Revelation 21:1–22:5: An Early Christian Locus Amoenus?
The visions of the Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21) have a utopian feel. In this article I suggest that ancient writers from a Graeco-Roman background might have read these visions through the lens of the locus amoenus (pleasant place)—a utopian prototype. While associated primarily with vision po...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2015
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| In: |
Biblical theology bulletin
Year: 2015, Volume: 45, Issue: 3, Pages: 174-183 |
| Further subjects: | B
Apocalyptic
B locus amoenus B Revelation B Johannine Literature B Eschatology B Pastoral |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The visions of the Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21) have a utopian feel. In this article I suggest that ancient writers from a Graeco-Roman background might have read these visions through the lens of the locus amoenus (pleasant place)—a utopian prototype. While associated primarily with vision poetry, the motif also served wider theological and philosophical purposes in the late Roman Republic and early Imperial periods and had spread beyond purely literary confines. The genre also engaged with philosophical, theological and eschatological themes. Thus engaging with Revelation 21 as a locus amoenus, as a contextually appropriate form, may have served as a jumping-off point into the less familiar realms of Judaic eschatological symbolism. Lastly, it is suggested that the appearance of the motif within what would become the Scriptures of emerging Christianity may provide a reason for the later more explicit developments of the genre in patristic writing. |
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| ISSN: | 1945-7596 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Biblical theology bulletin
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0146107915590766 |