The meaning and function of the Old Testament in Rev 21.1-22.5

• Main Author: Mathewson, D. L.
• Published: University of Aberdeen 1998
• Subjects: 230
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.593058

After surveying previous work done on the use of the OT in Rev 21.1-22.5, the present thesis concludes that more work remains to be done on the meaning and function of the OT in this section of the Apocalypse. The bulk of the study is devoted to a detailed analysis of the OT in Rev 21.1-22.5, paying special attention to what meaning effects are produced by the author's sustained allusion to and echo of Scripture, and how it functions within the discourse and structure of Rev 21.1-22.5. The present thesis also argues that the discontinuity between Rev 21.1-22.5 and the OT must also be accounted for, especially the 'universalism' of the more limited perspective of several of the OT texts upon which the author draws (e.g. Ezek 40-48). This study suggests that this transformation can be explained in light of fulfilment in Christ and the combination with more universal OT texts. By intertextual appeal to the OT, the author creates a plurality of semantic effects: new creation, new exodus, New Jerusalem, new covenant, the bride, new temple-priesthood, paradise restored and renewed, the inclusion of the nations, prophetic legitimization. The OT functions in Rev 21.1-22.5 to create a symbolic world of vision through which the readers' perception of their situation and their expectations of eschatological salvation are shaped. Negatively, the OT functions as a polemic against the Jewish antagonists and as a prophetic critique of Roman culture and ideology. By situating his discourse within the space of Scripture, the author constructs his own prophetic message in 21.1-22.5, which resonates with the deeper tones of those prior texts.