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PULPIT CO M~IENTAR Y, EDITED BY Tlll'l
VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OF GLOUOEBTER,
AND BY THE
REV. JOSEPH S. E~ELL, M.A.
REVELATION. 31n tto b'ttctforc BY REV. T. RANDELL, B.D., PRll!Oll'AL OF BEDE COLLEGE, DURHAM,
®xposftfon BY REV. A. PLUMMER, M.A., D.D., PR!NO!PAL OF U:NlVIlRSITY C1OLLEGE, DURHAM; ASSISTED BY
REV. T. RANDELL, B.D., l'Bll!Cll'AL OF BEDE COLLEGE, DUBHAMJ AND
A. T. BOTT, M..A.., LECTURER lN BEDE OOLLEGE, DURHAM,
~omfletfcs BY REV. 0. CLEM.A.NOE, B..A.., D.D. ~omflfes tn Fadous ~utbots. REV, S. CONWAY, B.A. REV. R. GREEN, REV. D. THOMAS, D.D,
FUNK & W.A.GN.A.LLS COMP.A.NY LONDON AND :NEW YORK 1909 -PRJNTED BY WJt.LIAM CLOWES AND SONS, L1MlTRD, LONDON AND HRCCL.ES.
(Tl,e rights qJ translation "''d of reproduct,oti an rest1-vetf.) THE
REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. INTRODUCTION.
f I. THE TITI,•• I. The Revelation.-The name given to this book in our Bibles is the English form of the Latin equivalent of the Greek title •A1r0Kd),:lilfxi.1 This Greek title is as old a.s the book itself, and forms the first word of the original text, where it constitutes an essential member of the opening sentence and paragraph. It was consistent with the Hebrew cast of the whole document that the Hebrew fashion of naming books by their initial words should be followed in this instance ; but the classical and modern method of designating a. literary work by the name 'of its principal theme happened here 'to lead to the same resnlt: d.1r0Ka.Alll/r&i is not only the initial word of the book, but also a subject-title, descriptive of the largest portion of the contents. In the Vulgate version the Greek word is retained, both in the title and at the commencement of the t.ext. Its proper Latin equivalent, however, is not found by merely writing it in Latin letters, apocalypsis, but by combining the Latin renderings of its two component parts, taking re to represent d....&, and velatio as synonymous with Ka.A'lllf,ti- According to the etymological genius of the respective languages, just as the simple substantive TJelatio, or Ka.Ampir;, signified the act of covering with • veil, so the compound 1 The word lor01tr!Avorr ia rape in profane Greek literature, Plutaroh (a oontemporaey of
Ute apostles) being apparently the earliest author in whose extant works it can be found; lie uses it In its primary literal sense, l\Bd also in its secondary flgumtive meaning. The muonical books of the Septuagint only furnish a aingle (and literal) example of It, though the corresponding ,verb or.curs many times. In the New Testament the BUbstantive is found aevent.een or eighteen times, u.nd always wi~h a ft~nru.ti ve si&'.llification, tt INTRODUCTION TO
n-ttelatio,1 or d.7re-K&)..v1/M, meant the act of removing, turning back, ot t&king off the veil, in such a manner as to dis-cover what previoualy was hidden from view. The Latin compound, unaltered except by the Anglicizing of its termina- tion, has become thoroughly naturalized in our English language ; and on that account it is, for biblical and ministerial use, preferable to the original title, which, even in its Anglicized form, "Apocalypse," has never ceased to be " Greek " to ordinary English ear-s. 2. Of. In the English title the preposition "of" must be taken in the sense of" to" or" by." The revelation was made by Jesus Christ to his servant John, and then the record of it was penned by John for the information of other set'va.nts of God. The things previously hidden were shown to John in visions, and were then described by John in writing, so that his fellow-servants might see them in his book. The true author of the primary act of revelation was Jesus Christ; Saint John wrote an account of what bad been by Christ revealed to him, and that written account then became a revelation to all others who should read it or hear it. The things that were shown to John in a vision were shown to the rest of the world in John's book. This book was not a revelation to John him- self, who merely recorded therein what had been shown to him in vision ; but to us it is " The Revelation" of that new knowledge which Christ dis- closed to John. in another and a more mysterious way. 3. Saint John the Divine. The Greek epithet properly signifies " the one who discoursed about God "-one who not only spake God's messages, but described God's natnre; one who did not confine· himself to proclaiming the works of God, but was emboldened to declare the deep mysteries of the Divine existence. § 2. AUTHOR. Both internal and external evidence lead us to accept the theory of ilhe authorship of this book which ascribes it to the Evangelist Saint John. Four times the author designates himself by the name of John (eh. i. 1, 4, 9; xxii. 8), a.nd on the first occasion adds that he was the same John "who bare witness of the Word of God," thus identifying himself with the writer of the Fourth Gospel and the first of the Jobannine Epistles.• Clear external testimony begins with Justin Martyr about the middle of the second century, he refers to "John,.oue of the apostles of Christ, who pro- phesied in a. Revelation made to him that the believers in our Christ should 1 The word ret1elatio is unknown to classical Latinity, but is not infrequent in eoolesiastical lltere.ture. It is used in the Vnlgate (1 Cor. i 7), and in the Africiin writers-Tertullian, .Amobius, and ,Augustine. It may therefore be added to the list of Afrioanisms in the Vulgat.e, which WIIS first drawn up by Wiseme.n, and h11S been IO largely inCJ'll8$ed by Westcott. • If, as seems not improbable, the first three verses of oh. i. are (not an int.egra;l part of the original book, but) an e.tte.station by some inlluentilll members of the primitive Church -pe:hapa the elders of Ephosua-this part of the evidenoe is in DO DY weakened. THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. tl