Apocalypse

The Apocalypse of Saint John (in ancient Greek, Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου Apokálypsis Ioánnou, «Revelation of John»), also known as the Book of Revelations , is the last book of the New Testament and of the Christian Bible. It is also known as Revelations of Jesus Christ from the title given to this book at the beginning (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [...]) and, in some Protestant circles, simply as Revelation or Book of Revelations. Due to its literary genre, it is considered by most academics to be the only New Testament book of an exclusively prophetic nature.

The Apocalypse is perhaps the richest writing in symbols in the entire Bible. The number of symbols, events, and processes complicates the task of interpreting the entire text and, as such, has been the subject of much research, interpretation, and debate throughout history.

History of the book

Authorship

The author identifies himself within the book as John, and in exile on the island of Patmos (in the Aegean Sea) for bearing witness to Jesus (Rev 1:9).

San Miguel fighting the DragonJean Fouquet.

The coincidence of this name with that of John the Evangelist and the author of other New Testament writings is in large part the reason why the book is traditionally attributed to the Apostle John (who is also attributed the fourth Gospel and three letters: 1 John, 2 John and 3 John). However, in the Apocalypse , the author only mentions his name, without ever identifying himself with the same apostle John of the Gospels, or that he is even the same author of the other writings attributed to the apostle.

Most of the early Church Fathers, or Apostolic Fathers, such as Papias, Justin, Melitón, Irenaeus, Hippolytus and others, affirmed that the author of this inspired Book was the Evangelist himself, a disciple of the Lord. In the year 633 the IV Council of Toledo trying to clear up the doubt created from the last section of the III century, (when already no disciple lived who had treated or known the author of the Fourth Gospel), he affirmed that the Apocalypse was the work of the Evangelist and that it should be considered a divine and certainly canonical work, punishing those who denied it with excommunication.

In such a way that the Catholic Church considers the Book as authored by the Apostle John, the so-called Evangelist, and that it is a book inspired by God that is part of the Holy Scriptures that must be believed with Catholic faith.

There is, on the other hand, a current within modern research that tends to group together the writings attributed to John and some go so far as to affirm that they belong to a supposed community called "Joánica". This position would not necessarily indicate the direct authorship of the Apostle John, but it would indicate that a community, either founded by him or strongly influenced by him, would be the one that would generate these documents (Hahn, 2001). Thus, he maintains that, even if John had not written the Apocalypse by hand, it would be as if he had done it through this community.

In addition, they think that assigning a renowned character as the author of the works was common in the tradition of apocalyptic literature, not to give extra credit, albeit false, to the work, but because in fact the true author fully identifies with the character who is marked as the author of the work (Vanni, 1982: 18-19).

Historical context of his writing

Historically it is known that the Apocalypse or Revelations was written at the end of the 1st century or the beginning of the 2nd century. In the time of Emperor Domitian (Caesar of the Roman Empire at the end of the I century) when Roman persecutions against Christians became more bloody. He, like some other emperors, demanded (either out of simple vanity or as a strategy of coercion to his subjects) that his statues be worshiped throughout the empire, which Christians refused to do for religious reasons: The Caesars proclaimed themselves 'Lord of Lords', as well as 'sons of God', titles that Christians reserve exclusively for Jesus Christ.

For this reason, the Apocalypse would also carry a historical background that would make multiple references to these persecutions and to the advice that the author would give to his readers, Christians, to remain in the faith to endure the anguish, putting the final hope of the new Jerusalem as a sure prize for those who stood firm (Prévost, 2001: 27-32).

The following is an (incomplete) list of some important dates to take into account in the historical context of the writing of the Apocalypse (Prévost, 2001: 27):

• Decade of the 1930s: Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
• 60: probable dates of the deaths of the apostles Simon Peter and Paul of Tarsus. Persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero.
• 70-73: destruction by the Romans of the temple of Jerusalem, expulsion of the Jews from Jerusalem.
• After the year 73: conflicts grow between Christians and Jews. By the 1990s, in which it was probably written RevelationThe separation is almost complete.
• 81-96: Domitian is emperor of Rome. It forcefully imposes the divinizing cult on the emperor.

Canonicity

"Apocalyptic I", work by Mexican artist Mauricio García Vega.

The Apocalypse is considered one of the most controversial and difficult books of the Bible, due to the variety of possible interpretations in the meanings of names, events and symbols that are narrated. The admission of this text in the biblical canon of the New Testament was not easy, the controversy among the Fathers of the Church regarding the canonicity of the Apocalypse lasted several centuries.

