rejected appeals to the
inner testimony of the Holy Spirit as "some sort of mystical proof of
inerrancy." He argued for a view of inspiration in accordance with which
meticulous divine superintendence of the production of Scripture was
compatible with its origin in authentic, spontaneous human activity. And he
was generally skeptical of historical-critical methods of Bible study.
By 1984, Pinnock had adopted a more nuanced view, recognizing the
effects of divine accommodation and human weakness on the character of the
Bible. The role of the community of faithand not just individual authorsin
the process of Scripture's formation received greater recognition. The function
of the Bible became more important as a source of guidance for understanding
its nature and meaning. Historical-critical techniques merited some qualified
affirmation. And, perhaps most interestingly, Pinnock's earlier rationalism had
given way to a new emphasis on the inner witness of the Spirit as
helpingalong with rational apologetics, to be sureto authenticate the
reliability of biblical teachings.
Roennfeldt concludes by assessing the contrasting views of the earlier
and later Pinnock and offering brief suggestions for further study and reflection.
The early Pinnock is criticized for inattention to the human aspects of the
Bible's composition and transmission as well as for excessive rationalism. In
addition, according to Roennfeldt, he was insufficiently clear how attention to
the apparent intentions of the biblical writers, which Pinnock regarded as
normative, might be used to determine what they did and did not seek to
communicateand thus to what precisely the quality of inerrancy might be
supposed to apply. The later Pinnock, says Roennfeldt, overstresses the human
dimension of Scripture and the complications resulting from God's
accommodation to humankind in the process of inspiration and endorses
historical criticism too uncritically.
BOOK REVIEWS
323
Roennfeldt suggests that the most significant factor likely accounting for
Pinnock's changing position seems to have been his growing recognition of the
reality and importance of creaturely freedom. And he concludes by suggesting
that this may be an especially important lesson to be learned from Pinnock. He
is surely right. For a strict Calvinist, God determines everything that occurs;
human freedom is understood in such a way that it is compatible with
thoroughgoing divine predestination. So there is no conflict, from a Calvinist
perspective, between saying both that a thoroughly human story can be told
about the origin of Scripture and that it contains precisely what God intended.
But a broadly Arminian theologylike that endorsed by Pinnock and Seventhday Adventistspresupposes a different view of freedom. On such a view,
human beings must be understood as capable of actingbecause of sin,
ignorance, and finitudein ways contrary to God's purposes. God cannot be
supposed to be able unilaterally to determine what a biblical writer will write
and thus preserve her or him from all errorand simultaneously respect the
biblical writer's freedom. Thus, we cannot defend a priori inerrancy if we wish
to take human freedom seriously.
Pinnock's theological development represents an appropriate outgrowth
of his increased awareness of tensions within traditional Calvinist theology and
a welcome embracing of the implications of belief in human freedom for
Christian doctrine. Roennfeldt's extensive engagement with Pinnock's thought
should be a useful source of encouragement for Roennfeldt's fellow Adventists
always uncomfortable with Calvinism and serious about freedomto continue
reflecting on the manner in which divine action takes place in and through the
actions of free creatures without, as Austin Farrer put it, "faking or forcing the
natural story." A recognition of the constraints accepted by God in creating free
persons and a regular natural order with an integrity of its own is surely
consonant with many central Christian convictions. Bearing these constraints
in mind should enable us to characterize the nature of God's work in the world
more fruitfully than we would be able to do if we sought to defend a position
more akin to Calvinist absolutism.
An emphasis on the role of the Spirit in authenticating the truth of
Scripture is understandable as a response to the complexities created by
Pinnock's new view of the biblical materials themselves. A Bible of the sort
Pinnock now envisions may not be capable of providing the basis for all of the
rigorous apologetic arguments he defended earlier in his career. But his earlier
discomfort with subjectivism seems more helpful than the assumption that the
Spirit can be the source of a confidence that evidence and argument cannot
provide. The claim that the Spirit's testimony is the ground of our confidence
in Scripture's reliability sounds pious, and undoubtedly offers security in the
face of confusion and complexity. But a reliance on the Spirit to authenticate
the Bible subjectively, internally, rather than through the process of study,
reflection, and discussion, can only open the door to irrationalism. Pinnock has
not, of course, abandoned reason; he continues to regard evidence and argument
as important. But a position that insulates Christian truth-claims from rational
324
evaluation runs the risk of turning them into the private property of a gnostic
sect.
Traditional evidentialist apologetics are undoubtedly deficient;
evidentialism is worth rejecting. But this is a problem faced by evidentialism not
only in theology but in all other areas of lifescience, history, moralsas well.
New "postmodern" models of rationality can justify appropriate confidence
without rendering some or all Christian beliefs immune to rational criticism.
This pathreflected in such works as Nicholas Wolterstorff's Reason within the
Bounds of Religion and William Placher's Unapologetic Theology: A Christian
Voice in a Pluralistic Conversationholds out the promise of taking rationality
seriously without allowing Christian convictions to be undercut by a dubious
rationalism. I would argue that it is to such an approach that we would do best
to look in our attempts to find a basis for confidence in the face of our
realization of the human element in Scripture.
Adventists and others will therefore no doubt continue to be stimulated
by Pinnock's ongoing exploration of difficult theological questions. The process
of understanding his further contributions to Christian thought will doubtless
be facilitated by the systematic analysis provided by Roennfeldt's study of his
theology of Scripture, for which we can thus be grateful. Because of its focus
on Pinnock, this book does not directly resolveor attempt to resolvethe
broader issues with which its subject has been preoccupied. It is thus to be
hoped that Ray Roennfeldt will follow his study of Pinnock with a constructive
statement of his own regarding the topic of inspiration and authority, drawing
on the insights gained in the course of writing this book and calculated to carry
an important conversation further.
La Sierra University
GARY CHARTIER
Sanders, Jack T. Schismatics, Sectarians, Dissidents, Deviants: The First One

