The People of God in the Apocalypse: Discourse, Structure and Exegesis (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, Series Number 128)

This book examines how the original audience of the Apocalypse would have heard themselves portrayed in the visions of Revelation 4-22, and in what directions it would have motivated them. The challenge is following Christ's example of faithful witness, even to the point of death, and resisting rival claimants to the allegiance of the faithful. Stephen Pattemore uses Relevance Theory, a development in the linguistic field of pragmatics, to help understand Revelation against the background of allusion to other, biblical and non-biblical texts. COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 3 SERIES-TITLE......Page 6 TITLE......Page 7 COPYRIGHT......Page 8 CONTENTS......Page 9 FIGURES AND TABLE......Page 10 PREFACE......Page 11 Periodicals, series and reference works......Page 13 Books of the Bible and Apocrypha......Page 16 Ancient Jewish and Christian literature and texts......Page 17 1.1 The relevance of the Apocalypse......Page 19 1.2 The people of the Apocalypse......Page 21 1.3 Aims and scope of this study......Page 27 2.1 Introduction......Page 31 Background......Page 32 Relevance......Page 34 Language usage......Page 36 Reactions and development......Page 38 Preliminary considerations......Page 40 RT as a tool of literary interpretation......Page 42 Ostensive communication and the question of intentionality......Page 46 2.4 Relevance Theory and the Bible......Page 49 RT and Speech Act Theory......Page 50 Relevance and translation......Page 52 Relevance, intertextuality, and the Apocalypse......Page 54 Relevance and the nature of John’s imagery......Page 61 The relevance perspective in the study of biblical text......Page 64 2 Elucidation of discourse structure......Page 66 5 Evaluation of the accessibility of cognitive environments......Page 67 6 Interpretation of text within prioritized contexts......Page 68 3.2 The text in its context......Page 69 A relevance approach to discourse structure......Page 78 The discourse structure of the Apocalypse......Page 80 (1) Addressees......Page 82 (3) Actors......Page 83 4.1 Introduction......Page 86 4.2 The context of the vision......Page 87 4.3 New features of the passage......Page 92 4.4 The focus of the passage – the souls of the slaughtered......Page 94 4.5 The cry of the martyrs......Page 100 4.6 The response to the martyrs......Page 104 4.7 The later significance of 6:9–11......Page 108 4.8 Four focal passages......Page 109 Rev. 12:10–12......Page 111 Rev. 16:5–7......Page 116 Rev. 19:1–2......Page 118 Rev. 20:4–6......Page 124 4.9 Conclusions......Page 131 5.1 Introduction......Page 135 5.2 Daniel 7 in the cognitive environment of Revelation......Page 136 Verse 1......Page 143 Verses 2–3......Page 146 Verses 4–8......Page 153 Intertextual inferences about the identity of the crowd......Page 158 First description of the crowd, Rev. 7:9b–10......Page 161 Identification of the crowd, Rev. 7:13–14......Page 164 Further (future-tense) description of the crowd, Rev. 7:15–17......Page 171 A ‘phony war’? Revelation 8–9......Page 177 The two witnesses, Revelation 11......Page 178 Conquering the beasts, Revelation 12–15......Page 182 The vision, Rev. 14:1......Page 197 The explanation, Rev. 14:4–5......Page 202 Companions in arms......Page 209 5.7 Conclusions......Page 211 6.1 Introduction......Page 215 6.2 The vindication of the martyrs......Page 216 6.3 The victory and reign of the saints......Page 222 6.4 The marriage of the Lamb......Page 225 6.5 Implications for John’s audience......Page 227 7.1 Review......Page 231 7.2 Relevance Theory as a hermeneutic tool......Page 232 7.3 ‘Who they are’: the identity of the people of God......Page 234 7.4 ‘What they are to do’: the task of the people of God......Page 235 APPENDIX ABBREVIATED DISCOURSE OUTLINE......Page 238 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 244 INDEX......Page 264 Stephen Pattemore Examines Passages Within Revelation 4:1-22:21 That Depict The People Of God As Actors In The Apocalyptic Drama And Infers What Impact These Passages Would Have Had On The Self-understanding And Behaviour Of The Original Audience Of The Work. He Uses Relevance Theory, A Development In The Linguistic Field Of Pragmatics, To Help Understand The Text Against The Background Of Allusion To Other Texts. Three Important Images Are Traced. The Picture Of The Souls Under The Altar (6:9-11) Is Found To Govern Much Of The Direction Of The Text With Its Call To Faithful Witness And Willingness For Martyrdom. Even The Militant Image Of A Messianic Army (7:1-8, 14:1-5) Urges The Audience In Precisely The Same Direction. Both Images Combine In The Final Image Of The Bride, The Culmination Of Challenge And Hope Traced Briefly In The New Jerusalem Visions. Question Of Relevance -- Relevance Theory In Biblical Interpretation -- Cognitive Environment For The Apocalypse -- Souls Under The Altar-a Martyr Ecclesiology -- Companions Of The Lamb-a Messianic Ecclesiology -- New Jerusalem, Bride Of The Lamb -- Summar And Conclusions. Stephen Pattemore. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 226-245) And Index. This book examines how the original audience of the Apocalypse would have heard themselves portrayed in the visions of chapters 4 22, and in what directions it would have motivated them. Stephen Pattemore uses linguistic analysis to help understand Revelation in the context of other biblical and non-biblical texts The Apocalypse of St John has always provoked the question of its own relevance.