Валерия Косякова – Apocalyptic Concepts in the Middle Ages (страница 9)
More than one theological spear has been broken over the interpretation of the number 666. The first theological discussions on the numerical decipherment of the beast's name date back to the second century CE. In his work "Against Heresies," Irenaeus of Lyons proposed several names (numbers) that added up to 666: Euthanas, Latinus, and Titan. The most convincing version was the name of a powerful and vengeful Titan, who, in Irenaeus's view, was similar to the sun and revered by many peoples and authorities. Jerome's interpretation (inherited from Irenaeus through Victorinus) repeats the Greek name "
In the 19th century, theologians hypothesized that the number 666 is a coded Hebrew spelling of the name "Nero Caesar." During Nero's reign in the eastern part of the Roman Empire Coins were minted with the Hebrew inscription "
The Number of the Beast is a kind of Christian MacGuffin: it's impossible to know the meaning behind the numerical sequence. For example, in the 20th century , the German theologian Ethelbert Stauffer deciphered the "Number of the Beast" as the name of Emperor Domitian , Nero's main rival for the title of Antichrist. Thus, depending on the calculation and the cultural and historical context, the symbolism of the number in different eras could point to Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, and others.
the beast's name signifies Emperor Nero, Domitian, the Pope, Martin Luther, or another powerful ruler, dictator, despot, usurper, or revolutionary remains unclear. Yet, precisely this ignorance underlies the enduring relevance of Revelation, allowing the symbolism of the Antichrist to be linked not to any specific figure, but to imbued with new, topical interpretations. In any case, the underlying thrust of marking nations is linked to the idea of worshiping the beast-Caesar as an absolute ruler, or even an allegory for the earthly empire as a whole, while swearing allegiance to it denied man's connection to the true judge and ruler — God.
The historical context of the creation of the text of Revelation refers to the opposition of Christians in the first centuries of the Roman Empire, while the opposition of the faithful and the unfaithful, the right and the wrong, remains a part of human culture.
Thus, the emergence of Revelation at the end of the first century is largely determined by historical realities, as this text encodes an image of Rome at the time as a decadent, decaying kingdom mired in sin. The image of Rome in this case is likened to that of Babylon and alludes to the events of the sixth century BCE — the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, which rhymes with the Roman capture of Jerusalem in 70 CE, followed by the momentous "destruction of the Temple."
Other, less popular hypotheses regarding the time of the composition of the text of Revelation have been put forward: under Titus, Trajan, Hadrian—but the dating problem comes down to a choice between the early (late 60s, in any case, before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70) and late (mid-90s – late 1st century) dates 15. Moreover, the early polemics of the patrists regarding the authorship of Revelation further complicate the picture: sometimes identifying the author with the Evangelist John 16, sometimes refuting this point of view, even attributing the text of Revelation to the heretic Cerinthus, while Dionysius the Great proposed seeing the author as the Apostle's namesake 17. The question of the authorship of the Apocalypse remains not only open but also provides extensive field for comparative studies of the texts of the New Testament corpus, phraseology, Christology, and speculative theories.
Finding parallels with real events, on the one hand, provides dating markers, but on the other, it risks reducing the interpretation of a complex, symbolic work to a set of historical facts.
The Revelation of John the Theologian became the last book New Testament , summarizing a series Judeo-Christian texts eschatological And providentialist character . The uniqueness of the Apocalypse lies not only in its symbolic summation of eschatological prophecies, but also in the fact that the Revelation of John seems to bring the biblical story of creation, the universe, history, and humanity full circle and thus concludes it. Reflecting the beginning and summing up the conclusion, the Apocalypse became the alpha and omega of tradition and covenant. If the Book of Genesis (the first book and a kind of prologue to all Scripture) presents the process of God's creation of the world, which took seven days, then the Apocalypse (a kind of epilogue) concludes the Bible—closing the book of human existence. Revelation seems to become a mirror image of the Book of Genesis, only it tells not of the creation of the world, but of its gradual collapse in the process of apocalyptic chaos and the Last Judgment. The creation of the world is akin to an engineering feat, a structure composed of earth, sea, sky, man , order, and so on. The Apocalypse, however, deconstructs this system, dissecting and dismantling the world brick by brick, revealing the blessed infinity of the New Jerusalem to the righteous and condemning sinners to eternal hellish torment. The paradisiacal existence of the New Jerusalem is practically hidden from John, the seer of the mysteries, remaining unimaginable to the mind and inaccessible to the eye—a space of the fusion of God and man. Since human empiricism has not yet experienced such a state, its unambiguous description is impossible. The experience of the New Jerusalem is transcendental, inhuman, immaterial; its definition can only be realized through apophatic definitions: through the denial of createdness, matter, and the world as such. The presentation of the process of dismantling the world to nothing is achieved in the Apocalypse not only thanks to the shocking images of the Last Judgment and the Wrath of God, but also through the strict and harmonious structure of the text, held together by numerical and symbolic (animals, angels, luminaries, etc.) symbols, which become more complex as the narrative develops.
The uniqueness and originality of Revelation, which contains various elements of the poetics of prophecy, speech addresses, features of the epistolary genre and even tragedy, are more than obvious upon careful reading.
Metamorphoses of Perception
How did contemporaries and early church fathers perceive such a vivid and convincing work about the coming End of the World?
For two thousand years, the text of Revelation has been one of the most commented upon in the New Testament corpus. It consistently engages readers, stimulating thought and provoking diverse interpretations. Scholars and theologians continually and tirelessly ponder it, making it impossible to consider and accommodate all opinions, perspectives, and views on Revelation . However, the vast diversity of interpretations can be distilled down to just a few exegetical algorithms.
The primary question troubling everyone was when and where the Kingdom of Heaven—the New Jerusalem—would arrive. During the second century, Revelation gained widespread dissemination and acceptance. Patristians, like the apostles, were convinced that the Last Judgment and the Second Coming would not simply occur in the near future, but were already occurring "here and now." The sense of the imminent or already present End of the World has always distinguished the Christian Church from other faiths and mythologies. The most notable and important development of the Middle Ages was the development of a universal interpretation of the Apocalypse, uniting the views of many different authors (Hippolytus of Rome, Commodian, Victorinus of Petau, Methodius of Olympus, Lactantius). This view of the Apocalypse is linked to the concept of a cosmic week, after which Armageddon will occur, but it will be preceded by a thousand years of abundance and grace — the seventh day. This formula reflects the events of the Book of Genesis: just as the world was created by God in six days, followed by a Sabbath of rest and blessing, so the world must last for six thousand years, and with their end the millennial kingdom of the saints will begin. Irenaeus Lyon , Justin Martyr and Tertullian considered , What Kingdom of Christ will triumph on earth and Christ with the righteous in the flesh will rule the world for a thousand years, after which the final battle between Good and Evil and the Last Judgment will take place.