Hundred Years ofJewish-Christian Relations. Valley Forge: Trinity Press
International, 1993. xxiii + 404 pp. Paper, $30.00.
There are many works which study the split between early Christianity
and Judaism. Sanders' work sets itself apart from the others by taking a
sociological approach to the problem. Sanders reaches beyond the question of
what beliefs and practices divided the two, and asks how these differences
affected the members of the two groups and how they responded to the
growing division.
Sanders' book is divided into six sections. The first two sections deal
with Jewish-Christian relations in Palestine before A.D. 70 and between 70 and
135 (the Bar-Kochba revolt), with a third section for further social analysis. The
next two sections deal with the situation in Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, and
Rome, again with a third section for further analysis. A one-page Concluding
Postscript completes the text. There are 89 pages of endnotes (the book is best
read with two bookmarks), a bibliography and three indexes.
BOOK REVIEWS
325
Almost all analyses of the split between Judaism and Christianity suffer
from the ideological bias of the authors. Sanders's work is certainly no
exception. Ostensibly Sanders is suspicious of the evidence found in Acts
because of its sectarian stance and because its explanations do not fit sociological
categories. However, Sanders' distrust of Acts is more personal than scientific.
On the last page (258) Sanders states that Acts "caricatured" the Jews, one of a
multitude of denigrating remarks about Acts in this book, and thus Sanders is
incapable of finding any historical value in Acts at all. Far from being impartial,
Sanders is offended, and this attitude is obvious throughout the book.
Hints of Sanders' bias are felt early. On pages 2-3 Sanders expresses his
doubts over the persecution accounts of Acts. He describes his reaction as
"incredulous" and notes that Acts gives "no credible reason for the persecution
of the church." In this case Sanders assumes far more uniformity of Jewish
identity and Roman provincial administration than is warranted from historical
accounts. Rather, the various mob actions described in Acts are well within the
realm of the probable. As noted, Sanders is incapable of finding historical
reliability of any kind in Acts.
Sanders' bias becomes even more obvious in a major blunder on page 45.
On the basis of John 7:20 Sanders concludes that the Jews of the period when
the gospel was written were not trying to kill Christians. However, this
statement accuses Jesus (the subject of the book) of having a demon, and occurs
within a Christian work. The Gospel does not intend that the statement by the
Jews be taken at face value. In light of chapters 18-19, John 7:19-20 is a
foreshadowing of the crucifixion. If this text has sociological significance for the
period in which it was written, it makes clear that Christians feared for their
lives where Jews held power. As this is a Christian text, it is a poor witness to
how the Jews themselves expressed their attitude. Even so, Sanders uses this text
to show that Jews were not trying to kill Christians. Sanders simply cannot
accept the idea that early Christianity could arouse the level of persecution
indicated in Acts and implied in the Gospel of John. All texts are bent in
support of this bias.
Not even Sanders is able to fend off the various textual witnesses to antiChristian violence in this period. On page 89 he studies the Josephus account
in which James and other Christian leaders are executed during a period of
Roman absence. Thus he admits to the possibility that "official Judaism" would
have done likewise earlier if it had possessed the temporal power to do so. Even
here he does not specify execution or mob violence as part of that possibility,
though Josephus does so.
In spite of his shortcomings, Sanders' sociological analysis is helpful.
Relying on a sociological construct of deviance reaction, Sanders finds that the
split between Christianity and Judaism in Palestine was conditioned, if not
propelled by a social-identity crisis within Judaism, and such crises tend to
result in boundary maintenance and exclusion of deviant groups (133-141).
In the second half of the book Sanders finds almost no evidence
concerning Jewish-Christian relations (excluding Acts, as well as any other
literature which does describe Jewish-Christian relations). Here the emphasis
326
ends up on gentile-Christian relations, and Sanders' model is social evolution,

in particular allopatric speciation. Again, in spite of his biases Sanders does
manage to provide useful constructs for understanding Christian development
as well as opposition from the imperium.
For all its deficiencies, this book is an interesting foray into the social
questions of the split between Judaism and Christianity. If Sanders' answers are
suspect, the types of questions he asks and the sociological models he employs
are seminal.
Madison, WI 53713
JAMES E. MILLER
Strickland, Wayne G., ed. The Law, the Gospel, and the Modern Christian: Five
Views. Grand Rapids, ML Zondervan, 1993. 256 pp. Softcover, $12.99.
Using the more and more familiar format of a "Views" book, this
collection of essays presents five major approaches to the law-gospel issue in
Protestant circles. After each of the five essays of this volume, the other four
contributors offer their personal responses.
In chapter 1, under the title "The Law is the Perfection of Righteousness
in Jesus Christ: A Reformed Perspective," Willem A. vanGemeren presents the
"non-theonomic Reformed view" (11). Arguing from the premises of Covenant
Theology, with constant references to John Calvin and the Westminster
Confession, Professor vanGemeren exposes his view on the law through the
history of Redemption. His main point is that, since God does not change, the
law of God remains virtually the same throughout redemptive history. The new
covenant "is the same in substance as the old covenant" (36). Jesus not only did
not abrogate the law, but "he called for a more radical observance" (38). Grace
is necessary for obedience of the law, but "sole dependence on grace without the
responsible use of the law leads to antinomianism" (42, quoting John Murray,
Principles, 182). This means that, of the three uses of the law, the usus tertius is
the most important, as God's appointed instrument of sanctification (54).
W. vanGemeren is particularly to be commended for recalling Calvin's
two principles of interpretation: (1) "the commandment addresses inward and
spiritual righteousness," and (2) "the commandments and prohibitions always
contain more than expressed in words" (75). But an unsolved incoherence
remains in his explanation of how the ceremonial and juridical aspects of an
everlasting law have been abrogated and nailed to the cross (Col 2:14).
In chapter 2, from what Greg L. Bahnsen calls "The Theonomic
Reformed Approach," he argues against dispensationalism, for the continuing
validity of the moral demands of the Old Testament law. The fact that God
judges the pagan nations by the same moral standard as the Mosaic law proves
that he does not have a double standard of morality, one for Israel and one for
the Gentiles. Consequently "it is unreasonable to expect that the coming of the
Messiah and the institution of the new covenant would alter the moral demands
of God revealed in his law" (112). On this rationale Bahnsen justifies the
BOOK REVIEWS
327
theonomists' commitment to the transformation of every area of life, including

the socio-political realm, in accordance with the biblical principles, against the
"misguided American conception" of the separation of church and state (129),
and claims that "the civil precepts of the Old Testament are a model of perfect
social justice for all cultures, even in the punishment of criminals" (142).
Besides the very positive points out to this presentation, the critiques
observe that Bahnsen's reconstructionism does not give sufficient attention to
Christ's sacrifice and to the new position in Christ of the believers whom he
has delivered from the condemnation of the law. The Bible agrees with the
reconstructionists that God desires to remake our society and not just the
individual, it does not share, however, their optimism about the likelihood of
this happening before the return of Christ. (For the full controversy see W. S.
Baker and W. R. Godfrey, eds., Theonomy: A Reformed Critique [Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1990], and G. North, ed., Theonomy: An Informed Response [Tyler:
Institute for Christian Economics, 1991]).
Chapter 3 presents the position of Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., on "the Law as
God's gracious guidance for the promotion of holiness." Although this essay is
not as extensive as the others in this book, its methodological strength,
exegetical vigor and conceptual clarity, surpasses many. The author addresses,
among other topics: the unity of the law; the hypothetical offer of eternal life
to all who obey the law (against Alva J. McClain), the legalistic "if" of Lev 18:5,
Ex 19:8, and 23:3, 7 (190); and the understanding of Tora nomos as "law" instead
of "teaching and instruction" (194). Keeping in tension both value and
discontinuity, he concludes that only "the weightier matters of the law of Moses
are binding on believers today" (227). He fails to prove exactly what these
weightier matters include.
In chapter Four, dispensationalist Wayne G. Strickland pretends to
depart from "the traditional dispensational view which advocates two ways of
salvation in the Bible, one based on compliance with Mosaic law and the second
based on faith in Christ" (232), but keeps rooted, on the assumption that "the
economy of the law has been superseded by the dispensation of grace" (247). On
the basis of his understanding of Rom 10:4 and other "classic" proof texts, he
concludes that "the Mosaic law is antithetical to the gospel and has no part of
it" (279). The discontinuity between law and Gospel is therefore a systemic issue
in Strickland's presentation, which raises important questions regarding the
place of God's law in the new covenant, the relationships between Israel and the
church, and the events related to the millennial and biblical eschatology. The
reasoning, questionable on linguistics (namely on plerosai and on nomos and
telos), never proves why the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ must be
incompatible with the essence of the law given by God to Israel. The
interpretation of the texts, especially Mt 5:17-19, runs against the logic of the
Bible itself, forced by the dispensational a priori ("The law is not eternal," "The
law was for Israel only") as Bahnsen (290-301) and Kaiser (302-308) show in their
reactions.
The fifth and last chapter, by Douglas J. Moo, is entitled "The Law of
Christ: A Modified Lutheran View." Despite the encouraging statement, at the
328
beginning, that "the traditional approach needs to be modified by greater

