PMW 2023-059 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In my last posting I opened a brief series on John’s method of presenting his material in Revelation. Therein I noted that John is presenting his material as a drama. Though it is not intended as an acted drama, it is designed as a oral one — as I noted in my last article. Now we focus a little more tightly on the method of his drama.

Revelation’s Forensic Tone

Revelation is a moving drama with a specific theme: it is a courtroom drama employing language and images appropriate to the “lawcourt” (Caird 17–18). Witherington (14, 265) notes that “the judicial or forensic tone of Revelation has often been noted” by scholars — even in the seven oracles (Revelation 2–3). And “the majority of the book of Revelation . . . involves forensic rhetoric.” Fiorenza (1998: 47) provides more explanation: “the description of God’s judgment takes up such a large space in Rev. that its whole eschatological presentation culminates in judgment and salvation. Just as the seven visions of the plagues and the ‘small scroll’ climax in an announcement or a portrayal of judgment, so does the whole book.” Fekkes (78) agrees: “The subject of judgment is the single most dominant interest in Revelation, and accordingly the use of thematic analogues from the OT likewise finds its greatest development in this area.” DeSilva (2009: 89) points out that “Revelation’s focus on God’s judgment and the narration of the process of that judgment predisposes these scholars to see the text as forensic discourse. This is a story in which books are opened, witnesses step forward, charges are voiced, and justice meted out.”

Thus, as Smalley (1994: 107) well observes: “From start to finish, the dominant mood of Revelation is judgmental. Indeed, the total setting of the book is forensic; and it seems almost as if, as in John’s Gospel, the drama takes place in a court room.” In fact, he notes that “the forensic setting of Revelation is even more realistic” than that which famously appears in John’s Gospel (Smalley 30). And in that John takes up a prophetic mantle (see: XVI. “Prophetic Mantle”) to empower his drama, like the OT prophets of old “Revelation exhibits a lawsuit motif” (Bandy 2007: 3). This seems to be because John “sought to maintain some sense of continuity with the prophets” (Bandy 2010: 24). Indeed, the OT literary motifs and imagery related to lawsuits run throughout its corpus” (Bandy 2010:37) with “the bulk of lawsuit speeches” being “directed at Israel for the purpose of provoking the people of God to repentance by establishing the justness of ensuing judgment” (p. 56). In this regard Campbell (2004b: 87) well observes that “as a prophet, John’s call enrolls him de facto as a covenant prosecutor.” I will argue that his primary defendant is Israel (just as Jesus’ is in John’s Gospel).

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The Central Throne

John especially emphasizes this forensic motif by placing God’s throne at the center of his drama: the throne is “the central symbol of the whole book” (Bauckham 1993b: 141–42). Consequently, “Revelation often punctuates the visionary narrative with scenes set in the heavenly court” (Aune 1:xcvii): 6:16; 7:9–17; 8:3; 11:16–18; 14:3; 16:17; 19:4–5; 20:11–15. Thus, John has “a central image, ‘the throne,’ which, beginning with 1:4 and ending with 22:3, gives unity to the message” (Krodel 56). Since John has “chosen to focus on matters forensic” he “uses the appropriate images, ideas, and approach for such a focus” (Witherington 17).

Ruiz (273–74) notes further that “enōpion tou theou, like enōpion tou thronou and similar expressions in Revelation, places us in the setting of the heavenly court, God’s throne room, from which he presides as pantokratōr and judge, receiving the prayers and praise of creation and executing justice. The forensic atmosphere in our text, already evident in 16:19 emnēsthē enōpion tou theou, is reinforced in 17:1, to krima tēs pornēs tēs megalēs, and echoed again in 18:5–6 and 19:2.” We find enōpion tou theou in 3:2; 8:2, 4; 9:13; 11:16; 12:10; 16:19; enōpion tou thronou in 1:4; 4:5; 6:10; 7:9; 8:3; 11:15; 14:3; 20:12; enōpion tou patros mou in 3:5; enōpion tou thronou kai enōpion tou arniou in 7:9; and enōpion tou arniou in 7:9.

