The notion of revelation in the specific sense of a divine self-communication is more apparent in Western than in Eastern religions. In Hinduism , the dominant religion of India, revelation is generally viewed as a process whereby the religious seeker, actuating his deeper spiritual powers, escapes from the world of change and illusion and comes into contact with ultimate reality. The sacred books are held to embody revelation insofar as they reflect the eternal and necessary order of things.
A major form of Hindu thought, Vedanta , includes two main tendencies: The leading sage of Advaita Vedanta, Shankara early 9th century , while acknowledging in principle the possibility of coming to a knowledge of the Supreme Reality brahman through inner experience and contemplation of the grades of being, held that in practice a vivid apprehension of the divine arises from meditation on the sacred books, especially the Upanishads.
In Vishishtadvaita , systematized by the philosopher and theologian Ramanuja c. Revelation, consequently, is viewed as the gracious self-manifestation of the divine to those who open themselves in loving contemplation. The devotional theism of Vishishtadvaita, very influential in modern India, resembles the pietism and mysticism of the Western religions.
Buddhism , the other great religion originating on Indian soil, conceives of revelation not as a personal intervention of the Absolute into the worldly realm of relativities but as an enlightenment gained through discipline and meditation. The Buddha 6th—5th century bce , after a striking experience of human transitoriness and a period of ascetical contemplation, received an illumination that enabled him to become the supreme teacher for all his followers.
Although Buddhists do not speak of supernatural revelation, they regard the Buddha as a uniquely eminent discoverer of liberating truth. Chinese wisdom, more world-affirming than the ascetical religions of India, accords little or no place to revelation as this term is understood in the Western religions, though Chinese traditions do speak of the necessity of following a natural harmony in the universe. Daoism , perhaps the most characteristic Chinese form of practical mysticism, finds revelation only in the transparency of the immanent divine principle or way Dao.
Confucianism , while not incompatible with Daoism, is oriented less toward natural mysticism and more toward social ethics and decorum , though it too is concerned with accommodating life to a balance in the natural flow of existence. Confucius — bce , who refined the best moral teachings that had come down in the tradition, was neither a prophet appealing to divine revelation nor a philosopher seeking to give reasons for his doctrine.
In the three great religions of the West—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—revelation is the basic category of religious knowledge. Human beings know God and his will because God has freely revealed himself—his qualities, purpose, or instructions. The Israelite faith looked back to the Pentateuch the first five books of the Hebrew Bible , or Old Testament for its fundamental revelation of God. God was believed to have revealed himself to the patriarchs and prophets by various means not unlike those known to the local religions— theophanies visible manifestations of the divine , dreams, visions, auditions, and ecstasies—and also, more significantly, by his mighty deeds, such as his bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and enabling them to conquer the Holy Land.
Their inspired words were to be accepted in loving obedience as the Word of God. Rabbinic Judaism , which probably originated during the Babylonian Exile and became organized after the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 ce , concerned itself primarily with the solution of legal and ethical problems. It gradually developed an elaborate system of casuistry resting upon the Torah the Law, or the Pentateuch and its approved commentaries, especially the Talmud commentaries on the Torah , which was regarded by many as equal to the Bible in authority.
Orthodox Judaism still recognizes these authoritative sources and insists on the verbal inspiration of the Bible, or at least of the Pentateuch.
- Revelation, Theology of;
- Types and variations.
- Featured Verse Topics.
- Techniques in Iris Analysis Textbook for Iridology.
The New Testament took its basic notions of revelation from the contemporary forms of Judaism 1st century bce and 1st century ce —i. The Christian revelation is viewed as occurring primarily in the life, teaching, death, and Resurrection of Jesus, all interpreted by the apostolic witnesses under the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Commissioned by Jesus and empowered by the divine spirit, the Apostles , as the primary heralds, hold a position in Christianity analogous to that of the prophets in ancient Israel.
The Apostle Paul , though not personally a witness to the public life of Jesus, is ranked with the Apostles by reason of his special vision of the risen Christ and of his special call to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. Further development is understood to be a deeper penetration of what was already revealed, in some sense, in the 1st century. Periodically, in the course of Christian history, there have been sectarian movements that have attributed binding force to new revelations occurring in the community, such as the 2nd-century Montanists a heretical group whose members believed they were of the Age of the Holy Spirit , the 13th-century Joachimites a mystical group that held a similar view , the 16th-century Anabaptists radical Protestant sects , and the 17th-century Quakers.
Nature and significance
Islam, the third great prophetic religion of the West, has its basis in revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad c. More than either Judaism or Christianity, Islam is a religion of the Book. Insisting as it does on the absolute sovereignty of God, on human passivity in relation to the divine, and on the infinite distance between creator and creature, Islam has sometimes been inhospitable to philosophical speculation and mystical experience.