attention to the salvation-historical perspective of the Scripture" (321), the
author fails to accomplish his good intentions, giving a rather negative picture
of the Mosaic law as "no longer a direct and immediate source of, or judge of,
the conduct of God's people" (343). D. Moo's position is, consequently, not
very different from that of the dispensationalists. His radical separation of law
and gospel into respective eras, "before" and "after" Christ, as well as his
principle that only what is clearly repeated in the NT is binding for Christians,
is not supported by the biblical evidence, and fails to explain why the law of
Christ needs to be incompatible with the law of God.
In conclusion, each of the contributors to this volume argue that his
approach is best able to solve the gospel and law problem, but, in fact, none
seems to have all the answers. The diverse theological and hermeneutical
framework of the different confessions still dictate which texts are given
precedence and must be used to interpret others. So, despite the tremendous
amount of homework accomplished by our authors, much work remains still
to be done, whether in textual exegesis, cultural analysis, or theological and
moral reasoning. Their stimulating essays, with their rich bibliography (available
only in footnotes) provide helps for further research. Everybody may agree with
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., that "the time for a powerful proclamation of the proper
uses of the law is now long overdue. ... It is time for the dispute to come to
an end" (75). It is time, also, that the energies be focused on discerning, by the
work of the Spirit, how the law of God can be both understood and applied in
a way that is faithful to Scripture.
Institut Adventiste du Saleve
Collonges Sous Saleve, France
ROBERTO BADENAS
Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism. Urbana, IL:

University of Illinois Press, 1993. vi + 213 pp. $24.95.
The Millenarian World of Early Mormonism seeks to unite the scholarly
worlds of Mormonism and millennialism. Both areas of scholarship have
blossomed in recent years, but for various reasons the study of Mormonism as
a millennial movement has received scant attention in spite of the seeming
obviousness of the topic. It is into that vacuum that Grant Underwood,
associate professor of religion at Brigham Young University in Hawaii, moves
with his book.
Correctly interpreting millenarianism as a comprehensive way of looking
at life, Underwood demonstrates that the millennial model best helps us
understand the entire universe of Mormon thought and action during the
church's earliest years.
One of the important tasks accomplished by Underwood is that of
definitely demonstrating that early Mormonism's eschatology was thoroughly
premillennial. That task was crucial to the book, since earlier treatments of
BOOK REVIEWS
329
Mormonism had at times viewed the movement as having postmillennial

attributes. That was partly because of its "kingdom-building rhetoric" and partly
because talk of an immediate end of the world began to subside about the end
of the nineteenth century. Underwood's second chapter ties down the
premillennial nature of early Mormonism in a manner that clears up the issues
involved. Chapter one had set the stage for that understanding by tracing the
eschatological background of Mormonism from the early church up through the
nineteenth century.
Chapter three examines early Mormonism's apocalyptic dualism.
Underwood notes that millenarian apocalypticists have traditionally divided the
world into opposing factions that run along at least two lines: first, the faithful
remnant versus the evil establishment, and second, the elect of the remnant who
will experience the kingdom versus the opposition who will in the end be
damned. In this manner Underwood again demonstrates his millenarian thesis.
Chapters four and five examine the use of authority from both the Bible
and the Book of Mormon as they relate to Mormon eschatological thought. He
finds millenarian expectations conditioning what Mormons saw in Scripture as
well as how they interpreted it.
While concluding that Mormon use of the Bible indicated a millenarian
belief, Underwood points out there may have been "little intrinsically
'Mormon'" about their understanding of the topic from the Bible, since that
understanding may have merely reflected "contemporary patterns of millenarian
interpretation" (76). That is where his treatment of the Book of Mormon in
chapter five takes on importance, since that volume had "no history of
interpretation, no published commentaries, no standard exegesis" (76). Thus a
study of the Book of Mormon provided an independent source against which
the conclusions of previous chapters could be tested. Once again Underwood
demonstrated the millenarian bias of early Mormonism.
Having made his point on the premillennial orientation of early
Mormonism in the first five chapters, chapters six through eight focus on
comparisons between Mormons and other millenarians. Chapter six examines
what Mormons criticized and supported in early nineteenth-century society and
concludes that they were "moderate" millenarians who were quite a part of the
dominant culture.
Chapter seven narrows the focus to comparing the two foremost
premillennial movements of the daythe "moderate" Mormons and the more
radical Millerites. Underwood found these two movements to be in an
adversarial relationship and attributed to Millerism the abatement among Latter
Day Saints of the sense that the second coming was imminent. Joseph Smith in
the final eighteen months of his life took the lead in that shift of ideas. Smith's
reaction to Millerism had modified his thinking.
The book's last chapter compares American and British Mormonism to
see if the millennial aspect was merely an American phenomenon or whether
it was of fundamental importance to the Mormon way of thinking. Underwood
again sees the centrality of the millennial understanding of the church. The
330
volume's epilogue treats the moderation of the more abrasive features of

Mormon millenarianism in the twentieth century.
The Millennial World of Early Mormonism is an important contribution
to the study of both Mormon theology and nineteenth-century millenarian
thought. It is especially insightful for those who have an interest in the
millennial ideas of the 1830s and 1840s.
Andrews University
GEORGE R. KNIGHT
BOOK NOTES
Countryman, L. William. The New
Ahhuv, S., and B. A. Levine, eds.

Avraham Malamat Volume. EretzIsrael: Archaeologkal, Historical, and
Geographical Studies, 24. Jerusalem:
Israel Exploration Society, 1993.
NonHebrew section, pp. viii + 241:
Hebrew section, pp. xviii + 197.
$90.00.
This volume of the Eretz Israel
series is dedicated to Avraham Malamat
on the occasion of his 75th birthday. It
is made up of 30 essays in English,
French, and German, and 29 in
Hebrew. English summaries are
provided for non-English articles. In
addition, the editors present a
bibliography of Professor Malamat's
contributions with a brief description
of his career.
MICHAEL G. HASEL
Testament Is in Greek: A Short

Course for Exegetes. Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans, 1993. 208 pp.
Paperback, $14.99.
Designed for a one-semester course,
this textbook concentrates on reading
rather than on grammar It offers
lessons in exegesis and the use of its
standard tools.
De Gruchy, John W., and Charles
Villa-Vicencio, eds. Theology and
Praxis. Vol. 1, Doing Theology in
Context: South African Perspectives.
Vol. 2, Doing Ethics in Context:
South African Perspectives. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books; Cape
Town and Johannesburg: David
Philip, 1994.
These two volumes are the first of a
series reflecting the ecumenicity and
pluralism of current South African
theology. Volume I includes chapters
on Theology, Scripture, Faith, and the
doctrines of God, Creation, and Redemption. It also surveys a variety of
African theologies, including confessing, black, liberation, feminist, and
Kairos theologies. Volume 2 covers
ethics from various African perspectives, including chapters on medical
ethics, abortion, AIDS, euthanasia,
political ethics, war and violence,
human rights, economic justice, and
ecology.
Breckenridge, James, and Lillian Breckenridge. What Color Is Your God?

