Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures and table
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- 1 A question of relevance
- 2 Relevance Theory in biblical interpretation
- 3 A cognitive environment for the Apocalypse
- 4 Souls under the altar – a martyr ecclesiology
- 5 Companions of the Lamb – a messianic ecclesiology
- 6 The New Jerusalem, bride of the Lamb
- 7 Summary and conclusions
- Appendix: Abbreviated discourse outline
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Companions of the Lamb – a messianic ecclesiology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures and table
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- 1 A question of relevance
- 2 Relevance Theory in biblical interpretation
- 3 A cognitive environment for the Apocalypse
- 4 Souls under the altar – a martyr ecclesiology
- 5 Companions of the Lamb – a messianic ecclesiology
- 6 The New Jerusalem, bride of the Lamb
- 7 Summary and conclusions
- Appendix: Abbreviated discourse outline
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Introduction
As a metaphor for the people of God, the 144,000 male virgin followers of the Lamb on Mt Zion (14:1–5) stand in dramatic contrast to the souls of the slaughtered under the altar. Where the slaughtered souls depicted the martyr church, suffering to the point of death for their witness to Jesus, the companions of the Lamb appear to depict the church militant, with overtones of victorious conflict with an enemy. There are other passages, notably ch. 7, 17:14, and 19:11–16, which also appear to contribute to a picture of a militant and ultimately victorious people of God. But is the picture of the church militant an essentially different picture of the church, which exists either in parallel to, or in tension with, the martyr church? Does it move the audience to a different kind of response to their situation? In this chapter we shall see that there are very significant links between the two strands of thought, and in particular that the mode of victory envisaged for the people of God is none other than the path of faithful testimony to the point of death. But while this thread interweaves with that of the martyred saints, it has its own colours and patterns to contribute to the self-understanding of the audience.
In addition to the dramatic contrast of its imagery, 14:1–5 is a significant launching point because it explicitly expresses a most important feature of John's depiction of the people of God, one already noted in the previous chapter, namely their intimate relationship with their Lord.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The People of God in the ApocalypseDiscourse, Structure and Exegesis, pp. 117 - 196Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004