He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of Rome on the remote desert penal colony of Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea. I have said repeatedly how scholars and mankind are not 100% sure that John the Apostle wrote the book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is signed by a person called John — but which John. The first verse in the Book of Revelation does not say exactly who that particular John is, but it is naturally assumed to be John the apostle since it was the apostles that were given the authority by God to write Scripture. Posted by Christian Research Institute | Apr 13, 2011 | Bible Answers. In Revelation There is both internal and external evidence that reveals that the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while he was imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. Justin Martyr, in the early part of the second century, held his controversy with Trypho, a learned Jew, at Ephesus, where John had been living thirty or thirty-five years before: he says that “the Revelation had been given to John, one of the twelve apostles of Christ.”1. The question is: Is this the same John who wrote the gospel account and three letters? The book of Revelation is traditionally said to be written by John. Revelation to John, also called Book of Revelation or Apocalypse of John, abbreviation Revelation, last book of the New Testament.It is the only book of the New Testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical, indicating thereby its extensive use of visions, symbols, and allegory, especially in connection with future events. It is far more likely that John the Elder is just another way of referring to John the apostle. The name Revelation comes from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis), which means "unveiling" or "revelation". So, let’s take a closer look at the people whom tradition says wrote the Bible. It is also noteworthy that like the gospel of John, Revelation is a literary masterpiece. Identifying John as the author of the apocalypse goes a long way toward shutting the door to speculations that Revelation was a late first-century— or even a second- or third-century pseudepigraphal gospel like the Gospel of Judas. This article will conclude our series titled “Who Wrote the New Testament?” as we investigate the author of the book of Revelation. Matt Slick is the President and Founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Moreover, the later the date the less the likelihood that Revelation was written by an apostle or an associate of an apostle as posited by the early Christian church. Regarding the Olivet Discourse, including John’s “expanded O.D.” if you will (Revelation as I see it), what key reasons exist to support the view that, while both John and the gospel writers wrote in the future tense (e.g. The evidence convincingly points instead to John the apostle as the author of the apocalypse. Look at the first two words in Revelation 1:1 and see. While the book of Revelation and the Gospel of John share many similar themes, they differ dramatically in other literary categories. It is also properly called the book of Revelation (singular), or simply Revelation. December 10, 2015 Richard Ostling Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, (Rev. From the first century to the present day, almost all orthodox scholars have concluded that this means the … Additionally, the fingerprints of John the apostle are all over the apocalypse! While Revelation holds mysterious and frightening images of the end-times, the book of Revelation was written to be an encouragement to Christians of all times. The conclusion of the matter is this: there is no evidence that Revelation was written pseudonymously or by an imaginary John the Elder. Some scholars therefore refer to the author of Revelation as John the seer or John of Patmos to distinguish him from th… Whoever wrote Revelation was undoubtedly a Jewish Christian. The author names himself as "John", but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of Revelation also wrote the Gospel of John. (According to eminent New Testament scholar R. C. H. Lenski, the reason the “Elder theory” caught on in the first place is not historical evidence but distaste for chiliasm—i.e., millenarianism.) It is noteworthy that Revelation 17:4-5 Revelation 17:4-5 [4] And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: [5] And on her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Most who reject the traditional authorship of Revelation fall into the same reasoning as Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria in the mid-third century, who felt that the author was a John other than the apostle. So it is extremely unlikely that the same person wrote all of these books. The writer of Revelation identifies himself as John. But, who was it that penned the word of Revelation? Yes, you read that right. The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greek island where, by most biblical historians, he is considered to have been exiled as a result of anti-Christian persecution under the Roman emperor Domitian. The place where the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation is actually stated within the book itself. The writer of Revelation was a Christian. ... (Revelation 1:1) The proper title of the book we shall study this month is The Revelation of Jesus Christ, not The Revelation of John or the book of Revelations (plural). A simple outline for the book of Revelation is found in Revelation 1:19. Revelation begins with a series of seven short epistles, written in an apocalyptic style. Only a handful of extremists today even countenance the possibility that Revelation could have been written pseudonymously. Of the New Testament works, only Revelation names its author explicitly as John. For example, John, and John alone, identifies Jesus as the Word, or Logos (John 1:1, 14; Revelation 19:13). RevelationS with an S is incorrect. Each of those seven churches received a message directed specifically to them (chapters 2 and 3) befo… The opening verses of the book of Revelation state that "John" wrote it (v.1:1, 4, 9; 22:8). First, there is the lack of overt apostolic claims. He was a Jewish Christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the congregations to whom he addresses his letter. Like pseudonymity, this contention has its feet firmly planted in mid-air. In the case of Revelation, three possibilities have been put forward, but only one fits the design. Speaking of the Apocalypse (from the previous post giving that odd video): Someone recently asked me if the same author could have written both the book of Revelation and the Gospel of John. Like pseudonymity, this contention has its … Interesting question! ... and then writes four letters (the last one, Revelation, includes many apocalyptic visions). Furthermore, it is commonly argued that Revelation was written by a shadowy figure named John the Elder. There’s a common perception that there was a golden age of Christianity, when most Christians agreed on an uncontaminated version of the faith. Posts about who wrote revelation written by atozmom. Only a handful of extremists today even countenance the possibility that Revelation could have been written pseudonymously. First is a notion that can be dismissed rather rapidly, namely, the idea that Revelation was written pseudonymously. He addressed his work to seven Asian churches—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Likewise, John alone identifies Jesus as the true witness (John 5:31–47; 8:14–18; Revelation 2:13; 3:14), and it is John who most exploits the Mosaic requirement of two witnesses (John 8:12–30; Revelation 11:1–12). In the 3rd Century an African Bishop named Dionysius first suggested that the author could have been a man named John the Presbyter. For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible Really Says about the End Times…and Why It Matters Today (Nashville:Thomas Nelson,2007). The early Church Fathers, after disputing who this 'John' really was, finally decided to include Revelation in case the author was the apostle John, son of Zebedee. Was Revelation written before or after the destruction of the temple in AD 70? This testimony of Justin is referred to also by Eusebius [Ecclesiastical History, 4.18]. Traditionally, both books have been identified as coming from the same person, John the son… In the same way that buildings contain clues that unveil the identity of their architects, so too books contain clues that unveil the identity of their authors. MATT SLICK LIVE RADIOCall in with your questions at 877-207-22763-4pm PST; 4-5pm MST; 6-7pm ESTWatch on FacebookPast Shows Radio PodcastRadio Show SurveySubscribe to CARM Radio, CARM wishlistWant to help CARM in a different way? In short, there is scant evidence that a distinct John the Elder even existed and there is sufficient evidence that John the Elder and John the apostle are one and the same. Indeed, John describes himself as “the Elder,” not to distinguish himself from “the apostle,” but to emphasize his authority and seniority. One need only open their eyes and ears to apprehend the clues. It’s a difficult question to answer. Pseudonymity (writing under a false name) was largely practiced by writers who lack authority. 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