Recognition and acceptance of the Apocalypse

At the end of the second century the Apocalypse was recognized by the representatives of the mainline churches as a genuine work of the Apostle John. In Asia, Melito, Bishop of Sardis, recognized the Apocalypse of John and wrote a commentary on it (Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, IV, 26). In Gaul, Irenaeus of Lyons strongly believed in his divine and apostolic authority (Adversus Haer.,[1] V, 30). In Africa, Tertullian frequently quoted the Apocalypse without apparent doubt as to its authenticity (Contra Marcion, III, 14, 25). In Rome, Bishop Hippolytus assigned its authorship to the Apostle John, and the Muratorian Fragment he lists it along with the other canonical writings. The Vetus Latina contained the Apocalypse. In Alexandria, Clement and Origen unhesitatingly believed in its Johannine authorship. Origen accepted the Apocalypse as inspired, and cataloged it as part of the Homologoumena. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, fully recognized this in his paschal letter 39 in the year 367, as well as Augustine of Hippo (AD 397) in his book On Christian Doctrine (book II, Chapter 8), Rufinus of Aquileia (AD 400) in his Commentary on the Apostles, Pope Innocent I (AD 405) in a letter to Bishop Toulouse and John of Damascus in his book An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (730 AD).

In the West, the book was definitively accepted by the decree of Pope Damasus I, in the year 382, later confirmed by the Synod of Hippo (393), the Council of Carthage (397), the Council of Carthage (419), the Council of Florence (in 1442) and finally by the Council of Trent (in 1546) along with all other New Testament writings. In the East, it was included in the canon after much controversy (which lasted until the 9th century) although it is the only New Testament book that is not read as part of the liturgy in the Orthodox Church.

Opponents of the canonicity of Revelation

Some, like the Roman Gaius, at the beginning of the third century rejected the Apocalypse for promoting millenarianism. The most important antagonist of the authority of the Apocalypse was Dionysus, bishop of Alexandria, a disciple of Origen. He was not opposed to the idea that Cerinto was the author of the Apocalypse as can be read in his work On Promises :

"This is the doctrine that Cerinto taught: the kingdom of Christ will be earthly. And as he loved the body and was entirely carnal, he imagined that he would find those satisfactions to which he longed, those of the womb and of the low womb, that is, of eating, of drinking, of marriage: in the midst of feasts, sacrifices and inmolations of sacred victims, through which he tried to make such thesis more acceptable."

Another disciple of Origen's, Eusebius of Caesarea, disagreed with his Alexandrian teacher in rejecting the Apocalypse as biblical writing, although he was forced to acknowledge its almost universal acceptance. He stated the following:

"The Apocalypse is accepted by some among the canonical books, but others reject it." (Ecclesiastical History, III, 25).

Cyril of Jerusalem did not name it among the canonical books; nor does it appear in the list of the Synod of Laodicea, or in that of Gregory of Nazianzus. Another argument against the book's apostolic authorship is its omission from the Peshite version, the Syrian Vulgate in Aramaic.

In the fourth century, Saint John Chrysostom and other bishops argued against including this book in the New Testament canon, mainly because of the difficulties posed by its interpretation and the latent danger it might entail. Christians in Syria also rejected it because the Montanists relied heavily on it.

In the 9th century, it was included along with the Apocalypse of Peter among the "discussed" from the Stichometria of Saint Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Martin Luther considered that the Apocalypse "is neither apostolic nor prophetic," and said that "Christ is neither taught nor known about here". (Luther's Treatise on Discussed Books of the New Testament)

Analysis of the book

The book of Revelation can be read on several levels (literal, symbolic, due to its literary genre, with the historical context in which it was written, due to the underlying message of the speaker, etc.) According to Prévost (2001: 5-9) it is necessary to understand all these levels to understand the book of Apocalypse and to avoid interpreting it solely from the perspective of attitudes of apocalyptic movements that focus solely on the terror that would cause a supposed end of the world:

• A reading Verbatim of the book can leave different impressions in the reader, but it is important not to remain only on this level, but to deepen more for better understanding. There is currently an approach to the interpretation of a topic and the methodology that made such an interpretative text possible, this approach implies that when a commentator discusses the revelation of John, he has to expose the criterion and methodology used.
• The level of literary gender is very important, as it allows to locate Revelation within the context of other books (biblical and non-biblical) that with a similar structure or symbolology can give light to understand what the author of the book actually meant by writing it. The Revelation by Juan belongs in fact to the Apocalyptic genre, although it has some characteristics that differentiate it from the rest of the apocalyptic literature.
• The level Historic It also allows to locate the author's time, along with the crises and events that could have influenced the writing of both the book in general, and certain particular passages [2].
• Level symbolic It is also possible to understand what for the author would represent the numerous symbols that appear in the book.
• It is important not to forget that, ultimately, the book is a Christian writing, and that as such, it carries implicitly the message found in the Gospels, focused on the figure of Jesus Christ.

