Apocalypse

The Apocalypse is the last book of the Christian Bible.

Étymologiquement, Apocalypse is the transcription of a Greek term (Aποκάλυψις, Apocalupsis ) which itself translated the Hebrew nigla which means exposed , removal of the veil or revelation . The book starts indeed with the words “ Révélation of Jesus-Christ ” (Ap 1,1). It is in the sense that the text will introduce the person of Jesus-Christ to her return to earth and the events surrounding it.

The book prophesies as well on what arrived, on what arrives, as on what must arrive later: “ thus Write what you saw, which is, and what must arrive then ” (Apocalypse chapter 1, verse 19).

The literary kind

If the Apocalypse of Jean is generally the only apocalypse recognized in the New Testament, the apocalyptic one was a literary kind particularly developed in the Old Testament, in the Livre of Daniel in particular. For those which recognize them, one can also compare it with the written pseudépigraphes or the books apocryphal books of the New Testament: Apocalypse of Pierre, Apocalypse of Baruch, Apocalypse of Abraham, Apocalypse of Daniel, Apocalypse of Élie, Apocalypse of Brace, Apocalypse of Sophonie, Apocalypse of Jacques, Apocalypse of Paul, Apocalypse of Etienne and even Apocalypse apocryphal book of Jean.

Eschatology

See also: Eschatologie Christian woman

Several other texts of the Bible speak about the end of time:

  • At the beginning of the chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthieu, Jesus is questioned the time and the signs of its advent and the end of the world.
  • the Book of Daniel, presents to him also prophecies having milked at the end of times. Several Protestant theologists whose Charles Auguste Auberlen makes the bringing together.
  • the prophet Isaïe evokes to him also new skies and a new ground, as in the final chapters of the Apocalypse.
  • the trumpets are an important topic of the eschatology. The trumpets of Jericho which announce the conquest of the promised land by Josué are sometimes put in parallel with the trumpets of the Apocalypse which announce the second arrival of Jesus.

Canonicity

The admission of the Apocalypse in the gun of the received books was rather difficult.

Some, like the Roman priest Caïus, at the beginning of the 3rd century, rejected the Apocalypse, because they suspected it of supporting the Millénarisme.

The Denis bishop of Alexandria disputed his johannic authenticity for reasons stylistics.

The Church of Syria was unaware of it. What did not prevent holy Athanase, bishop of Alexandria, to fully recognize it in its 39e letter Pascale (367).

In Occident, it was definitively accepted by the decree of the pope Damase, into 382, confirmed by the councils of Hippone (393) and of Carthage (397), with all the other writings of the New Testament.

In the Church of the East its admission in the gun will be discussed to Xe century.

Author and dating

  • As of the second century, or the beginning of the third, a broad community (saint Justin, saint Irenee, the Canon de Muratori, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullien) but also the majority of the ecclesiastical authors of the ancient world (Tertullien, Hippolyte and Victorius) allot this book to the Jean apostle. It is also the thesis most generally retained by the exégètes of our time.

    • Thus, Irenee and Justin Martyr affirms that it returned to Éphèse after its detention to Patmos and that it lived there until the beginning of the reign of Trajan, that is to say year 98. Some think that the text was written in year 95, time when the emperor Domitien launched many persecutions against the Christians. Jean would have been exiled in Patmos by measurement of intimidation and would have written this book without assistance. Compared to other writing of Jean (the Gospel according to Jean and epistles of Jean) where it would have been helped, the poverty of the style of the Apocalypse would confirm this version. The style of writing remains all the same close between the book to the Apocalypse and the Gospel of Jean. It is in particular the case for the word sêméion (sign) (Ap 12,1) which one finds twelve times in his Gospel (Jn 2,11.23; 3,2; 4,48.54; 6,14.30; 7,31; 9,16; 11,47; 12,37 and 20,30). In 397, the Concile of Laodicée admitted this assumption as being most probable.
    • According to another assumption, certain commentators like Wetscoot, Lightfoot or Salmon, thought that Néron was responsible for the imprisonment of Jean in the island of Patmos. The Apocalypse would have been written during its reign and before the fall of Jerusalem, about the year 70. Period what also proposed Clément of Alexandria, Origène and Jerome.

  • Eusèbe (v.270-v.340) and other Fathers allotted this book to Jean Old the, which would have been bishop of Éphèse at the end of Ier century. Others, like saint Denis of Alexandria (medium of IIIe century), disputed that Jean is the author for reasons stylistics. This controversy is darkened by the fact that, in its epistles, Jean the apostle names only Jean the Old one, or Jean the presbyope (cf 2 Jn 1 and 3 Jn 1).

Orthodoxe theology took party in this debate when the orthodoxe monks of Patmos solemnly celebrated the nineteenth centenary of the drafting of the Apocalypse in 1995.

