A Note on the Foundation Stones in Revelation 21.14, 19-20
In John’s vision of the New Jerusalem the foundation stones in Rev. 21.14, 19-20 form part of the material makeup of the heavenly city. Yet some critical assessment of these verses has called into question their suitability in John’s vision, and so has suggested an interpolation of these verses by a...
| 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
2003
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2003, Volume: 25, Issue: 4, Pages: 487-498 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | In John’s vision of the New Jerusalem the foundation stones in Rev. 21.14, 19-20 form part of the material makeup of the heavenly city. Yet some critical assessment of these verses has called into question their suitability in John’s vision, and so has suggested an interpolation of these verses by a later ‘Christian hand’. However, this article endeavors to show that structurally and especially intertextually, the foundation stones in 21.14, 19-20 are an integral and original part of John’s climactic vision of the New Jerusalem. Verses 14, 19-20 find coherence in John’s allusion to Isa. 54.11-12, which provides the scriptural model for the lithic features of John’s depiction of the New Jerusalem. More specifically, the author depends on an interpretive tradition of Isa. 54.11-12 similar to that found in 4QpIsaiahd, where the precious stones of restored Jerusalem are allegorically linked with founding members of the sectarian community and are linked with the stones on the breastplate of the high priest. However, in contrast to Jewish tradition, such as 4QpIsaiahd, the founding stones of the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21.14, 19-20 are identified with the apostles. Thus, for John the consummated community is founded on the apostolic witness of the church to the Lamb, rather than on leading Jewish figures. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5294 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0142064X0302500406 |