You can also include analyzes that look at the structure from the point of view of the language in which the book was written (Greek). (Vanni 1971: 236-247; Vanni 1982: 12)

Acting schools

According to Hahn (2001), there are basically four schools of interpretation of the content of Apocalypse, namely:

• Preterist. Underlines the fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelation during the centuryI. It tends to identify the characters of the book with historical characters of the century.I.
• Idealist. Go Revelation as an allegory of spiritual combat between good and evil that must have all faithful.
• Futurist. Bring the identification of the characters Revelation with different characters that have emerged throughout human history, such as the identification of the Beasts of the Revelation with Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Mao Tse-Tung or Iosif Stalin, etc.
• Historicist. He holds the Revelation He exposes God's master plan for history, from beginning to end, including the particular history of the Church.

For Hahn, all these schools have their raison d'être and their share of truth, and although the author favors above all the preterist vision, he does not completely reject any of the other schools.

According to Vanni (1982), from this same perspective the message of the entire book of Revelation can be updated to the time of any Christian believer, or rather of any community of Christian believers (since all quotes from the book are always addressed to a group of people, not to someone isolated). And so from the preterist perspective, the Babylon that could have represented lost Rome for the author, a dominating, consumerist, pagan city, could today represent countless similar particular situations, but taking care to properly discern what those situations are. and not take the interpretation to the extreme of identification (that is, in a kind of futuristic perspective but without bordering on identification, avoiding thinking that the Apocalypse had been written explicitly to "predict& #34; the facts of some time and nothing more). That is why within the Apocalypse the book of the seven seals is not interpreted, nor can it be interpreted or even opened, by anyone, only the Lamb (Ap 5: 1-8), as if telling the community that the Lamb must always be their criteria of discernment. (Vanni, 1982: 137-139).

In addition, many other schools of interpretation of Apocalypse can be recognized, such as the esoteric vision and that of Churches such as the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican or Mormon, some of which they include elements of the other schools (of those previously mentioned and those of other Churches), but they are well defined in their doctrines and for this reason they differ.

Structure

The Visions of John the EvangelistOf Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

First of all, Apocalypse can be seen as being made up of four parts:

1. Introduction and Letters to the Churches (Ap 1-3). The content of the salutation is aimed at ecclesiastical jurisdiction and represents an official communication of a leader in his or her office. Following the example of other books of the time, its distribution is local and after its inclusion in the canon, it is distributed to the whole Church. As if it were an epistle (but without being), the recipients of the book could be recognized here.
2. The Lamb, the Seven Seas and Trumpets (Ap 4-11). Here are many symbols that allude to the early Christian liturgy, and for Prévost (Prévost, 2001: 28) it is also a way of defining itself against Judaism.
3. The Dragon and the Fight (Ap 12-20). History now turns to a cosmic battle (war in heaven) to explain the meaning of history, and at the same time it also symbolizes—according to Prévost (Prévost, 2001: 28)—the confrontation of the early Christians with the Roman Empire.
4. The New Jerusalem (Ap 21-22). Conclusively, as a farewell at the end of the book, the hope that guides the entire book is mentioned.

The book of Revelation also presents well-differentiated sections, in which the symbols change from one to the other, although preserving an identical main message of hope:

• Introduction and presentation (Ap 1). It presents the vision of the whole book and introduces the following section (the message to the Churches) as coming from a ...man of long robes, whose hairs were white. In his hand he had seven stars and out of his mouth came a double-edged sword...in reference to the risen Christ.
• The Message to the Churches (Ap 2-3). It is a series of assessments, good and bad, to seven communities, that end with a challenge and inspiration to overcome. Communities have a specific relationship at the time of the author.
• The Theophanies of God (Ap 4). There is a set of symbols that represent the majesty of God, allusioning to the most important theophanies of the Old Testament: the burning bush, Mount Sinai, the vocation of Isaiah and the vision of Ezekiel in the Quebar River.
• The Lamb (Apr 5). It is presented, in contrast but in unity with the previous section, the humility and power of the Lamb (Christ), as the only one who is able to understand at first the design of God and therefore to open the book of the seven seals (see next section).
• Them Seven Sealings (Ap 6-8). In this section the numerical and chromatic symbols abound. The section starts with the famous description The Four Horsemen of RevelationThey bring many plagues to humanity. During the opening of each seal, the visions of natural cataclysms, which conclude with the Final Judgment.
• The Seven Trumpets (Ap 8-11). With the opening of the seventh seal, the development of a new numerical symbolism of catastrophes announced by 7 trumpets, and the emergence of a first Beast that wars with two Witnesses.
• The Dragon and the Beasts (Ap 12-13). Then, in a change in the thread of history, is narrated the emergence of the Dragon that fights with a Women that gives birth to a Child. Then the Dragon calls two Beasts They serve him.
• The Victors (Ap 14-15). Those who will be defeaters of the Dragon and the Beasts enter the scene. Although in this part it is not yet indicated that they are defeated, it is indicated that they are from the Lamb, and that in fact this leads them, willing to overcome.
• The Seven Cups (Ap 16). Again in a numerical symbolism, we speak of catastrophes, and of the final battle that begins with the gathering of armies in a place called Armageddon.
• La Prostitute and the fall of Babylon (Ap 17-19). The Prostitute (called Great Babylon), which is supported by the Beasts and the Dragon, enters the scene. Then enter into the scene Christ riding a horse whiteThe Great Prostitute is overcome and the Beasts are captured and thrown into the lake of fire.
• The Defeat (Ap 20). It is mentioned that the Dragon remains locked for a thousand years after the victory of the previous section and that in the end it will come out again gathering all the nations represented by Gog and Magog to be defeated again, this time definitively.
• The New Jerusalem (Ap 21-22). The vision concludes with hope: the earth and heaven are made again, Jerusalem, as a symbol of the city of God, is all the earth where God now dwells directly among all men. The book, and therefore the Christian Bible conclude with a blessing and a petition that apprehend Jesus to return soon.