Multicultural Education in the
Church. Wheaton, IL: Bridgepoint/
Victor Books, 1995. 288 pp. Paper,
$14.99.
This book addresses the challenge of
multiculturalism in the North American church. After suggesting a theological framework for cultural sensitivity, the authors address the specific
cultures of African-Americans, AsianAmericans, Hispanic-Americans, and
Native-Americans.
Carlson, Jeffrey, and Robert A.
Ludwig, eds. Jesus and Faith: A
Conversation on the Work of John
Dominic Crossan. Maryknoll, NY:
Orbis Books, 1993. $18.95.
This is an edited collection of papers
from the 1993 conference on Crossan
at DePaul University, to which
Crossan himself responds.
Moon, Jerry. W. C. White and Ellen G.

White: The Relationship between the
Prophet and Her Son. Andrews
University Seminary Doctoral
Dissertation Series, vol. 19. Berrien
Springs, MI: Andrews University
Press, 1993. xxiii + 473 pp. $19.95.
331
332
William C. White (1854-1937) held

major posts in the SDA denomination
including acting General Conference
president. He was best known as an
assistant to his mother, Ellen G. White.
The study investigates the 61-year
mother-son relationship, especially
with reference to the question of his
influence on her.
Peterson, Rodney L., ed. Christianity
and Civil Society: Theological Educa
tion for Public Life. The Boston
Theological Institute, vol. 4.
Cambridge, MS: The Boston Theological Institute; and Maryknoll,
NY: Orbis Books, 1995. xxvi +
166pp. Paper, $16.95.
Nine contributors from the Boston
Theological Institute address the place
of Christianity in civil society in the
United States and how theological
education can prepare church leaders to
speak to the issues of public life.
Scott, Bernard Brandon, Margaret
Dean, Kristen Sparks, and Frances
LaZar. Reading New Testament
Greek: Complete Word Lists and
Reader's Guide. Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.
216 pp. Paper, $14.95.
Vocabulary occurring 10 times or
more is listed by frequency; words
appearing fewer than 10 times are listed
alphabetically by chapter. Standard
paradigms and an index to words in
the first part are included.
Steele, Michael R. Christianity, Tragedy,
and Holocaust Literature. Contributions to the Study of Religion,
no. 41. Westport, CN: Greenwood
Press, 1995. 208 pp. $49.95.
Michael R. Steele is a professor at
Pacific University and president of the
Oregon Holocaust Resource Center.
He appeals for a new theory of tragedy
which would allow an understanding

of Holocaust literature without
Christian interpretive biases.
Van Wyk, Koot. Squatters in Moab: A
Study in Iconography, History,
Epigraphy, Orthography, Ethno
graphy, Religion and Linguistics of
the ANE. Berrien Center, MI: Louis
Hester Publications, 1993.
The problem with dating Moabite
seals is that a single seal usually displays "a mixture of forms from various
cultures surrounding Moab and even of
different time periods." Through a
multiplex approach, van Wyk attempts
to discover how seal cutters acquired
their "orthographic idiosyncracies" (9).
Wagner, Walter H. After the Apostles:
Christianity in the Second Century.
Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994.
xv + 287 pp. Paper, $16.00.
Wagner devotes 40 pp. to the
second-century political context, 65 pp.
to five major issues Christians faced,
and 67 pp. to the responses to these
issues given by Ignatus, Justin Martyr,
Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and
Irenaeus.
Winter, Bruce W., ed. The Book of
Acts in the First Century Setting.
Vol. 5, The Book of Acts in Its
Diaspora
Setting,
by
Irina
Levinskala. Grand Rapids, MI:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1995. 450 pp. Cloth, $37.50.
Irina Levinskala, a researcher at the
Russian Academy of Sciences,
St. Petersburg, challenges traditional
views of first-century Jewish missionary activity, arguing that Diaspora Jews
were looking not for converts but for
"God-fearers" who enhanced Jewish
relationships with Roman authorities.
This supports Luke's understanding of
the "God-fearers."
INDEX TO VOLUME 33 (1995)

TRIBUTE TO KENNETH A. STRAND
"Mr. AUSS" - Nancy J. Vyhmeister ...................... 164

Kenneth A. Strand: Editor, Author, Pastor, Teacher,
Administrator, and Friend George R. Knight ........... 167
Kenneth A. Strand Bibliography ......................... 171
ARTICLES
BALDWIN, JOHN T. Luther's Eschatological Appraisal

of the Turkish Threat in Eine Heerpredigt
wider den Tiirken ............................... 185
CANALE, FERNANDO L. Revelation and Inspiration:
The Historical-Cognitive Model ....................... 5
FISHER, PAUL A. A Trinitarian Foundation
for Self-Esteem ................................... 39
FORD, JOSEPHINE MASSINGBAERDE. The Construction

of the Other: The Antichrist ....................... 203
HASEL, GERHARD F. Recent Models of Biblical Theology:
Three Major Perspectives ............................ 55
KLINGBEIL, GERALD A. The Aramaic Ostracon
From Lachish: A New Reading and Interpretation .......... 77
MdVER, ROBERT K. The Sabbath in the Gospel of
Matthew: A Paradigm for Understanding the
Law in Matthew? ............................... 231
PAULIEN, JON. The Role of the Hebrew Cultus,
Sanctuary, and Temple in the Plot and Structure
of the Book of Revelation ......................... 245
VAN WYK, A. G. From "Applied Theology" to
"Practical Theology" ............................... 85
VYHMEISTER, NANCY J. The Rich Man in James 2: Does
Ancient Patronage Illumine the Text? ................. 265
ANDREWS UNIVERSITY DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS
HASEL, FRANK MICHAEL. Scripture in the Theologies of

W. Pannenberg and D. G. Bloesch: An Investigation and
Assessment of Its Origin, Nature, and Use .............. 285
RELING, HANS-OTTO. The Composition of Tripolar Pronouncement
Stories in the Gospel of Mark ....................... 286
REYNOLDS, EDWIN EARL. The Sodom/Egypt Motif in the Book
of Revelation .................................. 287
BOOK REVIEWS
Alden, Robert, fob. New American Commentary,
vol. 11 (Lael Caesar) ............................. 103
333
334
j
i
INDEX 1995
Baird, William. History of New Testament Research.

