John of Patmos
- For John the apostle of Jesus, see John the Apostle.
Template:John
John of Patmos is the name given to the author of the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse of John) in the New Testament. According to the text of Revelation, the author, who gives his name as "John," is living in exile on the Greek island of Patmos. He writes to the seven Christian churches in Asia to warn them of various challenges and temptations that confront them, which have been revealed to him in a vision. He then relates several powerful visions he has had concerning the Last Days and the coming of Christ. John of Patmos is traditionally identified with John the Apostle and also known as John the Divine, or John the Theologian. However, many modern scholars believe him to be a different person.
John's biography and identity
Traditional view
The traditional view holds that John the Apostle—considered to have written the Gospel of John and Epistles of John—was exiled to the island Patmos in the Aegean archipelago during the reign of Emperor Domitian, and wrote the Book of Revelation there. Those in favor of a single common author of the Johannine literature point to similarities between the Gospel of John and Revelation. For example, both works refer to Jesus as a lamb and possess a "high Christology," stressing Jesus' divine side as opposed to the human side stressed by the Synoptic Gospels. In both the Gospel of John and in Revelation, Jesus is referred to as "the Word of God" (Ő λογος του θεου). Explanations of the differences among John's supposed works include factoring in underlying purposes, the target audience, the author's collaboration with or utilization of different scribes, and John's advanced age of when he wrote Revelation.
A number of Church Fathers express an opinion on the authorship of Revelation. Justin Martyr avowed his belief in its apostolic origin. Irenaeus (178 C.E.) likewise held the author of Revelation and the other Johannine literature to be the same. At the end of the second century, the was accepted as having been written by John the Apostle by Theophilus of Antioch and Tertullian of Carthage. At the beginning of the third century, it was accepted by Clement of Alexandria and by Origen, later by Methodius, Cyprian, and Lactantius. Dionysius of Alexandria, however (247 C.E.) rejected the book on doctrinal grounds. Some other authorities, especially in the Eastern Church, rejected the book, however. The church historian Eusebius (315 C.E.) suspended his judgment, categorizing the book's apostolic origins as disputed.
Modern criticism
With the advent of modern biblical criticism, many scholars, both secular and Christian, came to believe that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist (who wrote the Gospel of John), and John of Patmos refer to three separate individuals.
In contrast to the author of the Gospel of John, John of Patmos speaks as Jewish Christian. He speaks of Jesus as "the holy and true one" that "holds the key of David" (3:7) and condemns the anti-Jewish attitude of the Pauline churches. They point to several lines of evidence suggesting that John of Patmos wrote only Revelation, not the Gospel of John nor the epistles of John. For one, the author of Revelation identifies himself as "John" several times, but the author of the Gospel of John and the writer of the epistles of "John" never identify themselves by name. Also, while both the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation liken Jesus to a lamb, they consistently use different words for lamb when referring to him—the Gospel uses amnos, Revelation uses arnion. Lastly, the Gospel of John is written in nearly flawless Greek, but Revelation contains grammatical errors and stylistic abnormalities which indicate its author was not as familiar with the Greek language as the Gospel's author.
Date
Scholars of both critical and traditional orientation agree that John of Patmos appears to have been in some type of imposed exile and that he wrote during a period when the Christian churches were experiencing persecution. According to early tradition, John wrote near the end of Domitian's reign, around 95 or 96 C.E. Others contend for an earlier date, 68 or 69, in the reign of Nero or shortly thereafter. The majority of modern scholars also use these dates.
Those in favor of the later date cite the external testimony of Irenaeus (d. 185), who stated that he had received information about the book from those who had seen John face to face. He says John recorded his revelation "almost in our day, toward the end of Domitian's reign" (A.H. 5.30.3). According to Eusebius, Domitian had started the persecution referred to in the book. Many scholars agree that the famous number 666, identifying the "Beast" of Revelation, refers to Nero. However those favoring a late date see this reference as an allegory, with Nero symbolizing a later tyrant, such as Domitian.
etc
The full title of the Book of Revelation is The Apocalypse of Saint John the Divine. Apocalypse is a Greek word for revelation or uncovering, and divine an old Anglican[1] usage meaning theologian. He is also known as the Eagle of Patmos[2] and John the Seer.[3] Several Christian denominations regard him as a prophet and a saint.
John of Patmos, the author of the Book of Revelation, was traditionally believed to be the same person as both John, the apostle of Jesus and John the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of John. Justin Martyr, writing in the early 2nd century, was the first to equate the author of Revelation with John the apostle.[4] Some biblical scholars now contend that these were separate individuals.[5][6]
John the Presbyter, teacher of Papias, bishop of Hieropolis in the early 2nd century, is often conflated with John of Patmos or with the Apostle. Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, and Dionysius of Alexandria both identified the John in Revelation as John the Presbyter. However, since John was a common name among early Christians it cannot be ruled out that John of Patmos was a John distinct from John the evangelist, John the apostle and John the author of the Johannine epistles.
See also
- Authorship of the Johannine works
- Revelation - Authorship
Notes
- ↑ this being the old English translation
- ↑ http://www.catholictradition.org/Saints/saints12-10.htm accessed September 15, 2007
- ↑ http://www.dabar.org/RHCharles/Revelation/intro-I.htm accessed September 15, 2007
- ↑ Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 81.4
- ↑ Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. p. 355
- ↑ 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.
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