Septenary structure of the Apocalypse

The structure of the Apocalypse can also be seen according to septenaries: divided into 7 groups, each group in turn can be subdivided into subgroups of 7 along with preludes, interludes and other excursos (Läpple, 1970)

1. Prologue (Rev 1:1-8)

1. Title (Ap 1:1-3)
2. Salutation (Ap 1:4-8)

2. The seven letters (Rev. 1:9-3:22)

• Preparatory vision (Rev 1:9-20)

1. Letter to the Church of Ephesus (Apr 2:1-7)
2. Letter to the Church of Esmirna (Rev 2:8-11)
3. Letter to the Church of Pergam (Rev 2:12-17)
4. Letter to the Church of Tiatira (Ap 2:18-29)
5. Letter to the Church of Sardis (Ap 3:1-6)
6. Letter to the Church of PhiladelphiaRev 3:7-13)
7. Letter to the Church of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22)

2. The seven seals (Rev 4:1-8:1)

• Preparatory vision: heavenly liturgy (Rev 4:1-5:14)

1. The first four stamps (Ap 6:1-8)
2. The fifth seal (Rev 6:9-11)
3. The sixth seal (Rev 6:12-17)

• A multitude of brans (Ap 7:1-8)
• Heavenly Liturgy: The Martyrs of the Lamb (Rev 7:9-17)

4. The seventh seal (Ap 8:1)

3. The seven trumpets (Rev 8:2-14:5)

• Preparatory vision (Ap 8:2-5)

1. The first four trumpets (Rev 8:6-13)

1. The fifth trumpet (Ap 9:1-12)
2. The sixth trumpet (Rev 9:13-21)
   • The prophetic roll (Ap 10:1-11)
   • The two testimonies (Ap 11:1-14)

4. The seventh trumpet (Rev 11:15-19)

5. The woman and the dragon (Ap 12:1-18)

6. The two beasts (Rev 13:1-13:18)

7. Celestial Liturgy: The Lamb and its entourage (Apr 14:1-5)

4. The seven bowls (Rev 14:6-19:8)

1. Preparatory vision (Rev 14:6-13)
2. The land, harvested and harvested (Rev 14:14-20)
3. The last plagues. Cantic of triumph (Ap 15:1-8)
4. The seven cups (Rev 16:1-21)
5. The great prostitute (Ap 17:1-18)
6. The Fall of Babylon (Ap 18:1-8)
7. Lamentations on Babylon (Rev 18:9-24)
8. Heavenly Liturgy: The Wedding of the LambAp 19:1-8)

5. The seven visions of the end (Rev 19:8-22:17)

1. Introduction (Rev 19:8-10)
2. Apparition of the Messiah (Rev 19:11-16)
3. Call to the judgment of God (Rev 19:17-18)
4. First defeat of the forces of evil (Rev 19:19-21)
5. The kingdom of a thousand years (Ap 20:1-6)
6. Definite defeat of Satan (Rev 20:7-10)
7. Universal JudgmentRev 20:11-15)
8. The new heaven and the new earth (Apr 21:1-8)
9. The New Jerusalem (Rev 21:9-22:6)

6. Epilogue (Rev 22:18-21)

1. Conclusion (Rev 22:18-21)

Chapters

• Revelation 18

Symbolism of the Apocalypse

The Apocalypse frequently quotes or paraphrases the Old Testament, so many of the symbols present in this book are taken from a Christian reading of the Old Testament (Vanni, 1982: 33).

The liturgy

Vanni (1982: 88) points out that in the background of the text lies the rhythm typical of the liturgy of the first centuries of Christianity, a liturgy that is still in force today although with numerous changes (Hahn, 2001).

At some points, it seems as if the author's intent was for the book to be read in community, with one reader playing Christ, others playing other characters, and the rest of the community responding to questions. parts that correspond to them (praises, doxologies, prayers, requests, etc.) See for example Ap 1:1-8; Rev 4-5; Rev 11:15-19; Rev 22:14-21, etc.