Vol. 1, From Deism to Tubingen (Matthew Kent) ..........
Bauckham, Richard. The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on
the Book of Revelation (Ekkehardt Miiller) ...............
Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed. The Archaeology of Ancient
Israel (Michael G. Hasel) ...........................
Blumhofer, Edith L. Restoring the Faith: The Assemblies of God
Pentecostalism, and American Culture (George Knight) .......
Blumhofer, Edith L., and Randall Balmer, eds. Modem
Christian Revivals (Gary Land) .......................
Brecht, Martin. Martin Luther: The Preservation
of the Church 1532-1546 (Kenneth A. Strand) .............
Brueggemann, Walter. Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism:
Living in a Three-Storied Universe (Russell Burrill) ..........
Christensen, Duane L., ed. A Song of Power and the Power
of Song: Essays on the Book of Deuteronomy (Zeljko Gregor) . . .
Clouse, Bonidell. Teaching for Moral Growth:
A Guide for the Christian CommunityTeachers,
Parents, and Pastors (Winston Ferris) ...................
Cohen, Mark E. The Cultic Calendars of the
Ancient Near East (Roy Gane) .......................
Collins, John J. Daniel: A Commentary on the
Book of Daniel, Hermeneia 0ames E. Miller) .............
Dobbs-Allsopp, F. W. Weep, O Daughter of Zion:
A Study of the City-Lament Genre in the Hebrew
Bible. Biblica et Orientalia, no. 44 (Paul D. Duerksen) .......
Doukhan, Jacques. Hebrew for Theologians: A Textbook
for the Study of Biblical Hebrew in Relation to
Hebrew Thinking (Beatrice S. Neall) ...................
Epp, Eldon Jay, and Gordon D. Fee. Studies in the Theory
and Method of New Testament Textual Criticism
(Paul Dean Duerksen) .............................
Erickson, Millard J. The Evangelical Mind and Heart:Perspectives on Theological and Practical Issues (Woodrow Whidden) ...
Farris, T. V. Mighty to Save: A Study in
Old Testament Soteriology (fames E. Miller) ..............
Ferguson, Everett, ed. Early Christianity
and Judaism (Warren C. Trenchard) ...................
Gangel, Kenneth O., and James C. Wilhoit, eds.
The Christian Educator's Handbook on Adult
Education (Nancy J. Vyhmeister) .....................
Gilkey, Langdon. Nature, Reality, and the Sacred:
The Nexus of Science and Religion (Martin Frederick Hanna) . . .
Hawthorne, Gerald F., and Ralph P. Martin, eds.
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (Sakae Kubo) ...........
Honderich, Ted. How Free Are You?:
The Determinism Problem (Gerald Wheeler) ..............
105
288
290
106
292
294
108
110
Ill
295
113
115
297
116
118
119
120
299
300
122
123
SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN (1995)
335
Johnstone, William, lain McCafferty, and James D. Martin.

Computerised Introductory Hebrew
Grammar (Miary Andriamiarisoa) ..................... 303
Korsak, Mary Phil. At the Start: Genesis
Made New (Leona Glidden Running) ................... 125
Kubo, Sakae. The God of Relationships: How the Gospel
Helps Us Reach Across Barriers such as Race,
Culture, and Gender (Leona Glidden Running) ............ 127
Kyle, Richard. The Religious Fringe: A History
of Alternative Religions in America (Woodrow W. Whidden) . . 127
Land, Richard D., and Louis A. Moore, eds. Citizen
Christians: The Rights and Responsibilities of
Dual Citizenship (Brian W. Harper) .................... 129
Lane, William L. Hebrews 1-8 and
Hebrews 9-13 (Matthew M. Kent) ..................... 305
Levine, Baruch. Numbers 1-20: A New
Translation with Introduction and Commentary
The Anchor Bible, vol. 4a (Roy Gane) ................. 131
Liechty, Daniel. Sabbatarianism in the Sixteenth
Century: A Page in the History of the Radical
Reformation (Kenneth A. Strand) ..................... 307
Linnemann, Eta. Is There a Synoptic Problem?:
Rethinking the Literary Dependence of the First
Three Gospels (Edwin E. Reynolds) .................... 309
Mack, Burton L. The Lost Gospel: The Book
ofQ and Christian Origins (Robert K. Mclver) ............ 132
Mandell, Sara, and David Noel Freedman.
The Relationship Between Herodotus' History
and Primary History 0ames E. Miller) .................. 134
Mather, George A., and Larry A. Nichols. Dictionary
of Cults, Sects, Religions, and the Occult (Reinder Bruinsma) . . . 136
McConville, J. Gordon. Grace in the End: A Study
in Deuteronomic Theology (Paul Dean Duerksen) ........... 310
McGrath, Alister E., ed. The Blackwell Encyclopedia
of Modern Christian Thought (Frank M. Hasel) ............ 137
Millar, Fergis. The Roman Near East 31 B.C.-A.D. 337
(Howard P. Krug) ............................... 312
Minor, Mark. Literay-Critical Approaches to
the Bible: An Annotated Bibliography (Miary Andriamiarisoa) . . 139
Neusner, Jacob. Israel's Love Affair with God:
Song of Songs (Paul D. Duerksen) ..................... 140
Olson, Jeannine E. One Ministry, Many Roles: Deacons and
Deaconesses through the Centuries (Roger L. Dudley) ........ 313
Peterson, David. Engaging -with God: A Biblical
Theology of Worship (Steven P. Vitrano) ................. 142
Pinnock, Clark H. A Wideness in God's Mercy: The Finality
of Christ in a World of Religions (Samuel Koranteng-Pipim) ... 315
336
INDEX 1995
Rainer, Thorn S. The Book of Church Growth:

History, Theology, and Principles (Roland J. Hill) ...........
Rhodes, Ron. Christ Before the Manger: The Life and Times
of the Preincarnate Christ (Martin Frederick Hanna) ........
Riches, John K. A Century of New Testament
Study (Edwin E. Reynolds) ..........................
Roennfeldt, Ray C. W. Clark H. Pinnock on
Biblical Authority: An Evolving Position (Gary Chartier) ......
Roozen, David A., and C. Kirk Hadaway, eds. Church and
145
318
320
322
Denominational Growth: What Does (and Does Not)

Cause Growth or Decline (Lawrence G. Downing) ..........
Sanders, Jack T. Schismatics, Sectarians, Dissidents,
Deviants: The First One Hundred Years of
Jewish-Christian Relations (James E. Miller) ...............
Scroggs, Robin. The Text and the Times:
New Testament Essays for Today (Ronald L. Jolliffe) .........
Seitz, Christopher R. Isaiah 1-39.
Interpretation Commentary Series (James E. Miller) ........
Smith, Ralph L. Old Testament Theology:
145
324
147
149
Its History, Method, and Message (Gerald Wheeler) .......... 150

Stenger, Werner. Introduction to New
Testament Exegesis (Hermann V. A. Kuma)
.............. 151
Stern, Ephraim, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Archaeo

logical Excavations in the Holy Land. 4 vols. (David Merling) . . 152
Strickland, Wayne G., ed. The Law, the Gospel, and
the Modern Christian: Five Views (Roberto Badenas) ........ 326
Underwood, Grant. The Millenarian World of Early
Mormonism (George R. Knight) ......................
Van Dijk-Hemmes, Fokkelien, and Athalya Brenner.
On Gendering Texts: Female and Male Voices
in the Hebrew Bible (Leona Glidden Running) ............
Wood, Bryant G. The Sociology of Pottery in Ancient
Palestine: The Ceramic Industry and the Diffusion of
Ceramic Style in the Bronze and Iron Ages (David Merling) ....
Yonge, C. D., trans. The Works ofPhilo (Mario Veloso) .........
328
154
155
157
BOOK NOTICES .................................. 159, 331

INDEX TO VOLUME 33 .............................. 333
*
>
![
55-
>!
The articles in this journal are indexed, abstracted, or listed in: Elenchus of
Biblica; Internationale Zeitschriftenschau fur Bibelwissenschaft und Grenzgebiete;
New Testament Abstracts; Old Testament Abstracts; Orientalistische
Literaturzeitung; Religion Index One; Periodicals; Religious and Theological
Abstracts; Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index; Theologische Zeitschrift; Zeitschrift
fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft.
ISSN 0003-2980
I INDEX TO VOLUME 32 (1994)

