John of Patmos

John of Patmos

Eagle of Patmos
Born Patmos, Greece
Died Ephesus, Roman Empire (?)
Major works Book of Revelation

John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine or John the Theologian; Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Θεολόγος) is the name given to the author of the Book of Revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final chapter of the New Testament. The text of Revelation states that the author is called John and that he lives on the Greek island of Patmos, where, by some, he is considered to be in exile as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian.[1][2]

Traditionally, the writer of Revelation is widely considered to be John the Apostle, who is also seen as author of the Gospel of John. However, others identify the author as John the Elder and many modern scholars believe it was written by an otherwise unknown author, to whom they have given the name John of Patmos.[3][4]

Book of Revelation

The author of the Book of Revelation identifies himself only as "John".[5] Traditionally, this was often believed to be the same person as John, son of Zebedee, one of the apostles of Jesus, to whom the Gospel of John was also attributed.[5] The early 2nd century writer, Justin Martyr, was the first to equate the author of Revelation with John the Evangelist.[6] Other early Christian writers, however, such as Dionysius of Alexandria and Eusebius of Caesarea, noting the differences in language and theological outlook between this work and the Gospel,[7] discounted this possibility, and argued for the exclusion of the Book of Revelation from the canon as a result.[8] The assumption that the apostle John was also author of the Book of Revelation is now widely rejected in modern critical scholarship.[9] The early Christian writer Papias appeared in his writings to distinguish between John the Evangelist and John the Elder,[10] and many biblical scholars now contend that the latter was the author of Revelation.[11][12][13]

Island of Patmos

John is considered to be exiled to Patmos, undergoing a time of persecution under the Roman rule of Domitian. Revelation 1:9 states: "I, John, both your brother and companion in tribulation ... was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Adela Yarbro Collins, a biblical scholar at Yale Divinity School, writes:

Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology. Prophecy was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with political implications, like that expressed by John in the book of Revelation, would have been perceived as a threat to Roman political power and order. Three of the islands in the Sporades were places where political offenders were banished. (Pliny, Natural History 4.69–70; Tacitus, Annals 4.30)[14]

John was allegedly banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island of Patmos, where, according to tradition, he wrote the Book of Revelation. According to Tertullian (in The Prescription of Heretics) John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. It is said that all in the audience of Colosseum were converted to Christianity upon witnessing this miracle. This event would have occurred in the late 1st century, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, who was known for his persecution of Christians.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Souvay, Charles. "Patmos." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 12 Jan. 2009
  2. ↑ Phillips, J. B. "Book 27 - Book of Revelation". 12 January 1962. People, Places, Customs, Concepts, Journeys - the New Testament with integrated notes and maps 1962.
  3. ↑ Stephen L Harris, Understanding the Bible, (Palo Alto: Mayfield, 1985), 355
  4. ↑ Ehrman, Bart D. (2004). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford. p. 468. ISBN 0-19-515462-2.
  5. 1 2 "Revelation, Book of." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005
  6. ↑ Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 81.4
  7. ↑ Ben Witherington, Revelation, (Cambridge University Press) page 2.
  8. ↑ Ehrman, Bart D. (2000). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 432. ISBN 0-19-515462-2.
  9. ↑ Larry Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity, (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003) page 49.
  10. ↑ Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2006)
  11. ↑ Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation (Wm B. Eerdmans Publications) page 10.
  12. ↑ Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. p. 355
  13. ↑ Ehrman, Bart D. (2004). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford. p. 468. ISBN 0-19-515462-2.
  14. ↑ Adela Collins. (1985). "Patmos" [In] Paul J. Achtemeier [Ed.]. (1985) Harper's Bible Dictionary. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row. p. 755.
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