Summary

  • chapters 1-3 contain the introduction of the book and the letters with the seven Churches of Asia.
  • chapters 4-5 are the report of visions received by the author showing the majesty and the power of the justice of God and Christ.
  • In chapters 6-9, 11, Jean tells to have seen a sealed book of seven seals, seals representing thousand years of the temporal history of the ground. These chapters treat above all the events contained in the seventh seal (see Ap 8-9, 11:1 - 15).
  • chapter 10 speaks about a book swallowed by Jean.
  • chapter 12 brings back the vision of the evil which started in the sky when Satan rebelled and was driven out. The war which started over there continues to make rage on the ground.
  • In chapters 13,17-19, Jean describes the perverse terrestrial kingdoms dominated by Satan and their fate, as well as the final destruction of the evil.
  • chapters 14-16 describe the justice of the saints in the middle of the evil, right before the second arrival of Christ.
  • chapters 20-22 describe the Millénium, the creation of a second ground and the Jerusalem news.

Plans of the Apocalypse

One can distinguish three plans superimposed from the Apocalypse, which combine without being contradicted:

Binary plan (or synopsis)

(According to the Apocalypse itself: cf Ap 1,19):
  1. " the present " , or letters with the seven Churches: Ap 1,1 --- 3,22.
  2. " What must arrive later " , or prophetic visions: Ap 4,1 --- 22,21

Ternary plan

This plan was proposed by Jean Ferrand. It divides the text in three parts:
  1. present (of the Churches): chapter 1, verse 4 in chapter 3, verse 22
  2. past (of humanity), distant or immediate: chapter 4, verse 1 in chapter 13, verse 18
  3. future, near or distance: chapter 14, verse 1 in the chapter 22, verse 5

Septenary plan

This plan was proposed by Alfred Läpple in his work the Apocalypse of Jean , according to the " words-charnières" who mark out the text.

      • Prolog: 1,1-3 ( Apocalypse )

      • I. seven letters with the seven Churches: 1,4 --- 3,22

  • Address: 1,4-8 ( Jean with the seven Churches )
  • preliminary Vision: 1,9-20. ( Me, Jean )
  • 1 - Letter with the Church of Éphèse: 2,1-7. ( with the angel )
  • 2 - Letter with the Church of Smyrna: 2,8-11. ( with the angel )
  • 3 - Letter with the Church of Pergame: 2,12-17. ( with the angel )
  • 4 - Letter with the Church of Thyatire: 2,18-29. ( with the angel )
  • 5 - Letter with the Church of Sardinians: 3,1-6. ( with the angel )
  • 6 - Letter with the Church of Philadelphia: 3,7-13. ( with the angel )
  • 7 - Letter with the Church of Laodicée: 3,14-22. ( with the angel )
      • II. Seven seals: 4,1 --- 8,1
  • preliminary Vision: 4,1 --- 5,14. ( After that, I live )
  • 1 - the first seal: 6,1-2. ( first )
  • 2 - the second seal: 6,3-4. ( second )
  • 3 - the third seal: 6,5-6. ( third )
  • 4 - the fourth seal: 6,7-8. ( fourth )
  • 5 - the fifth seal: 6,9-11. ( fifth )
  • 6 - the sixth seal: 6,12-17. ( sixth )
  • intermediate Vision: 7,1-17. ( after that I live )
  • 7 - the seventh seal: 8,1. ( seventh )
      • III. Seven trumpets: 8,2 --- 11,19
  • preliminary Vision: 8,2-5. ( And I live )
  • 1 - the first trumpet: 8,6-7. ( first )
  • 2 - the second trumpet: 8,8-9. ( second )
  • 3 - the third trumpet: 8,10-11. ( third )
  • 4 - the fourth trumpet: 8,12-13. ( fourth )
  • 5 - the fifth trumpet and the 1st misfortune: 9,1-12. ( fifth )
  • 6 - the sixth trumpet and the 2nd misfortune: 9,13-21. ( sixth )
  • Excursus I: Seven thunders: 10,1-7. ( and I live )
  • Excursus II: The little book: 10,8-11. ( and the voice )
  • Excursus III: Two witnesses: 11,1-14. ( and it to me was given )
  • 7 - the seventh trumpet and the 3rd misfortune: 11,15-19. ( seventh )
      • IV. Seven visions of the Woman and her combat with the Dragon: 12,1 --- 14,20
  • 1 - Vision of the Woman: 12,1-2. ( And a large sign appeared )
  • 2 - Vision of the Dragon: 12,3-17. ( and appeared )
  • 3 - Vision of the Animal: 12,18 --- 13,10. ( and I live )
  • 4 - Vision of the other Animal: 13,11-18. ( and I live )
  • 5 - Vision of the Lamb: 14,1-5. ( and I live )
  • 6 - Vision of the three angels: 14,6-13. ( and I live )
  • 7 - Vision of the Son of man and the harvest by three other angels: 14,14-20. ( and I live )
      • V. seven plagues of the seven cuts: 15,1 --- 16,21
  • preliminary Vision: 15,1-8. ( And I live )
  • 1 - first cut: 16,1-2. ( first )
  • 2 - second cut: 16,3. ( second )
  • 3 - third cut: 16,4-7. ( third )
  • 4 - fourth cut: 16,8-9. ( fourth )
  • 5 - fifth cut: 16,10-11. ( fifth )
  • 6 - sixth cut: 16,12-16. ( sixth )
  • 7 - seventh cut: 16,17-21. ( seventh )
      • VI. Seven tables on the punishment of Rome: 17,1 --- 19,10
  • 1 - Vision of Rome: 17,1-18. ( And I live )
  • 2 - Vision of the angel announcing the fall of Rome: 18,1-3. ( after that, I live )
  • 3 - Recommendations with God's people in Rome: 18,4-8. ( and I heard another voice )
  • 4 - Lamentations on Rome: 18,9-19. ( and they will cry )
  • 5 - Joy in the sky: 18,20. ( delighted )
  • 6 - Fall of Rome: 18,21-24. ( and it took )
  • 7 - Triumph with the sky: 19,1-10. ( after that, I heard )
      • VII. Seven final visions of the future: 19,11 --- 22,5
  • 1 - Vision of the open sky and the Verb of God: 19,11-16. ( And I live )
  • 2 - Vision of the exterminating angel: 19,17-18. ( and I live )
  • 3 - Vision of the Animal and its defeat: 19,19-21. ( and I live )
  • 4 - Vision of the thousand years reign: 20,1-3. ( and I live )
  • 5 - Vision of the 1st resurrection. The second and last combat eschatologic: 20,4-10. ( and I live )
  • 6 - Vision of the judgment of the nations: 20,11-15. ( and I live )
  • 7 - Vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem: 21,1 --- 22,5. ( and I live ) ( in the centuries of the centuries )
      • Épilogue: 22,6-21
  • final Recommendations: 22,6-21. ( And he tells me )