EDITORIAL: ChangeThe Unchanging Reality .................. 164
TRIBUTE: SIEGFRIED H. HORN: 1908-1993 ....................... 4
TRIBUTE: The Adventist Heritage Center,
and a Tribute to its First Curator ........................... 107
TRIBUTE: Gerhard F. Hasel, 1935-1994 ........................ 166
ARTICLES
CANALE, FERNANDO. Revelation and Inspiration:
The Classical Model ...................................... 7
CANALE, FERNANDO. Revelation and Inspiration:
The Liberal Model ...................................... 169
DOUKHAN, JACQUES B. The Aqedah at the "Crossroad": Its
Significance in the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dialogue .............. 29
GULLEY, NORMAN R. Progressive Dispensationalism:
A Review of a Recent Publication ............................ 41
HARDY, FRANK B. The Hebrew Singular for "Week" in the
Expression "One Week" in Daniel 9:27 ....................... 197
HASEL, GERHARD F. The Nature of Biblical Theology:
Recent Trends and Issues ................................. 203
HELM, ROBERT. Azazel in Early Jewish Tradition ................. 217
LAND, GARY. The Historians and the Millerites:
An Historiographical Review .............................. 227
SHEA, WILLIAM H. Sargon's Azekah Inscription: The
Earliest Extrabiblical Reference to the Sabbath? ................. 247
STEFANOVIC, ZDRAVKO. The Great Reversal: Thematic
Links between Genesis 2 and 3 .............................. 47
STRAND, KENNETH. Some Significant Americana:
The Saur German Bibles ................................... 57
ANDREWS UNIVERSITY DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS
KlM, Kl KON. The Signs of the Parousia: A Diachronic and
Comparative Study of the Apocalyptic Vocabulary of
of Matthew 24:27-31 .....................................
MULLER, EKKEHARDT. The Microstructure of Revelation 4-11 .........
OWUSU-ANTWI, BREMPONG. An Investigation of the
Chronology of Daniel 9:24-27 ..............................
TERREROS, MARCO T. Death Defore the Sin of Adam: A
Fundamental Concept in Theistic Evolution and Its
Implications for Evangelical Theology ........................
Ill
112
113
114
BOOK REVIEWS
Bailey, Raymond, ed. Hermeneutics for Preaching: Approaches to
Contemporary Interpretation of Scripture (Deane Nelson) ............. 252
Baloian, Brace Edward. Anger in the Old Testament (Frank M. Hasel) ..... 253
Beetham, Frank. An Introduction to New Testament Greek
(Nancy J. Vyhmeister) .................................... 255

Bierling, Neal. Giving Goliath His Due: New Archaeological
Light on the Philistines (Ralph E. Hendrix) ...................... 115

Black, David Alan. Learn to Read New Testament Greek
(Nancy J. Vyhmeister) .................................... 255

Black, David A., Katharine Barnwell, and Stephen Levinsohn, eds.
Linguistics and New Testament Interpretation:
Essays on Discourse Analysis (Ekkehardt Miiller) ................... 258

Bosnian, H. L., I.G.P. Gous, I.J.J. Spangenberg, eds.
Plutocrats and Paupers: Wealth and Poverty in
the Old Testament (Pedrito U. Maynard-Reid) .................... 117

Brueggemann, Walter. Old Testament Theology:
Essays on Structure, Theme, and Text (Greg A. King) ................ 119

Clouser, Roy A. The Myth of Religious Neutrality:
An Essay on the Hidden Role of
Religious Belief in Theories (Martin F. Hanna) .................... 121

Coggins, James B. John Smyth's Congregation:
English Separatism, Mennonite Influence
and the Elect Nation (Daniel Augsburger) ....................... 123

Comfort, Philip Wesley. The Quest for the Original Text
of the New Testament (Jon Paulien) ........................... 125

Davies, Philip R. In Search of 'Ancient Israel' (Michael G. Hasel) .......... 260
Dick, Everett Newfon. William Miller and the
Advent Crisis (Jerry Moon) ................................. 262
Dothan, Trade, and Moshe Dothan. People of the Sea:
The Search for the Philistines (David Merling) ..................... 126
Drummond, Lewis A. The Word of the Cross:
A Contemporary Theology of Evangelism (Norman R. Gulley)
Dulles, Avery. The Craft of Theology:
......... 264
From Symbol to System (Fernando Canale) ...................... 266

Dyck, Cornelius, William Keeney, and Alvin Beacy, trans.
and ed. The Writings of Dirk Philips, 1504-1568 (Brian Strayer) ......... 128
Edwards, James P. Romans. New International Biblical

Commentary (Sakae Kubo) ................................. 130
Fewell, Danna Nolan, ed. Reading Between the
Texts: Intertextuality and the Hebrew Bible (Susan E. Jacobsen) ......... 268
Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schiissler. Revelation:

Vision of a Just World (Jon Paulien) ........................... 270
Fujita, Neil S. Japan's Encounter with Christianity:

The Catholic Mission in Pre-Modern japan (Bruce L. Bauer) ............ 132
Garrett, Duane. Rethinking Genesis:The Sources and Authorship of
the First Book of the Pentateuch (Miary Andriamiariosa) ..............
Greenleaf, Floyd. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Latin America and the Caribbean (Alberto R. Timm) ...............
Grenz, Stanley J. The Millennial Maze:
Sorting Out Evangelical Options (John McVay) ....................
Grenz, Stanley J., and Roger E. Olson. 20th-century Theology:
God and the World in a Transitional Age (Russell Staples) ............
133
135
273
275
Harris, Murray J. Jesus as God: The New Testament

Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus (Panayotis Coutsoumpos) ........... 277
Hasel, Gerard F. Speaking in Tongues: Biblical Speaking
in Tongues and Contemporary Glossolalia (Herbert Kiesler) ............ 137
Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Acts of the
Apostles (Nancy J. Vyhmeister) .............................. 278
Kempinski, Aharon, and Ronny Reich, eds. The Architecture
of Ancient Israel from the Prehistoric to the
Persian Periods (Michael G. Hasel) ............................
Klein, George L., ed. Reclaiming the Prophetic Mantle:
Preaching the Old Testament Faithfully (Michael G. Hasel) ............
Knight, George R. Millenial Fever and the
End of the World (Brian E. Strayer) ...........................
Knight, George R., comp. and ed. 1844 and the
Rise of Sabbatarian Adventism Qerry Moon) .....................
Kroeger, Richard Clark, and Catherine Clark Kroeger.
/ Suffer Not a Woman: Rethinking 1 Timothy 2:11-15
in Light of Ancient Evidence (Beatrice S. Neall) ...................
LaBianca, 0ystein S. Sedentarization and Nomadization:
Food System Cycles at Hesban and Vicinity
in Transjordan (Gerald L. Mattingly) ..........................
Lipinski, E., ed. Dictionnaire de la civilisation
phenicienne et punique (Walter E. Aufrecht) ......................
Loscalzo, Craig A. Preaching Sermons That Connect (Steven P. Vitrano) .....
Lurhmann, Dieter. Galatians (Mario Veloso) ......................
279
280
281
283
138
284
286
288
141
Maxwell, C. Mervyn. Magnificent Disappointment: What Really