In fact, taking as context the "Lord's Day", in which the author claims to have received the vision ( Rev 1:9-10), an image of an early Christian liturgy can be seen throughout the book. The penitential part (the one that requests and moves to conversion) would be the letters to the Churches (Ap 2-3), while the rest of the book she would speak to the community about the need to become an actor in history, full, yes, of bad moments, but always accompanied by the Lamb (Vanni, 1982: 127). For (Hahn, 2001) practically all the elements of the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church are taken in one way or another from figures of the Apocalypse, thus turning the book into a kind of guide figure of the early Christian liturgy.

Lastly, the liturgy is reflected in many symbols throughout the passages of the book. For example, the sentences. At the beginning they appear before the throne of God in cups (Ap 5:7-8), perhaps undeserved, but an angel purifying them with incense, they acquire their true value and strength (Ap 8:3-5). And precisely these same cups are the ones that later now carry the fury of God (see the septenary of the cups), an answer to the prayers of Christians (the consecrated and the saints who raised in the beginning your sentences). (Vanni, 1982: 143-148)

(Hahn, 2001) shows the following table, in which the author matches various passages from Revelation with defined parts of the Eucharist:

Numbers and colors

Among the numerous symbols present throughout the book, two features stand out: the "numbers" and the "colors". Many of the meanings of these symbols are, in fact, typical of apocalyptic literature, not only of this book (Prévost, 2001: 53,60).

Numbers

Prévost (2001: 39-43) mentions that the different numbers mentioned in the Apocalypse always have a symbolic character. The meaning of the numbers would be given based on the meaning that the Christians of the time of the century I would give them, and that they would be directly influenced by the meanings that the Jews would give to many of those numbers:

• One. It is usually used to refer to God. (e.g. Ap 4:2)
• One half, three and a half. It seems that these numbers are directly inherited from Daniel's book; they represent a limited and restricted time, which would not become One (which means the fullness of God) or Four (which means the earthly or universal), even by being half Seven (perfecting). The Three and a half is also reflected in the phrase a time, times and a half time. This division in three parts could also be based on an interpretation of Daniel's 70-week prophecy, with a similar division in three parts: 49 years + 434 years + 7 yearsfrom one of the decrees given by the Persian kings that the Jews might come out of the Babylonian captivity, of which the most famous were that of Cyrus the Great in 538 a. C. and Artaxerxes I Longign in 457 B.C., (2Cr 36:22-23), (Ezra 7:7), (Dn 9:24-27). Likewise, the thousand two hundred and sixty days mentioned in the book, as well as the forty-two months, are equivalent to three and a half years. (e.g. Rev 8:1;11:2-3,9,11;12:6,14)
• Four. It can refer to the earthly or Universal, or Creation (for the four cardinal points), and equally applies to the four Living Ones who meet God at the beginning of the vision, and that some identify with the four evangelists (although the latter has little justification). However, based on the symbolism of all Creation, the four living creatures who are with God could rather represent the dominion that God has over all Creation and the relationship that He has with His Creator. (Vanni 1982: 50-51) (e.g. Rev 4:6-8;7:1;20:8)
• Six. In some contexts he denotes imperfection, because he lacks one to reach the perfect figure (see next symbol) (e.g. Ap 13:18). On the other hand, each of the four Living Ones who are next to the throne of God have six wings (Rev 4:8).
• Seven. For the Jews, the number seven (in Hebrew, sheba) denotes perfection. This number is present in many books of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, always with the same meaning. (e.g. Rev 1:4,12,16;4:5 and septenarios)
• Twelve. It represents first the twelve tribes of Israel, and by extension the people of God. Christian then, this number represents the Christians (who according to their interpretation are the new people of God), particularly represented by the number of the apostles (e.g. Rev 12:1;21:12,14,20,21). Other numbers directly influenced by 12 It's the 24th.24 = 12 x 2), forty-eight (48 = 12 x 4) and the hundred and forty-four (144 = 12 x 12). (e.g. Rev 4:4,10;5:8;7:4-8;11:16;19:4)
• A thousand. This number would not represent the exact amount of 1000, but the general idea of a great number (for example, the thousand years of confinement of the Dragon before it rises again and is overcome forever (Ap 20), would not represent a period of exactly a thousand years but only the general idea of a long time. (e.g. Rev 5:11;7:4-8;20:2-7)

Likewise, many other numbers appear in the book, which, following the interpretation of apocalyptic literature, also have a symbolic meaning. The number three, for example, can represent God, and although for the Jews the number three is already representative of divinity, from the Christian point of view it also does so taking into account the Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. On the other hand, in the Apocalypse, the three appears as a fraction, instead of as the whole number (one third, one third, also indicating that neither is the One full of God, nor the Four full of Creation, and that two thirds are not affected by what the third part is). Other numbers also appear, such as two, ten, among others.