N.B. The word-hinges were indicated between (brackets), and in Italic .

Interpretations

The Apocalypse is certainly the book more discussed Écritures, which is due to the diversity of interpretations, and with the oppositions which they raise.

General interpretations

The language highly symbolic system of this book opened the way with very many interpretations, which differ according to the sensitivities and the times. However four large currents in general are found.

  • the idealistic thesis sees the Apocalypse like a combat between the forces of the good and those of the evil. All is business of symbol. Among the followers of this interpretation, one can note Clément of Alexandria and Origène (IIIe century).

  • the thesis preterist ( praeter : before) the Apocalypse considers as a there finding book of history of the events comparable with those which have occurred during the war of Judaea (Ier century).

  • the thesis presentist or history makes the bringing together of the topicality and the events described in the text. One notes many famous characters having supported this vision, like Wycliffe, Luther, Joseph Mede or Isaac Newton.

  • the futuristic thesis sees in this book a painting of the events to come, a prophecy. This last design confers an aspect diverting on the events of the present.

Various modern Christian commentators consider that the theses history and futuristic are all the two valid ones. The starting assumption is that, since the milked Apocalypse of the judgment of the world, it cannot be limited to a current glance on the events surrounding Jean about the middle of Ier century (time of Néron). At the same time, it would be exaggerated to think that Jean would have written this text only bound for readers of the future, was this several centuries in the future, without it not having interest for his contemporaries. This approach thus supposes that the Apocalypse comprised a message bound for its contemporaries, but at the same time as it was of a prophetic nature, concerning “times of the end”.

Millenarism

See also: Millénarisme

The Millenium is the term employed to indicate the thousand years reign of Jesus-Christ on Earth describes in chapter 20 of the Apocalypse. There exist several designs of the millenium , which one can classify overall in three categories.

  • the premillenarists, or millenarists design millenium literally: the 1.000 years reign of the Messiah on ground. The return of Jesus-Christ, who puts an end to the reign of the two animals and the false prophet, brings the beginning of the millenium . According to some, the " Église" would be removed initially, then would accompany the Parousie, thus beginning the millenium . After this millenium place would have the disappearance of the ground in front of YHWH and the last Jugement.

  • the postmillenarists think that the return of Jesus-Christ will be done after the thousand years of reign. They assimilate millenium with the reign of the Catholic church. Thousand years, and the first resurrection of Ap 20,1-6 would correspond to a provisional victory of the Church of Christ after the announced fall of the Roman empire (cf Ap 18,21). All in all a time of Christendom, before a renewed attack of the evil spirit (cf Ap 20,7). The thesis of Gaston Georgel (four ages of Humanity) would fall under this prospect which locates the millenium as lying between the edict of Milan (phonetically 1.000 years) in 313 and the destruction about Templiers in 1313. This thesis based on work of an ecclesiastic, Mgr Decouvoux, fact of the millenium the golden age of Christianity, as in prelude to the outburst of Satan towards the end of a cycle.

  • the amillenarists refuse the thought of a reign of Jesus-Christ on Earth. They compare the millenium to the reign eternal (CH. 21 and 22) and applies prophecies concerning the re-establishment of Israel to the Church.

Works inspired by the biblical book

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