Abstract
The Book of Revelation confronts its readers with the problem of violence and irrationality, thereby putting at stake its claim to inspiration and truth. In a canonical and pastoral approach, the document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission explains this unruly book as an expression of Christ’s “burning love”. However, Revelation offers its reader a dramatic counter-world, in which neither love nor logic may be learnt but the coping with passion and “tears”. The visionary strategy (1) gives the Christians insights into their own truth, (2) establishes their very own, “heavenly” perspective, (3) meticulously provides them with theocentric knowledge of the purpose of their everyday struggles, (4) transforms them by a dramatic experience of redemption, and (5) lets them encounter Christ in an experience of longing and trust.
Highlights
Framework and CentreReading the book from start to finish confronts the reader with chaos and a muddle of scenes of an earth that falls. 16 But there is peace and order above
Believer for Christ – the only one who may say “I am the truth”. 38 One cannot end a book in a more open way. It is in this sense that the document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission is right: There is a longing love that provides us with the key to this book
After all, we find all the truth and inspiration he has to offer us
Summary
Reading the book from start to finish confronts the reader with chaos and a muddle of scenes of an earth that falls. 16 But there is peace and order above. Our outline illustrates that above the chaotic accumulation of visions there is God’s throne hall, impressively ordered in a heavenly liturgy (cf Rev 4:1–5:14; 20:11–22:5), ruled by books – encoding the “legibility of the world”, meaningfully arranged in sequences of seven symbols. The central part of the book is structured by the leitmotif of the opening of heaven. At the starting point (Rev 4:1), John sees heaven’s door standing open. He – and with him the reader as well – enters the heavenly realm, thereby gaining an overview of all the confusing events in the realm of the Roman emperor. A. Winter et al.) (Paderborn: Schöningh 1979) 145-154; U.B. Müller, Die Offenbarung des Johannes (ÖTK 19; Gütersloh – Würzburg: Mohn 1984) 28-36; Schüssler Fiorenza, The Book of Revelation. We arrive at our second insight: The guiding theme of the disclosure of heaven provides the faithful with an overview of the direction and dimension of their struggles, thereby building up their very own perspective and basic trust by bursting those boundaries that so often limit their everyday perspectives
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