Colors

Colours also play an important role and would have their own meaning (Prévost, 2001: 37-38).

• White. Purity, victory. (e.g. Rev 1:14;4:4;19:14;20:11)
• Black. Sadness, misery. Rev 6:5,12)
• Red. Violence. Rev 6:4;9:17;12:3)
• Green or Yellow. Death. Rev 6:8)
• Purple. Unbridled. Rev 17:4;18:12,16)
• Scarlet. Unbridled. Rev 17:3-4;18:12,16)

The septenaries

The Lamb with the book of the seven sealsFolio 13v of the Bamberg Revelation.

The book of Revelation contains series of number 7 throughout its entire corpus. The most notorious are found by the relationship between the three septenaries of seals , trumpets and cups .

The septenary of the seals (Ap 4-8:2) occurs as the Lamb opens one to one the seals of a book that no one could open except him. Before breaking the seals, the vision is in heaven, with the theophanies of God and the Lamb and the joy that it causes to be able to open the book. The first four seals give rise to the horses of the Apocalypse. The seals 5 and 6 cause cataclysms. After the sixth seal a vision of hope is given (the 144,000) and with the seventh seal the next septenary begins: the trumpets, and with them actually the rest of the book that concludes with the vision. end of the New Jerusalem.

The septenary of trumpets (Rev 8-11) begins with a heavenly vision of hope (basically the same 144,000 that come before the seventh seal that coincides with the first trumpet), then the trumpets are blown, accompanied by cataclysms. After the sixth trumpet comes a vision of hope (the angel and the little book, the two witnesses). As the seventh trumpet is blown, there is a victory song.

The septenary of the bowls (Ap 15-22) appears a little later. Again, it begins with a heavenly vision of hope (the Overcomers). Then the cups are poured out in libation, accompanied by cataclysms. After the sixth glass, although submerged in an atmosphere of defeat, comes a promise of hope. The conclusion of this septenary, after pouring out the seventh vial, begins with the presentation of the Prostitute of Babylon, but note that it immediately begins its decline, and in crescendo leads to the glorious vision at the end of the book.

Thus, the three most important septenaries of Apocalypse have approximately the same structure: a celestial vision that is a prelude to hope, a series of terrestrial cataclysms, after the sixth symbol there is an interlude of hope and at the end of the seventh symbol there is a total triumph of salvation. (Prevost 2001: 102)

Other septenaries in the book, some somewhat veiled, are found in the churches the author addresses (7, Ap 1:4 ), which are the same ones addressed in the letters to the Churches in chapters 2 and 3; in the beatitudes mentioned (7, Ap 1:3;14:13;16:15;19:9;20:6;22:7; 22:14); in the liturgical acclamations to Christ (7, Ap 1:4-7;5:9-10;5:12;5:13;7: 10;11:15;19:6-7); in the spirits before the throne of Jesus Christ (7, Rev 1:4), etc.

In this context, one can also analyze the structure of the Apocalypse according to septenaries.

Characters and figures in the symbology of the Apocalypse

Joining the meaning of the diverse symbology of the Apocalypse, a variety of characters and figures frequently analyzed and studied can be found within it. In addition to the book, the Ark of the Covenant and the components of the septenaries (the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls), in order of appearance some of the figures of the Apocalypse are:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The Four Horsemen of RevelationAlberto Durero.

(Ap 6:1-8) The image of horses comes from the book of Zechariah, where it is established that they are sent by God. Each riding a horse with a characteristic color, these riders bring plagues to all humanity (remembering that the number 4 represents all of Creation, so the plagues are would then spread throughout the Earth). Remembering the meaning of the colors, the most common interpretation of what each rider represents would be the following (Prévost 2001: 38; Vanni, 1982: 53-54):

• Red horseIt represents war.
• Black horse, represents famine, poverty.
• Green or yellow horse, represents death or disease.
• White horse, represents for some death, for the fact that it always overcomes, but for others, for the color, for the fact that it bears a crown and for the fact that Christians do not believe that death is invincible, would rather represent Christ (or a rider in his representation), also referring to the Rev 19:11-21where the white horse returns, with Christ mounting it.

The 144,000

(Rev 7:4-8) Note first that 144,000 = 12 x 12 x 1,000, that is, recalling the meaning of numbers, is a number that represents a large quantity (1000), multiplied by the totality (squared, that is, even more great) in relation to the people of God.

This figure can be interpreted literally from the book of Revelation as the number of people who would be saved at the end, but reading further on, one can read the following: ... Then I also saw a multitude that no one could count, from every nation, race, and language... (Rev 7:9-17), which can also be interpreted as the fact that the number 144 000 would not be exact or literal, but only representative.