Not only is God’s throne central to John’s majestic drama, but it appears in its introduction (1:4) and conclusion (22:3). Interestingly, of the sixty-two appearances of the word thronos in the NT, forty-seven of these are found in Revelation (see list in table below). One of the leading functions of divine throne scenes in Scripture and Judaic writings is for the purpose of judgment (Da 7:9–12; 1 En 25:3; 45:3; 47:3–4; 62:1–6; Apoc Mos 22:1–29:6; Mt 19:28–30//; 25:31–46), as we also clearly see in Revelation 20:4–6, 11–15 (Aune 2006: 52). Thus, when the Lamb receives the scroll in Revelation’s opening judgment vision (Revelation 4–5) he immediately begins breaking the scroll’s seals which in turn initiates judgments on earth (i.e., in the “Land” of Israel) (6:1ff). In Revelation the phrase “He / Him / One who sits on the throne” appears twelve times serving virtually as the name of God (4:2, 3, 9, 10; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 15; 19:4; 21:5). Of 6:9–10 Musvasvi (3) argues: “in view of the unfair human verdicts against his saints, God must ‘retry’ the case between them and the persecutor, so that the innocence of the saints and the guilt of the persecutor can be declared. The trial — a covenant lawsuit — involves an open review of the records of both defendant and plaintiff; and in line with the law of malicious witness, God reverses Babylon’s judgments.”

Judicial Terminology

Broader judicial terminology is quite strong in Revelation, for as Trites (1977: 161, 162) notes: it includes “words with forensic overtone” that are to “be given their full weight” in that “metaphors drawn from the lawcourt are never far from the author’s mind.” Note these words and phrases used in Revelation: true, trustworthy, recompense, just, avenge, confess, judge, witness, reward, punish, and more.

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Thus, we should note that “Revelation is particularly rich in the vocabulary of witnesses,” with the noun form of “witness” occurring more frequently than in any other NT book (Shea 73). Clearly then, as Witherington (67) observes regarding this broad array of terms, “the use of legal language helps set the forensic rhetorical tone from the outset.” Focusing on an extremely important concept, Boring (44–45) comments that “John makes extensive use of the witness (mart-) word group, which derived from the courtroom. ‘Witness,’ ‘martyr,’ and ‘testimony’ preserve their legal connotations.” Hare (1967: 107) cites Beasley-Murray as noting that the word marturion can mean “testimony which renders the opponents guilty” in those passages that imply resistance to the gospel. As Trites (1973: 80) observes, the mart- word group does not yet require martyr-death, though martus “is definitely moving” toward that end in its “semantic development.”

Interestingly, in his opening John introduces himself in a forensically appropriate way: he “simply wrote affirmatively, boldly and voluntarily, I, John, as if he were testifying in court” (Buchanan 58). And John’s forensic interests are not confined simply to this particular book of his, for Bandy (2007: 2) notes that “the greatest distributional weight of marturia is found in the Johannine writings (fourteen times in the Gospel, seven times in the Epistles, and nine times in Revelation.). This suggests that witness is a prominent aspect in Johannine theology.”

Before the Throne

In this regard we should note that the opening verses introducing Revelation to the audience pictures the Holy Spirit as “seven Spirits who are before His throne” (1:4). Regarding this Spirit-before-the-throne, his audience must “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). In ch 4 we see the vision which controls “what must take place after these things” (4:1; cp. 1:19) — and there God majestically sits on his heavenly throne (4:2–3, 9; 5:1, 7) above all creation (4:2,11; 5:13). Before him are crowned court officials on their lesser thrones, the “elders” (4:4), who in the OT engage judicial matters (Dt 21:19; 22:15; 25:7; Jos 20:4; Pr 31:23). And myriads of angels surround all of these (5:11; 7:11; 19:4). Then later when John begins closing out his drama, he brings us once again before God’s throne (22:1, 3), this time with the vindicated saints receiving their just reward (22:4–5, 12,14).

John’s drama is so structured that his audience in Asia Minor effectively “stands before the heavenly court and hears compelling testimonies” (Witherington 16). We should even understand the “martyrs” to be serving a legal function in that the foundational meaning of martus (2:13; 11:3; 17:6–8) is “one who testifies in legal matters, witness” (BAGD, 619; cp. TLNT, 2:447). We discover also in non-court situations that its verbal form (martureo) can mean to “swear to” the veracity of something (Jn 3:28; 12:17; 31:21). Interestingly, this verb “occurs most often in John” and is used of Christ’s “dispute with the ‘Jews’ or ‘Judeans’ who resist his message” and which bears “the features of a judicial proceeding, as the other judicial expressions indicate” (EDNT, 2:389, 390; cp. Caird, 17–18).

The judicial meaning of martus is quite evident in its application to Revelation’s leading witness: Christ the “faithful witness” (ho martus ho pistos) (1:5), “the faithful and true witness” (ho martus ho pistos kai alethinos) (3:14). In addition, as he opens his book John presents himself as one who “bore witness” (emarturēsen, 1:2); as he closes it, God’s angel legally “testifies” (marturēsai) of the things John writes (22:16; EDNT 2:391).

