Mythological Imagery and Symbolism in Revelation 12:1-9
Mythological Imagery and symbolism in Revelation 12:1-9
Tom Sellick
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of BA with honours in Biblical Studies and Philosophy at the University of Sheffield.
I certify that this dissertation is based on my own original research and contains no material from any other source which is not referenced.
Contents
1. Introduction – p.2
2. Evidence of two myths in Rev. 12:1-9 - p.3
3. The Combat Myth – p.4 3.1 The Combat myth in Revelation 12:1-6 – p.4 3.2 The combat myth in the Old Testament – p.5 3.3 The Appearance of the Dragon – p.6
4. The Fallen Angel: Isaiah and Helel ben Shahar – p.7
5. Reading the Symbolism of the Dragon – p.8 5.1 The Dragon as a symbol of Chaos – p.8 5.2 Pompey the Dragon. Psalms of Solomon 2:25-29 – p.9 5.3 Rome and the Apollo Combat Myth – p.10
6. Reading the symbolism of the Serpent – p.12 6.1 The Protoevangelium – p.12 6.2 The Snake as a Pagan Symbol - p.13
7. Conclusion – p.14
8. Bibliography – p.16
1. Introduction
This dissertation will discuss the mythological sources of Revelation 12:1-9, and attempt to provide an exegetical commentary on the symbolism of the Dragon and the Serpent. I shall argue that the mythological symbolism was incorporated into Rev. 12:1-9 following conventions found throughout the Old Testament and extra-biblical Hebrew texts, which allowed the author to develop his conception of ultimate evil and its eventual eschatological defeat by God. The Dragon appears as the prime antagonist of the forces of Christianity, a representation of the grand evil that must be overcome for the victory of God. In Rev. 12:9 the Dragon is given three other names, the Serpent, the Devil and Satan, which were intended to associate four conceptions of evil within Hebrew theology. As an entity in the book, the Dragon must be understood in terms of symbolism to the author and his
Tom Sellick
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of BA with honours in Biblical Studies and Philosophy at the University of Sheffield.
I certify that this dissertation is based on my own original research and contains no material from any other source which is not referenced.
Contents
1. Introduction – p.2
2. Evidence of two myths in Rev. 12:1-9 - p.3
3. The Combat Myth – p.4 3.1 The Combat myth in Revelation 12:1-6 – p.4 3.2 The combat myth in the Old Testament – p.5 3.3 The Appearance of the Dragon – p.6
4. The Fallen Angel: Isaiah and Helel ben Shahar – p.7
5. Reading the Symbolism of the Dragon – p.8 5.1 The Dragon as a symbol of Chaos – p.8 5.2 Pompey the Dragon. Psalms of Solomon 2:25-29 – p.9 5.3 Rome and the Apollo Combat Myth – p.10
6. Reading the symbolism of the Serpent – p.12 6.1 The Protoevangelium – p.12 6.2 The Snake as a Pagan Symbol - p.13
7. Conclusion – p.14
8. Bibliography – p.16
1. Introduction
This dissertation will discuss the mythological sources of Revelation 12:1-9, and attempt to provide an exegetical commentary on the symbolism of the Dragon and the Serpent. I shall argue that the mythological symbolism was incorporated into Rev. 12:1-9 following conventions found throughout the Old Testament and extra-biblical Hebrew texts, which allowed the author to develop his conception of ultimate evil and its eventual eschatological defeat by God. The Dragon appears as the prime antagonist of the forces of Christianity, a representation of the grand evil that must be overcome for the victory of God. In Rev. 12:9 the Dragon is given three other names, the Serpent, the Devil and Satan, which were intended to associate four conceptions of evil within Hebrew theology. As an entity in the book, the Dragon must be understood in terms of symbolism to the author and his
Bibliography: Atkinson, Kenneth, ‘Towards a re-dating of the Psalms of Solomon’, Journal For the Study of the Psuedepigrapha, 1998, pp.95-112 Aune, David ‘The Form and Function of the Proclamations to the Seven Churches (Revelation 2-3), NTS 36, p.182-204 Aune, David, Revelation 6-16, (USA, Word Biblical Commentary, 1998) Bauckman, Richard, The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (Surrey, T&T Clark, 1993) Brock, Sebastian, ‘Review Of Charlesworth’s ‘Odes of Solomon’, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 93, No. 4 (1974), pp. 623-625 Charles, Robert, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St Charlesworth, James, (trans.) The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985) Charlesworth, James, The Odes of Solomon (Missoula, Montana, Scholars Press, 1977). Day, John, God’s Conflict with the Dragon and the Sea, (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985) Efron, Joshua, Studies on the Hasmonean Period (Leiden, Brill, 1987) Fontenrose, Joseph, Python: A Study of Deplhic Myth and its Origins (Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1987) Forsythe, Neil, The Old Enemy (Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1987) Gregg , John, ‘Odes of Solomon’, The Irish Church Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 21 (1913), pp. 19-35 Harrington, Wilfrid, Revelation, (USA, The Liturgical Press, 1993) Whiston, William (trans.)The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987), p.30 ----------------------- [1] Robert Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John (Edinburgh, T&T Clark, 1920 p. 300 [2] David Aune, Revelation 6-16, (USA, Word Biblical Commentary, 1998) p.679 [5] Howard Wallace, ‘Leviathan and the Beast in Revelation’, Biblical Archaeologist 11 (1948) pp.61-68 (p.67) [6] John Day, God’s Conflict with the Dragon and the Sea, (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985) p [7] Richard Bauckman, The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (Surrey, T&T Clark, 1993) p.186 [8] Day p [13] John Gregg , Odes of Solomon, The Irish Church Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 21 (1913), pp. 19-35 (p.22) [14] James Charlesworth ,The Odes of Solomon (Missoula, Montana, Scholars Press, 1977). [15] Sebastian Brock, ‘Review Of Charlesworth’s ‘Odes of Solomon’, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 93, No. 4 (1974), pp. 623-625 (p.625) [16] Charles, p.318 [17] Charles, p.319 [18] Neil Forsythe, The Old Enemy (Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1987) p.135 [32] James Charlesworth (trans.) The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985) [33] Kenneth Atkinson, ‘Towards a re-dating of the Psalms of Solomon’, Journal For the Study of the Psuedepigrapha, 1998, pp.95-112 ( p.97) [34] c.f Bauckman, p.191 Joshua Efron, Studies on the Hasmonean Period (Leiden, Brill, 1987) p.245 [35] Jan Van Henten