Happened in 1844 and Its Meaning for Today (P. Gerard Damsteegt) ..... 289
McComiskey, Thomas Edward, ed. The Minor Prophets: An
Exegetical and Expository Commentary.
Vol. 1, Hosea, Joel, Amos (Bernard Taylor) ....................... 142
McNamara, Martin. Targum Neofiti 1: Genesis;

Maher, Michael. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: Genesis 0ames E. Miller) .....
Michael, J. Ramsey. Interpreting the Book of
Revelation (Edwin E. Reynolds) ..............................
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew (Ernest J. Bursey) ........
Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek (Nancy J. Vyhmeister) .......
291
293
294
255
Newsome, James D. Greeks, Romans, Jews: Currents of

Culture and Belief in the New Testament World (H. R. Treiyer) ........ 144
Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the
United States and Canada (Reinder Bruinsma) .................... 296
O'Grady, John F. Pillars of Paul's Gospel (Mario Veloso) ............... 297
Pannenberg, Wolfhart. Systematic Theology. Vol.1 (Fernando Canale) ...... 146
Phillips, James M., and Robert T. Coote, eds. Toward the
21st Century in Christian Mission (Reinder Bruinsma) ............... 299
Postgate, J. N. Early Mesopotamia: Society and
Economy at the Dawn of History (Michael G. Hasel) ................ 300
Sailhamer, John H. The Pentateuch as Narrative (Roy Gane) ............
Scherer, James A. and Stephen B. Bevans, eds.
New Directions in Mission & Evangelization:
Basic Statements, 1974-1991 (Russell Staples) ......................
Schoors, Antoon. The Preacher Sought to Find Pleasing
Words: A Study of the Language ofQoheleth (Bernard Taylor) ..........
Stein, Stephen J. The Shaker Experience in America:
A History of the United Society of Believers (George R. Knight) .........
148
150
301
151
Tov, Emanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Bernard Taylor) ..... 303
Trenchard, Warren C. The Student's Complete Vocabulary
Guide to the Greek New Testament (William Richardson) ............. 153
Van Rheenen, Gailyn. Communicating Christ in
Animistic Contexts (Russell Staples) ........................... 154
Watts, Dorothy. Christians and Pagans
in Roman Britain (Betty Jo Baerg) ............................ 156
Winger, Michael. By What Law? The Meaning o/Nomos
in the Letter of Paul (Roberto Badenas) ......................... 157
BOOK NOTICES ......................................... 159
AUSS STYLE GUIDELINES ................................. 305
TRANSLITERATION OF HEBREW AND ARAMAIC

CONSONANTS
b
g
H = h
1 = w
T = z
n=h
t3 = t
"l = y
D = k
b=1
D = m
3 = n
0 = s
y='
a=P
0=
2 = s
to
p=q
1 = r
MASORETIC VOWEL POINTINGS

= e
= e
= a
_ a
\ "*.. = e
= i
(vocal shewa) = e
">
= }
= 6
T =o
1 = 6
1 = u
. =
=u
No distinction is made between soft and hard begad-kepat letters;

dages forte is indicated by doubling the consonant.
ABBREVIATIONS OF BOOKS AND PERIODICALS

AASOR
Annual Amer. Sch. Or. Res.
AB
Anchor Bible
ABD
AcOr
ADA]
AHR
AJA
AJT
ANEP
ANET
Anchor Bible Dictionary

Acta orientalia
Annual Dept. Ant. Jordan
American Historical Review
American Journal of Archaeology
American Journal of Theology
Am. Near East in Pictures
Ancient Near Eastern Texts
ANF
AnOr
The Ante-Nicene Fathers

Analecta orientalia
ANRW
ARC
ATR
AusBR
AUSS
BA
BAR
BASOR
BCSR
BHS
Bib
Auf. und Nieder. der romischen Welt

Archiv fur Reformationsgeschichte
Anglican Theological Review
Australian Biblical Review
Andrews University Seminary Studies
Biblical Archaeologist
Biblical Archaeology Review
Bulletin Amer. Sch. Oriental Research
Bull Council on the Study ofReligion
Biblia hebraica stuttgartensia
Biblica
BibB
Biblische Beitrage
BIES
BJRL
BK
Bulletin of the Israel Expl. Society

Bulletin, John Rylands University
Bibel und Kirche
BKAT
Bibl. Kommentar Altes Testament
BO
BR
BSac
BT
BTB
BZ
Bibliotheca orientalis
Biblical Research
Bibliotheca Sacra
The Bible Translator
Biblical Theology Bulletin
Biblische Zeitschrift
BZAW
BZNW
BeiheftezurZXW
Beihefte zur ZNW
CAD
CBQ
Chicago Assyrian Dictionary

Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CH
CHR
CIG
CIJ
CIL
Church History
Catholic Historical Review
Corpus inscriptionum graecarum
Corpus inscriptionum iudaicarum
Corpus inscriptionum latinarum
Corpus inscriptionum semiticarum
as
CJT
Canadian Journal of Theology
CQ
Church Quarterly
CQR
Church Quarterly Review
CT
Christianity Today
CTJ
Calvin Theological Journal
CTM
Concordia Theological Monthly
CurTM Currents in Theol. and Mission
DOTT Doc. from OT Times, Thomas, ed.
EDNT Exegetical Diet, of the NT
EKL
Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon
Ends
Encyclopedia of Islam
Encjud Encyclopedia Judaica
ER
Ecumenical Review
EvQ
Evangelical Quarterly
EvT
Evangelische Theologie
ExpTim Expository Times
GRBS
Greek, Roman, and Byz. Studies
GTJ
Grace Theological Journal
Hey}
Heythrop Journal
HR
History of Religions
Harvard Theological Review
HTR
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual
Interpreter's Bible
IB
ICC
International Critical Commentary
IDS
IEJ
Int
ISBE
JAAR
JAOS
JAS
JBL
Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible

