Reading Revelation within Judaism
At this very moment, the Enoch Seminar is hosting an online conference on the New Testament within Judaism.
Many of you might be familiar with “Paul within Judaism,” on which see the introductory essay for a book I co-edited on the topic which is FREE to download!!!
But reading a NT book such as Mark, Luke-Acts, John, Paul, and Revelation within Judaism is an interesting pivot or trend in NT studies right now - one that in many ways is profitable and even a panacea to overtly and anachronistically Christianized readings of texts written (mostly) by Jewish Christ-believers.
At one level, it might be hard to read the Book of Revelation within Judaism given the polemic within the book against Jews. Consider these two verses:
“I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9)
“I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not but are lying—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you” (Rev 3:9)
That sounds much more like Revelation against Jews and Judaism!
But … such tirades are themselves part of the sectarian rhetoric of Jewish groups making visceral denouncements of other Jewish groups, in this case, John inveighs against local Jewish groups in Asia Minor, not against ALL Jews.
If John of Patmos was a Judaean, an adherent to the Jewish way of life that believed it found its climax in Jesus the Messiah, then reading the Book of Revelation within Judaism makes a lot of sense.
Sadly, I’m not attending the Enoch Seminar, I wish I was, as I imagine that I’d learn a lot from the presenters. But a prima facie case for reading the Book of Revelation within Judaism would probably run something like this.
The Book of Revelation is deeply embedded within the Jewish worldview of the first century. Revelation's rich imagery and symbolism—its references to the Lamb, a Messiah, the heavenly temple, and the New Jerusalem—are steeped in Jewish prophetic and apocalyptic traditions. These elements draw heavily on texts like Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah, which were central in Second Temple Judaism.
In particular, what stands out as the Jewishness of the Book of Revelation, are: