NTS on Awe in Revelation 4&5
From NTS:
The Strategic Arousal of Emotions in the Apocalypse of John: A Rhetorical-Critical Investigation of the Oracles to the Seven Churches
By David A. DeSilva
New Testament Studies, Volume 54, Issue 01, January 2008, pp 90-114
doi: 10.1017/S0028688508000064
Revelation 1.12-16; 4.1-5.14 can be understood largely as representations of God, Christ, heavenly personnel, and heavenly court ceremonial designed to arouse genuine awe - and this, most strategically. The extensive scholarly literature on Revelation’s interaction with, and opposition to, Roman imperial cult and court ceremonial leaves now little room for doubt that John attempted to evoke such a response, in part, to draw members of the audience away from the possibility of being impressed by the emperor, especially through all the pomp and circumstance of the manifestations of imperial cult in their cities, and to be more impressed - to feel more awe - in response to Jesus. The Glorified Christ trumps all the pretensions of human rulers and their pomp, their ‘aura’. John’s own response reflects the emotional response he seeks to kindle among his audience - being so overcome by the vision of Christ as he exists now in his post-resurrection, post-ascension state, that physical strength fails (Rev 1.17).
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Posted by Nathan Bierma on 02/12 at 04:18 PM
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