Within the book of Revelation, John provides a unique and fascinating portrait of Jesus. This monograph examines John’s interaction with imagery from his cultural context (Roman emperor worship), from the key writings of his apparent religious heritage (the Old Testament), and from convictions shared within the wider early Christian community. In the sections devoted to each of these three sources (Roman emperor worship, the Old Testament writings, and early Christianity), Naylor provides an assessment of the way that John utilizes images, phrases, and motifs from each in his depiction of Jesus. The interaction with this material represents, Naylor argues, not a haphazard conglomeration of material from divergent sources, but rather a complex, well-developed set of religious convictions concerning Jesus, creatively expressed in this early Christian writing.
Table of Contents (v)
Acknowledgments (vii)
Abbreviations (ix)
Chapter One. Introduction (1)
Previous Study of the Depiction of Jesus in Revelation (2)
The Presentation of Jesus in Revelation: A Brief History of Research (2)
Assessment of Previous Studies (16)
Orientation and Structure of Present Study (18)
Chapter Two. John, Jesus, and the Roman Imperial Cult (21)
Preliminary Consideration: The Roman Imperial Cult and Revelation (21)
The Seven Cities, Temples, and Emperor Worship (22)
The Beast from the Sea and Its Image (24)
Babylon/Rome (25)
Roman Emperor Worship (28)
Introductory Matters (29)
The Nature and Impact of the Roman Imperial Cult (34)
The Roman Imperial Cult and Jesus in Revelation (83)
Polemical Parallelism (84)
Evidence from Revelation (86)
Polemical Parallelism: An Assessment (101)
Chapter Three. John, Jesus, and the Old Testament (105)
Major Images and Themes (108)
Lamb (108)
Throne Imagery (119)
Angelomorphic Imagery and the Glorious ‘One Like a Son of Man’ (131)
The Rider on the White Horse (146)
Summary (153)
Minor Images and Titles (154)
Revelation 1 (154)
Revelation 2–3 (166)
Revelation 5 (170)
Revelation 7 (174)
Lord, King, and Christ (175)
Revelation 20–22 (178)
Summary (178)
Summary and Evaluation (179)
John, the Old Testament, and His Readers (179)
The Old Testament and John’s Presentation of Jesus (182)
Chapter Four. John, Jesus, and the Context of Early Christianity (187)
John and His Churches (190)
Religious Worldview (198)
The Presentation of Jesus (203)
Life and Teachings of Jesus (203)
Early Christian Titles and Images of Jesus (212)
Jesus Devotion (215)
Summary (218)
Chapter Five. John’s Presentation of Jesus (221)
The Complexity of Imagery (221)
Types of Imagery (222)
Sources of Imagery (225)
Composite or Complex Work? (228)
Prominent Depictions of Jesus in Revelation (231)
John’s Use of Titles (232)
Lamb (240)
The Significance of Ritual (247)
Conclusion (256)
Chapter Six. Conclusion (259)
Bibliography (263)
Primary Sources (263)
Secondary Sources (267)
Index (319)