The total of 144,000 is given by the sum of twelve thousand members of each tribe of the people of Israel. According to Prévost (2001: 105-106) there is a curiosity in this list of the tribes, which does not appear in any other list of the tribes of Israel in the entire Bible. In the first place the tribe of Judah appears, as would be logical for those who are clear about where the Messiah comes from according to the prophecies of the Old Testament. Then comes the tribe of Reuben, who, being Judah's older brother, did not prevail. On the other hand, the tribes of Dan do not appear, nor that of Ephraim, which does appear in other lists, instead those of Levi and Joseph appear. And then, the strangest part, if one remembers that the tribes of Israel they are associated with Jacob's 12 sons, and that he had his twelve sons from various wives: two slaves (Zilpa and Bilha) and two non-slaves (Lea and Raquel). In general, one would expect, as indeed is the case in the other listings, that the children of non-slave wives are listed first, and those of slave wives last. In the list of the Apocalypse, after mentioning Judah and Reuben, the tribes of the sons of the slaves (Gad, Asher and Naphtali) are listed first and the rest last (Manasseh —son of Joseph —, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin).

The Beast and his number

Prediction of Antichrist by Luca Signorelli in the chapel of St. Bricio in the Cathedral of Orvieto

(Rev 13) This is one of the most famous symbols inherited from the book of Revelation. The number 666 of the Beast is usually identified with the Devil (although here the Dragon of the Apocalypse is representative of the same —Ap 12:9—) or with the Antichrist.

In Revelation, however, this figure is only mentioned once (Ap 13:18), to say that it is the number of the Beast that serves the Dragon (and is later associated with the mark of the Beast that all those who agree with the Dragon and the Beast would wear). We must first remember that the meaning of the number 6 is one of imperfection (because it lacks a unit for the perfection of the number 7), and the number 666 would then represent an imperfection taken to the extreme.

Some authors seek to identify the number 666 with a historical figure from the time the book was written, since in numerous biblical texts it suggests that the Antichrist was a figure from the time of the apostles:

And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which ye have heard that he is coming, and that now he is in the world.

And based on this they try to find a numerical game (known as gematria) with the letters of the Greek alphabet (language in which the book was written) that could give the equivalence to recognize with this number the main Beast of Apocalypse. These games were common at the time the Apocalypse was written, and vestiges of them have been found in other writings as well. Each letter (alpha, beta, gamma,... psi, omega) is assigned a number: the first from 1 to 10 (except 6), then ten by ten up to 80, then 100 and one hundred by one hundred to 800. A known word or phrase then had a number associated with adding the equivalent numbers to each letter; the inverse of this game consists of giving a number (as is the case of 666 of Apocalypse) and trying to identify which word or phrase also meets these characteristics. Following this numerical game, it can be concluded that the number would represent Domitian, who persecuted the Christians at the time of the writing of the Apocalypse, or in general the Roman Caesars who proclaimed themselves gods and who demanded from their subjects that their statues be worshiped in this way. (Prevost 2001: 45-49)

Some research also concludes that the number 666 given in this passage of the Apocalypse is wrong, since there are some versions of the book dating from the 2nd or 3rd century and that they have the number of the Beast at six hundred and sixteen (and with which, through the same numerical games, several Roman Caesars could be related, for example Caligula, Roman emperor characterized by his cruelty). (Prévost, 2001: 46,48) [3]

As with other symbols of the Apocalypse, there are many other interpretations that identify the Beast with characters of different kinds throughout history (and that through other ingenious games recognize 666 apocalyptic with them). There are even interpretations that identify 666 with dates.

The first Beast and the Two Witnesses

Others handle the possibility of identifying the Beast to which the author of the Apocalypse would historically refer, with the emperor Nero, who at the time the book was written, would still leave a memory of the tortures and persecutions of his time. Taking the phrase 'Nero Caesar', in Hebrew or Greek, considering only the consonants and taking numbers according to a numbering of the Hebrew alphabet, similar to the previous one, the sum would again give the famous number 666. [4] Moreover, if the phrase 'Nero Caesar' is taken, but not in Greek but in Latin, the resulting number is 616. [5]

Inside the book of Apocalypse it is mentioned that a first Beast kills two God's Witnesses in a city, which, by the way, after being dead, resurrect after three and a half days and are promoted to the heavens in full view of his enemies (Ap 11). The description of two witnesses is in accordance with Jewish law which states that only the testimony of two witnesses is accepted. Some have wanted to recognize in these two Witnesses the apostles Peter and Paul, who died during the time of Nero. However, in the Apocalypse it is not recognized that this first Beast is the same as the number 666.

For Hahn (2001), the two witnesses represent the prophet Elijah and Moses, characters who in turn would personify all the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament.

Another interpretation given to the two Witnesses is that they correspond to Elijah and Enoch, because in all the history that the Bible tells these two characters have not died: Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind before a chariot fire that separated him from Elisha(2Kin 2:11), and Enoch: So Enoch walked with God, and disappeared, for God brought him. (Gen 5:24). Since every man must die, and these two characters have not died, it is presumed that the event related in the Apocalypse would be the time of their death.