Judicial Documents

In that Revelation is presenting a court-drama, we should expect to find written documents appearing in important contexts. And we do, for “official documents are at the heart of the revelations in Rev. 4–21, which is only appropriate in a forensic setting, and it is in court that they are unsealed and read” (Witherington 16). The “book” in Revelation 5 is “of unparalleled significance” (Mounce, 129; cf. Smalley 127) in that it appears in the opening and controlling throne scene (Revelation 4–5) just preceding the unleashing of judgments (Revelation 6). This book reappears fully opened in Revelation 10 with a strong angel (an angelomorphic appearance of Christ) swearing a legal oath as he holds it (10:2, 5–6).

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In addition we read of John’s commission to “write in a book what you see” (1:11; cp. 22:7, 9, 18). This writing project creates for us the Book of Revelation (1:1) with all of its judicial import. We hear several times of the “book of life” (3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27) which is so important for encouraging the besieged and tempted church. We also see the heavenly books which record sinners’ earthly deeds for judgment day (20:12). Significantly, the books related to judgment are directly associated with God’s judicial throne (5:1, 5, 7–8; 20:11–12), as is the “book of life” which provides the Judge’s judgment that those listed therein are not guilty (20:12, 15, cp. 21:27).

Forensic Images

Not only do we see these overtly forensic images, but the thunder and lightning erupting around the throne (4:5) and resounding throughout the book (8:5; 10:3; 11:19; 14:2; 16:18; 19:16) are echoes from Ex 19:16; 20:18; and Dt 33:2 where Israel stands before God who is giving them his holy, covenant law (Ex 20) (Witherington 20; Bauckham 1993b: 8; Beale and Carson 2007: 1111). Even the earthquakes attending Revelation’s judgments (6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18) derive from the Sinai experience (Ex 19:18; cp. Jdg 5:5; Ps 68:8). “These reminiscences of Sinai are intended to impress on us that the throne of God rests upon an immutable and inexorable moral law” (Caird, 68).

In that authoritative witness is so important in court settings, John quickly establishes appropriate authority for his book. Though Revelation is primarily apocalyptically-charged prophecy, it includes a common epistolary element: “The book begins and concludes in typical epistolary manner” (Beale 39; cp. Bauckham 1993a: 3). In fact, “the rest of the book (1:4–22:21) has the framework of an ancient letter” ending with the closing benediction (AB 5:696; cp. IDB 4:59). We see this clearly at 1:4, which sounds a lot like Paul’s favorite greeting: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace.” In an unusual move, however, John pre-empts the epistolary greeting by pointing first to the authority for his message: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw” (1:1–2). By this he strongly asserts that “the origin of revelation is God’s throne room in the heavenly temple” which “becomes the dominating focus in order to underscore the divine, heavenly source of revelation sent to the seven churches” (Beale 38). John emphasizes that he is writing the “word of God” (1:2), not simply his own word.

Each of the oracles to the seven churches opens with Christ directly commanding him: “write” (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14) his very words (chs 2–3). Each of these commands come with a “thus says” (tade legei), which “is part of the ‘write and send’ formula” that is a “variation of the OT ‘go and tell’ formulas” (Aune 120; cp. NLEK, 615; McKelvey 2003: 176). These prophetic messenger formulas occur over 250 times in the LXX when translating “thus says Yahweh” (Aune 1:121; cp. Beale, 229). Here in Revelation each ends with the divine obligation to “hear what the Spirit says” (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).

God’s authority in Revelation is accentuated by John’s being invited before and focusing on God’s throne (Revelation 4) which is set at the beginning of the judgments in Revelation (Revelation 6ff). In this he is like the prophets Micaiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel who see God upon his throne (1Ki 22:19; 2Ch 18:18; Isa 6:1–6; Eze 1:26; Dn 7:9–10, 13). Though John does not directly declare that he is a prophet, he is bringing “prophecy”as he indicates in his opening and concluding words (1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19) because he “prophesies” (10:11). He even acts out certain prophecies (10:8–11; 11:1–2), just as do several of God’s prophets (e.g., Jer 27–28; Eze 2:8–3:3; 4:1–17; cf. Ac 21:11). In several places John is “in the Spirit” (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). In some places an angel carries him to the next portion of the revelation (17:1; 21:9). The angel of God underscores its legal authority by stating that “these words are faithful and true” (22:6). Because of the legal nature of Revelation, altering it will result in a curse (22:18–19).

But there is more! See you next time.