The cosmic conflict: Jesus against the devil in the letter to the church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)

Scholars studying cosmic conflict in the book of Revelation primarily focus on chapters 12-14, while the letters to the seven churches are often overlooked. In this article I demonstrate the presence of key elements of cosmic conflict in the letters to the seven churches, with a particular focus on...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kuryliak, Bohdan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Scottish journal of theology
Year: 2025, Volume: 78, Issue: 2, Pages: 126-137
Further subjects:B Cosmic Conflict
B Revelation
B Good and evil
B Smyrna
B seven letters
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:Scholars studying cosmic conflict in the book of Revelation primarily focus on chapters 12-14, while the letters to the seven churches are often overlooked. In this article I demonstrate the presence of key elements of cosmic conflict in the letters to the seven churches, with a particular focus on the letter to the church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11). I identify the main facets of spiritual warfare, such as Jesus Christ versus the devil; Christians versus Jews/Romans; and victory/life versus defeat/death. I conclude that this passage contributes to the military narrative of cosmic conflict in the Apocalypse.
ISSN:1475-3065
Contains:Enthalten in: Scottish journal of theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S003693062400067X