John receives the Apocalypse Hans Memling.

Babylon and the prostitute

The whore of Babylon upon the beast of seven heads, of a nineteenth-century Russian painting.

(Ap 17) For Prévost (2001: 32,124), in this symbol one could see the political allusion that at the time of the writing of the book, the author would make of his enemies:

First of all, it should be remembered that for the Jews the city of Babylon represents exile, after the Babylonians exiled the elite of Jewish society from Jerusalem in 587 B.C. C. Likewise, it means for them the perversion of Jewish customs, which were mixed with elements of idolatry in that city, a sin strongly condemned by them. Thus, Babylon represents both foreign dominating power and idolatry.

That is why in the Apocalypse (as in other books of the New Testament), Babylon is usually identified (following the line of these same investigations) with the imperial Rome that persecuted the Christians and that it required them to idolize Caesar as a god. In fact, in the Apocalypse, in the description of Babylon with its seven mountains, the city of Rome could be recognized. The prostitute of the Apocalypse would then have the same meaning of perversion, idolatry and debauchery characteristic of the high Roman society of that time.

On the other hand, others identify Babylon with the Jerusalem of the Jews (which likewise has seven mountains), and which contrasts sharply with the New Jerusalem at the end of the book. (For example (Hahn, 2001), who centers much of his interpretation of the catastrophes of Apocalypse on an analogy with the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70, and also [6])

There are many other interpretations of the identity of this city described as perverse, from the Catholic papacy, to a host of cities and personalities as they have been presented throughout history.

The Woman Clothed with the Sun and the Child

(Rev 12) The «woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars» appears in Apocalypse like the one that engenders the Child that the Dragon wants to fight. This child is 'kidnapped' to heaven to later reign, so the Dragon turns to fight against the Woman and then against the rest of her offspring.

For Prévost (2001: 108), the key to recognizing the Woman is found first in recognizing the Child. From a perspective that considers the Apocalypse as completely Christocentric, it can then be interpreted that the Child would effectively represent Christ.

From a Mariology perspective, this Woman would be seen as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. However, there are many Christian groups (from various Churches, including some Catholics), who interpret in this symbol the people of God, who before the birth of Jesus would represent faithful Israel, and later the Christians. Even the Marian position, not leaving behind the fact that the Woman would effectively be Mary, always does so from the ecclesiological, community perspective. (Prevost 2001: 107-108)

The description of the Woman in Rev 12:1 is very similar to the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who is covering the sun (since the yellow rays are visible from behind) and he is on top of the moon, and on his head there is a cloak with several stars (which are not exactly 12); this image is also very similar to what is described in Rev 12:14 , & # 34; But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so that she could fly to the desert, to her place; there she will be kept away from the dragon for a while, two times and half a time": in the image there is an angel carrying the moon, in addition to the person to whom the Virgin of Guadalupe's name was Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, a name that means "talking eagle," and the trip to the desert could then refer to the process of re-evangelization from America to Spain. There may be more similarities with respect to the Virgin of Guadalupe, however, this does not mean that the woman in Ap 12:1 is her.

For some Protestant currents, the child would represent a minority section of the Church that would be taken up to heaven before the judgments of the Apocalypse begin (Ap 12:5 ), while the vast majority of Christendom would remain on earth to suffer persecution, and they would be the rest of their children (Rev 12:17).

The New Jerusalem

The final judgmentMichelangelo Buonarroti.

(Ap 21-22) This symbol, present in the last two chapters of Revelation, is found for many among the best described, detailed, and beautiful in the New Testament. With a triple recurrence, the author speaks of God's salvation at the end of time.

• First with the new Jerusalem itself, which descends from heaven to earth. (Apr 21:1-8)
• Then with the weddings of the Lamb and his Bride (the Church). (Rev 21:9-27)
• Finally with a vision that recalls the first chapters of Genesis (the first book in the Bible), speaking of rivers and trees that bear eternal fruit. (Apr 22:1-5)

For Prévost (Prévost, 2001: 116), this part (together with chapter 20) is the only one that would actually have eschatological characteristics, while the rest would only be a reflection of the conflicts that the Christian community of the author would be living in his time and of the hope placed in God through the dead and risen Christ that these conflicts would not prevail and would also be defeated sooner or later.

There is another curiosity regarding both the new Jerusalem (symbolizing the holy city) and Babylon (symbolizing the wicked city): in Rev 18 appears a lament for the destroyed Babylon; in Rev 21 appears the description of the new Jerusalem. It can be noted that both passages are parallel and inverse, that is to say, that the descriptions of lamentation and a negative sense given to Babylon appear reversed, in a sense of joy and happiness for Jerusalem. (Prevost 2001: 117-119)