Apocalypse Now

Daniel & Revelation

In morning prayer at the moment we’re reading through Daniel and Revelation in parallel. This is a very good thing because the two books are a great match.

Both are examples of texts that belong to the genre of ‘apocalypse’. The word itself comes from the Greek term ἀποκάλυψις (apocalupsis) which means unveiling, uncovering, or revealing. Often when we think about apocalypse and especially how it is portrayed in popular culture, we think about the end of the world. When we look at the texts, though, we find that apocalyptic texts are just as much a commentary on how things were in the time that they were written as they are concerned about the future.

How then should we read apocalyptic texts?

Daniel

Daniel in the lions' den - Byzentine mosaic

The book of Daniel has two distinct halves. The first six chapters are narrative in form and contain many of the book’s most famous stories like the scene in the lion’s den. The second half of the book, from chapter 7 onwards is a series of visions which fit squarely into the genre of apocalypse.

The narrative of the book locates itself in the 6th century bce, but various aspects of the text indicate that it was written significantly later than that. Like Ezra-Nehemiah, large parts of the book are written in aramaic which suggests it was written in the post-exilic period and perhaps as late as the second century bce. This means that the book is looking back at events which had already happened and reflecting on them through the lens of apocalypse.

Apocalypse provides writers with a great deal of creative license to reflect on the times in which they were living. Enemy nations can be conceived of as wild beasts with many horns or locust/scorpians rising out of the sea. For this reason, it is a useful genre for both looking forward and looking back.

In the case of Daniel, the chaotic nature of the text in places like chapter 7 which sees one beast being overcome by another is likely a reflection of the rising and falling of the Babylonian and then Persian empires in this time period. The text creatively reflects on political turmoil and conceptualises it in new and interesting ways.

Revelation

St John the Theologian writing the Book of Revelation (Byzantine museum)

Like Daniel, the book of revelation simultaneously addressing the present political situation of its time, and also looking into the future towards the end of all things. Revelation was likely written in the late first century, a time when Chrstians were being persecuted and the authorities were seeking to stamp out the fledgling early church. When we consider the violence faced by Christians in this period, the chaotic imagery of Revelation begins to make more sense.

Many attempts have been made a ‘decoding’ the book of Revelation, and the outcome of these have cited various people as being ‘the anti-christ’ and pinpointed various dates for the end of the world which came and went without incident. There’s a reason that none of these attempts have yet proven true, which is that they try to extract something from the text, being exact dates or identities, which simply aren’t there in the text.

Revelation is a poetic feast for the senses which reflects on power, holiness, and the calling of the early church. It speaks of an end in a similar way to how Genesis speaks of a beginning, both of which are fundamentally beyond what we can comprehend.

In the case of creation, we have two parallel stories in Genesis 1 & 2 which each tell us something different about the nature of God, the world and humanity. They tell the grand story of creation in a way that we can comprehend. This too is an aspect of apocalypse - it uses literary techniques to paint a picture for the reader of things which are too wonderful for them to understand.

The Old Testament reading for this Sunday (Malachi 4.1–2a) has similarities with the texts we’ve discussed, and highlights the close relationship between apocalypse and the prophetic. What might these images be telling us about the holiness and power of God?

So next time you’re scratching your head after reading a passage from Daniel or Revleation, remember - that’s the point! Apocalypse, by it’s nature, is supposed to be ‘too much’ for us - too much vividness, too many images, too much light and colour. It reminds of how limited our understanding really is highlighting in turn, the awesomeness of God.