Book Proposal: Polemics and imagery in the Revelation of John

Title: Imagery and Polemic in Revelation:
Subtitle: Contextual windows to the so-called Jews and Jezebel under fire

In this proposed volume, the overarching theme is “imagery and polemic” in Revelation. Revelation takes the shape of an extended visionary narrative that tells a story of conflict, and of loyalty and betrayal. The story culminates with the eradication of antagonists and the triumph of protagonists. Revelation is rife with imagery. Not only are the seven “letters” full of metaphorical depictions, the lengthy “visionary narrative” through chapters 4 to 22 is made up of elaborate images that boggle the reader. Such elaborate images as the Great Harlot, the beasts, and the scenarios of woes ushered in by the 5th and the 6th trumpets are seen to concern the issues of polemic at hand. Together with the perceived socio-historical circumstances reflected in the letters, the images add to our understanding of the strong enunciations in the “letters” against the Judaistic factions (the so-called Jews from synagogues) and a prophetic contender “Jezebel” and like company. Images in Revelation are frequently read as futuristic in denotation, but they are seen in my reading to recast socio-historical people and events of the first century C.E. They speak a prophetic message against contending factions to the churches. The separate socio-historical and contextual studies performed act as windows illuminating the slippery images of Revelation and the contextual issues to the polemic against the Judaistic and Jezebelian factions. Artillery gunpowder against the prophetic contender Jezebel is also illustrated through associations of her with the Great Harlot and the notorious OT Queen Jezebel. Certain polemics in the OT Kings narrative also come into play.

Main research contributions:
* The polemic in Revelation has been commonly read as an anti-imperial one, but such an aspect is not too prominent in the ‘letters’ (Rev 2-3), in which the author voices his main concern for the churches. This study focuses instead on the two main groups of contenders reflected in the ‘letters’: the so-called ‘Jews’ ascribed to the synagogue of Satan and a self-professed prophetess Jezebel and like company, which have received less attention in the study of Revelation’s polemic than imperial Rome.

*The study will help readers to appreciate better the importance of paying attention to socio-historical contexts and resonances in the study of the slippery images in Revelation. It makes original proposals based on such methodological attention to suggest that the beast from the sea connote the general Titus defeating Jerusalem, that the Great Harlot is in part a conflation of the faces of imperial queens and popular Graeco-Roman goddesses, and that the first and second “woes’’ proclaimed by an eagle (8:13; or the fifth and the sixth trumpets) allude to the first Jewish-Roman war (66-70 C.E.). I suggest that the study contains a number of groundbreaking insights into the slippery images of Revelation, and reveals the close relationship these images have with historical figures and events.

*Overall, the work provides a ‘holistic’ study of the polemic in Revelation (not a study of mere stylistic rhetoric) that gives attention to the triggering issues and identities of the contenders under fire. It also presents how major visionary characters, such as the beasts and the Great Harlot, are closely involved in playing out the polemic against the above-named contenders.

Possible readership:
I believe that the book will primarily be of interest to the academic community interpreting Revelation, which could wish to understand how Graeco-Roman socio-historical contexts unravel the slippery images in the book, and the triggering issues behind strong polemics exhibited therein. It provides an original perspective that challenges the present understanding that images of suffering in the book is to be read as merely ‘perceived’, and not reflecting any real crisis Christians faced in late first century. The issue of dating Revelation receives an extended discussion informed by a number of new conclusions in the study of the book.

For readers concerned with “anti-Jewish” elements in biblical literature, the proposed book provides an alternative perspective to the anti-Jewish stance (or rather, the anti-Judaistic stance) that is reflected by a Satanic depiction of the ‘Jews’ and synagogue. Thus, scholars working on Jewish-Christian conflicts throughout the centuries would be interested in some insights offered.
The work would also be of interest to scholars performing literary readings of women figures in the Bible, both in the NT and the OT. The reading of the connotations of the Great Harlot and Queen Jezebel (especially her death scene) at the subtext level contribute to aspects that have not been noticed or fully explored in literary depictions.

The work could also, secondarily, be of interest to the wider public who may be confused by the arrays of interpretations of Revelation, especially the many futuristic and prophetic readings that alter along with the course of history. It provides an inroad to how one can anchor Revelation tangibly within the social-historical context of the late first or early second century C.E., and show how resonances to known historical personalities of the Graeco-Roman world can illuminate major characters in the book.

Relevant academic courses:
Book of Revelation, Apocalyptic Literature, Polemic in Context, Jewish-Christian conflict, and Women in the Bible

Brief author description:
The author is currently a lecturer in Singapore in biblical studies. She holds a PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh. She has presented several papers in academic conferences of Society of Biblical Literature, Society of New Testament Studies, and postgraduate seminars in UK universities.