Israel Exploration Journal
Interpretation
International Standard Bible Diet
Journ. American Academy of Religion
Joum. of the Amer. Or. Society
fount, of Asian Studies
Journal of Biblical Literature
Abbreviations (cont.)
JBR
Journal of Bible and Religion
JCS
Journal of Cuneiform Studies
JEA
Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
JETS
Journal of the Evangel. Theol. Soc
JEH
Journal of Ecclesiastical History
JES
Journal of Ecumenical Studies
JJS
Journal of Jewish Studies
JMeH Journal of Medieval History
JMES
Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
JMH
Journal of Modern History
JNES
Journal of Near Eastern Studies
JPOS
Journal of Palest. Orient. Soc.
JQR
Jewish Quarterly Review
JR
Journal of Religion
JRAS
Journal of Royal Asiatic Society
JRE
Journal of Religious Ethics
JRelS
Journal of Religious Studies
JSNT
Journal for the Study of the NT
JRH
Journal of Religious History
JRT
Journal of Religions Thought
JSJ
Journal for the Study of Judaism
JSOT
Journal for the Study of the OT
JSS
Journal of Semitic Studies
JSSR
Journal for the Scien. Study of Religion
JTC
Journal for Theol. and Church
JTS
Journal of Theological Studies
LCL
Loeb Classical Library
LW
Luther's Works, American Ed.
LQ
Lutheran Quarterly
MQR
Mennonile Quarterly Review
Neot
Neotestamenlica
NHS
Nag Hammadi Studies
NICNT New Internl. Commentary, NT
NICOT New Internl. Commentary, OT
NIDNTT New Inter. Diet, of NT Theol.
NIGTC New Internl. Greek Test. Comm.
NKZ
Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift
NovT
Novum Testamentum
NPNF
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
NRT
La nouvelle revue theologique
NTA
New Testament Abstracts
NTAp
NT Apocrypha, Schneemelcher
NTS
New Testament Studies
ODCC Oxford Diet, of Christian Church
OLZ
Orientalische Literaturzeitung
Or
Orientalia (Rome)
OrChr Oriens christianus
OTP
OT Pseudepigrapha, Charlesworth
OTS
Oudtestamentische Studien
PEQ
Palestine Exploration Quarterly
PG
Patrologia Graeca, Migne
PL
Patrologia Latino, Migne
PW
Pauly-Wissowa, Real Encyclopadie
QDAP Quart. Dept. of Ant. in Palestine
RA
Revue d'assyriologie el d'arch.
RAC
Reallexikon fur Antike und Chr.
RB
Revue biblique
RechSR Recherches de science religieuse
REg
Revue d'egyptologie
RelS
Religious Studies
RelSoc Religion and Society
RelSRev Religious Studies Review
RevExp Review and Expositor
RevQ
Revue de Qumran
RevScRel Revue des sciences religieuses
RevSem
RHE
RHPR
RHR
RL
RLA
RR
RRR
RSPT
RTF
SA
SB
SBLDS
SBLMS
SBLSBS
SBLTT
SET
SCJ
SCR
Sem
SJT
SMRT
SOr
SPB
SSS
ST
TD
TDNT
TDOT
TEH
TGl
TJ
TLZ
TP
TQ
TRev
TRu
TS
TT
TToday
TU
TWOT
TZ
UF
USQR
VC
VT
VTSup
WA
WBC
WTJ
ZA
ZAW
ZDMG
ZDPV
ZEE
ZHT
ZKG
ZKT
ZMR
ZNW
ZRGG
ZST
ZTK
ZWT
Revue semitique
Revue d'histoire ecclesiastique
Revue d'hist. et de phil. religieuses
Revue de I 'histoire des religions
Religion in Life
Reallexikon der Assyriologie
Review of Religion
Review of Religious Research
Revue des sc. phil. el theol.
Revue de theol. et de phil.
Sociological Analysis
Sources bibliques
SBL Dissertation Series
SBL Monograph Series
SBL Sources for Biblical Study
SBL Texts and Translations
Studies in Biblical Theology
Sixteenth Century Journal
Studies in Comparative Religion
Semitica
Scottish Journal of Theology
Studies in Med. and Ref. Thought
Studia Orientalia
Studia Postbiblica
Semitic Studies Series
Studia Theologica
Theology Digest
Theol. Diet, of the NT
Theol. Diet, of the OT
Theologische Existem Heute
Theologie und Glaube
Trinity Journal
Theologische Literaturzeitung
Theologie und Philosophic
Theologische Quartalschrifl
Theologische Revue
Theologische Rundschau
Theological Studies
Teologisk Tidsskrift
Theology Today
Texte und Untersuchungen
Theol. Wordbook of the OT
Theologische Zeitschrift
Ugarit-Forschungen
Union Seminary Quarterly Review
Vigiliae christianae
Vetus Testamentum
Vetus Testamentum, Supplements
Luther's Works, Weimarer Ausgabe
Word Biblical Commentary
Westminster Theological Journal
Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie
Zeitsch. fur die alttest. Wissen.
Zeitsch. des deutsch. morgen. Gesell.
Zeitsch. des deutsch. Pal.-Vereins
Zeitschrift fiir evangelische Ethik
Zeitsch. fiir historische Theologie
Zeitschrift fur Kirchengeschichte
Zeitsch. fur katholische Theologie
Zeitsch. fur Mission, und Religion.
Zeitsch. fiir die neutest. Wissen.
Zeitsch. fiir Rel. u. Geistegeschichte
Zeitsch. fur systematische Theologie
Zeitschrift fur Theologie und Kirche
Zeitschrift fur wissen. Theologie

Auss 1995 33-02

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Auss 1995 33-02

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Auss 1995 33-02

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Andrews University

Andrews University Press

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SEMINARY STUDIES

Associate Editor: JERRY MOON

Editor Emeritus: KENNETH A. STRAND

Circulation Manager: MATTHEW M. KENT

Data Processor: JENNIFER KHARBTENG

Subscription Information: ANDREWS UNIVERSITY SEMINARY STUDIES is

ANDREWS UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY STUDIES

FORD, JOSEPHINE MASSINGBAERDE. The Construction

REVIEWS .......................................... 288

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

Ben-Tor, Amnon, ed. The Archaeology of Ancient

Sanders, Jack T. Schismatics, Sectarians, Dissidents,

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A woodcut by Lucas Cranach in Luther's

KENNETH A. STRAND: EDITOR, AUTHOR, PASTOR,

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

Ken's career as an author would be profoundly affected by his doctoral

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

Literature, Andrews University Seminary Studies, American Historical

Andrews University Seminary Studies, Autumn 1995, No. 2, 171-183

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF KENNETH A. STRAND

SEMINARY STUDIES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

Reform Essentials ofLuther and Calvin: A Source Collection. Ann Arbor:

SEMINARY STUDIES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

"The Seven Heads: Do They Represent Roman Emperors?" Symposium on

"Chiastic Structure and Some Motifs in the Book of Revelation." AUSS 16

SEMINARY STUDES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

"Introductory Note: A Tribute to Huldrych Zwingli." AUSS 23 (Summer

"A Radiant Christian Experience: Suffering for Christ." Review and

SEMINARY STUDES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

Anderson, Charles. Augsburg Historical Atlas ofChristianity in the Middle

Eberhardt, Walter. Reformation undGegenreformation. AUSS 13 (Spring

SEMINARY STUDIES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

SEMINARY STUDIES 33/2 (AUTUMN 1995)

Venden, Morris L. Faith That Works. Adventist Review, December 25,

LUTHER'S ESCHATOLOGICAL APPRAISAL

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

This essay complements Vogel's research in two ways. Both studies

Three Central Components of Luther's

BALDWIN: LUTHER'S ESCHATOLOGICAL APPRAISAL

Turkish phenomenon, it is helpful to note briefly the following three

God Twice Hidden in History

Thus, God's hidden, but active, presence is ubiquitous in nature,

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

blindness of the popular mind which refuses to perceive the miracle of

BALDWIN: LUTHER'S ESCHATOLOGICAL APPRAISAL

inscrutable will,"12), will be shown to have been a noetic, not an ontic

"Bondage of the Will, 317.

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

natural moral synteresis. If sinful man is to participate in a divinely

BALDWIN: LUTHER'S ESCHATOLOGICAL APPRAISAL

This indicates that, for Luther, divine sovereignty with respect to

SEMINARY STUDIES 33 (AUTUMN 1995)

gives all [good] things [to us]."28 Furthermore, in Temporal Authority,

As discussed below, Luther invokes the important distinction between

According to this, Luther attributes genius (later illustrated particularly

The list of miracle people could be easily multiplied. In fact, Luther