Yet in medieval Islam there was both a remarkable flowering of Arabic philosophy and the intense piety of the mystical Sufis. The rationalism of some philosophers and the theosophical tendencies of some of the Sufis came into conflict with official orthodoxy. A fourth great prophetic religion, which should be mentioned for its historic importance, is Zoroastrianism , once the national faith of the Persian empire. Zoroaster Zarathushtra , a prophetic reformer in the 6th century bce , apparently professed a monotheistic faith and a stern devotion to truth and righteousness.
This revelation enabled Zoroaster and his followers to comprehend the difference between good Truth and evil The Lie and to know the one true God.
Navigation menu
Later forms of Zoroastrianism apparently had an impact on Judaism, from the time of the Babylonian Exile, and, through Judaism, on Christianity. Recurrent questions concerning revelation include: There is, however, no irreconcilable opposition between general and special revelation. Vedanta Hinduism and Buddhism, even if they do not speak of special revelation, believe that their religious books and traditions have unique value for imparting a saving knowledge of the truth. The Western religions differ somewhat among themselves in the ways in which they understand how special revelation occurs.
Some focus simply on the direct inspiration of the divinely chosen prophets. The Judeo-Christian tradition, however, characteristically looks upon the prophets as witnesses and interpreters of what God is doing in history. Revelation through deeds is conceived to be more fundamental than revelation through words, though the words of the prophets are regarded as necessary to clarify the meaning of the events. The full disclosure of the meaning of history, for many of the biblical writers, will occur only at the end of time, when revelation will be given to all peoples in full clarity.
The Judeo-Christian notion of history as progressive revelation has given rise to a variety of theological interpretations of world history, from St. Augustine — to G. Hegel — and other modern thinkers. In those religions that look for guidance to the ancient past, great importance is attached to sacred books. Theravada Buddhism, while it professes no doctrine of inspiration, has drawn up a strict canon standard or authoritative scriptures —the Pali-language Tipitaka —in order to keep alive what is believed to be the most original and reliable traditions concerning the Buddha see also Pali literature.
Mahayana Buddhism, while it has no such strict canon, considers that all its adherents must accept the authority of the sutras basic teachings written in aphorisms. Zen Buddhism, a popular branch of Mahayana thought in East Asia, sometimes goes to the point of rejecting any such written authority. Many religions view their holy books as inspired and inerrant. Judaism, on the other hand, looks upon the Bible as divinely inspired by a personal God. The idea of verbal dictation from God, which occurs here and there in the Bible, was applied by some rabbis to the Pentateuch, which was believed to have been written by Moses under verbal inspiration, and even to the whole Bible.
Christianity, which generally accepts both the Old and New Testaments as in some sense inspired, has at times countenanced theories of verbal dictation. According to the Mormons, the Book of Mormon was composed in heaven and delivered on tablets of gold to Joseph Smith. The great religions frequently make a distinction between those scriptures that contain the initial revelation and others, at the outer fringe of the canon, that contain authoritative commentaries.
In Hinduism the four Vedas and three other ancient collections—the Brahmanas , Aranyakas, and Upanishads—are Shruti i. Later Judaism, while recognizing the unique place of the Bible as the written source of revelation, accords equal authority to the Talmud as traditional commentary. Among Christians, Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox believe that revelation is to be found not only in the Bible but also, by equal right, in the apostolic tradition. Protestants emphasize the objective sufficiency of Scripture as a source of revelation, but many Protestants today are careful to add that Scripture must always be read in the light of church tradition in order that its true message be rightly understood.
Special significance is attached to the practice Sunnah of the Prophet himself and to the traditions handed down by his immediate companions. In most religions, nonverbal communication plays an important part in the transmission of revelation. This can occur in art notably in icons , statues, and idols , in sacred music, in the liturgy, and in popular dramas, such as the mystery plays common in medieval Europe or those still performed in Indian villages. For a deeper initiation into the revelation, it is believed to be necessary to live under the tutelage of a guru see also Guru , monk, or holy man.
To the extent that revelation is identified with a profound and transforming personal experience, the spiritual preparation of the subject by prayer and asceticism is stressed. Among the great living religions of the world, there is wide agreement that revelation cannot be fully communicated by books and sermons but only by an ineffable, suprarational experience. In Hinduism the Upanishads emphasize the hiddenness of God.
Leaving behind all created analogies , the adept is led to the point where he comes to praise God in an adoring silence more exalted than speech. Buddhism of the Mahayana, especially its Zen varieties, likewise advocates ecstatic contemplation. John of the Cross. Many theologians within Judaism e. John Chrysostom and St. This idea, never absent from the medieval Scholastic intellectualist tradition, was newly emphasized by Martin Luther , who insisted that the revealed God Deus revelatus remains the hidden God Deus absconditus , before whom human beings must stand in reverent awe.
Yet, with Revelation, the problems might be judged more fundamental. The author seems to be using his sources in a completely different way to the originals. For example, he borrows the 'new temple' imagery of Ezekiel 40—48 but uses it to describe a New Jerusalem which, quite pointedly, no longer needs a temple because it is God's dwelling. Ian Boxall [] writes that Revelation "is no montage of biblical quotations that is not John's way but a wealth of allusions and evocations rewoven into something new and creative. He sets out a comparative table listing the chapters of Revelation in sequence and linking most of them to the structurally corresponding chapter in Ezekiel.
