Satan’s Throne, Imperial Cults and the Social Settings of Revelation

Abstract

The book of Revelation did not have one single social setting but several, reflecting the fact that its recipients lived in seven different urban settings. These recipients had various external and internal problems but they agreed with John about non-participation in imperial cults. In the last half of Revelation, John used their agreement regarding imperial cults as a way of addressing three disagreements he had with certain members of some of the assemblies. In each case, John connected the disputed issue to imperial cults, and then located the issue in a broader critique of Roman imperial society. Thus he employed the imagery of imperial cults to move his audience from the consideration of particular issues to an analysis of religion, economy, and imperialism.

The Cup of God’s Wrath: Libation and Early Christian Meal Practice in Revelation

“…Libations were a nt part of daily life for most in the ancient world, and libation imagery from scriptures is d to highlight Revelation's distaste for what its author views as wrong religious practice. In rds, Revelation makes use of libation imagery from scripture in order to point to familiar ibation practices in Asia Minor as wrong, in keeping with the text's overarching critique of elation directly evokes the language of cult throughout the text (Friesen 2005). The of cultic elements in 13:4, such as "Who is like…?…”

“…Revelation directly evokes the language of cult throughout the text (Friesen 2005). The recitation of cultic elements in 13:4, such as "Who is like .…”

O culto imperial e o Apocalipse de João

“…Ele deve ter sido vítima de morte violenta, por execução, seja oficial, seja por ação espontânea do populacho, em um lugar específico de Pérgamo. A pesquisa tem basicamente quatro hipóteses para a localização do "trono de Satanás", segundo levantamento feito por Steven Friesen (2005). Esse local seria: (1) O Altar de Zeus e de Atenas na acrópole de Pérgamo, 2 (2) O Asklepeion, um conjunto de edifícios e instalações dedicadas ao culto de Asclépio, na periferia da cidade, (3) uma referência à cidade de Pérgamo como um todo, como suposto centro do culto imperial na província romana da Ásia, e (4) o templo de localização desconhecida dedicado a Roma e Augusto.…”

“…Apesar deFriesen (2005) constatar que os intérpretes do século XX terem abandonado a relação com o Altar de Zeus e de Atenam, Adela Yarbro Collins, em um artigo de 2005, defende essa hipótese com vigor.…”

Early Christian Representations of the Economy: Evidence from New Testament Texts

“…The same document, however, addresses church members who experienced no critical tension between their new religious commitment and the established cultural allegiances, being prone to an accommodative compromise with the dominant civic ethos. Concomitantly, the book is addressed to a variety of Christian communities located in the Roman proconsular province of Asia, which were entirely diverse in their social, economic, religious and political aspects (Friesen 2005).…”