A Narrative Critical Approach

Abstract

A narrative approach to Revelation sets before the reader the vast array of images-some of which are puzzling-to tease out the symbolic significance of the images. The process is a painstaking one, for John wove together an immensely thick tapestry of bizarre, enigmatic images. Frequently, the narrative provides its own clues as to how the images are to be interpreted, and therefore, a close narrative reading allows the reader to mine the rich associations of nuances. I have found the methods of narrative analysis that literary critics employ in their interpretations of Shakespeare, Hemingway, Toni Morrison, or Kate Chopin, to be helpful in unraveling the dense textures of John's Apocalypse. By focusing on setting, rhetoric, point of view, character, and plot, the narrative, for this writer, comes alive and awakens the imagination in ways that more traditional methods of biblical study are not able to do.This work is a literary introduction to the Apocalypse that rigorously applies the methods of narrative criticism to John's vision. The purpose is to enter John's narrative world, to see what he sees, and to stand where he stands. It is not a verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation,l although the major contours of the book are covered. Nor is this a work on literary theory,2 although literary terms and literary methods are employed throughout.In the introduction, I define the literary terms 3 used in the book, and illustrate the methods of narrative criticism by analyzing three I See the bibliography for a number of excellent commentaries and monographs on the Apocalypse.2 See the bibliography for important works on literary theory and criticism that has informed this work.3 Some excellent handbooks of literature that define literary terms are: Hugh

From Imperial Persecution to Colonial Situation: Alternatives to Persecution Theories in Revelation Studies

“…One of the primary attempts to explain Revelation’s violent rhetoric is to argue that the text mirrors a spiritual conflict between God and Satan and their respective agents, the Lamb and the Beast (Tenney 1957: 23; Resseguie 2009: 90; Tonstad 2006: 3). According to Merrill C. Tenney, “the primary concern of the Apocalypse is not with social and economic conditions but with the spiritual interpretation of life.…”