The interesting point is that the order is not the same. John, on this theory, rearranges Ezekiel to suit his own purposes. Some commentators argue that it is these purposes — and not the structure — that really matter. Beale believes that, however much John makes use of Ezekiel, his ultimate purpose is to present Revelation as a fulfillment of Daniel 7. The chariot's horses in Zechariah's are the same colors as the four horses in Revelation Zech 6: The nesting of the seven marches around Jericho by Joshua is reenacted by Jesus nesting the seven trumpets within the seventh seal Josh 6: The description of the beast in Revelation is taken directly out of Daniel see Dan 7: The method that John used allowed him to use the Hebrew Scriptures as the source and also use basic techniques of parallel formation, thereby alluding to the Hebrew Scriptures.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the book in the New Testament. For other uses, see Book of Revelation disambiguation. Matthew Mark Luke John. Apostle Beloved disciple Evangelist Patmos Presbyter. Apocryphon Acts Signs Gospel. Authorship of the Johannine works. Development of the New Testament canon. After them is to be placed, if it really seem proper, the Apocalypse of John, concerning which we shall give the different opinions at the proper time.
These then belong among the accepted writings [Homologoumena]. Among the rejected [Kirsopp. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. An Introduction to the New Testament 2nd ed. Isaiah and Prophetic Traditions in the Book of Revelation: In Esler, Philip F. The Early Christian World. Retrieved 17 October Commentary on John, Book V: Retrieved 15 October Catechetical Lecture 4 Chapter Retrieved 12 October Retrieved 14 October Commentary on the Apostles' Creed Synod of Laodicea Canon Decretum Gelasianum English translation ".
Word Biblical Commentary 52A: Revelation 1 — 5. Retrieved 28 October Retrieved 20 April Seraphim Rose , ed. In the Teachings of Ancient Christianity. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood. Pryse Apocalypse Unsealed London: Archived from the original on 5 October Retrieved 25 April Reading Revelation Then and Now.
- Children Do Kick Up Dust.
- Book of Revelation!
- Erfolgsfaktoren des Product-Placements in Kinospielfilmen (German Edition);
From Paul to Postcolonial Times. A Political Commentary on the Gospel. Ministry, International Journal for Pastors. Retrieved 29 June General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Retrieved 5 October Yale University Press North in his The Second Isaiah London: However, Christopher North goes on to cite Torrey on 20 major occasions and many more minor ones in the course of his book. So, Torrey must have had some influence and poetry is the key.
Oxford University Press p. She quoted 1 John 3: Vision of a Just World Edinburgh: The rhetoric of gender in the Apocalypse of John Louisville: Westminster-John Knox p. Martin Secker published posthumously with an introduction p. He noted the difference meant that the John who wrote a gospel could not be the same John that wrote Revelation. Apocalypse and the Writings on Revelation. Apocalyptic and Accommodation" on YouTube.
Revelation, Theology of - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Online
Accessed July 22, Ehrman 9 June How John Wrote the Book of Revelation: From Concept to Publication. Sheffield Academic Press p. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. Continuum, and Peabody, Massachusetts: Introduction to the New Testament. Collins, Adela Yarbro The Power of the Apocalypse. Westminster John Knox Press. A Bible Handbook to Revelation. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 3 rev. Hahn, Scott The Lamb's Supper: The Bible and the future. A History of the End of the World: Westminster John Knox Press,.
Senior, Donald; Getty, Mary Ann The Catholic Study Bible. The Book of Revelation. Four Views on the Book of Revelation. Pagels, Elaine Revelations: Weor, Samael Aun []. Gnostic Kabbalah and Tarot in the Apocalypse of St. The People of God in the Apocalypse. Theology of the New Testament [tr. The Apocalypse in the Ancient Church. In Dunn, James D. Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible.
SCM Press, and Philadelphia: Books of the Bible. Letter of Baruch Psalms — Category Portal WikiProject Book. Future of the Earth Ultimate fate of the universe. Extinction risk from global warming Runaway climate change Global terrestrial stilling Ice age Ecocide Human impact on the environment Ozone depletion Cascade effect.
Overexploitation Overpopulation Human overpopulation. Extinction event Human extinction Genetic erosion Genetic pollution. Dysgenics Pandemic Biological agent Transhumanism. Alien invasion Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction List of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction List of apocalyptic films Disaster films List of disaster films List of fictional doomsday devices Zombie apocalypse.
Revelation
Retrieved from " https: Views Read Edit View history. In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource. This page was last edited on 14 December , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Acts of the Apostles. Part of a series of articles on. Pseudepigrapha 1 Enoch 2 Esdras. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Book of Revelation. Wikiquote has quotations related to: Wikisource has original text related to this article: Book of Revelation Apocalyptic Epistle.