Organization of the course
Purpose of the course
We aim to gain an understanding and appreciation of the central message and style of Revelation, so that we will be able to lead the total church membership to profit from reading and studying the book themselves.
Strategy:
We will concentrate not on verse-by-verse analysis of the whole book, but on themes. II. Counterfeiting (13:1-18). III. Structure. IV. Underlying choices of hermeneutical approach (see 9:1-11). V. Historical situation (2:1-3:22). VI. Theophany (1:9-20). VII. Millennium (20:1-10). VIII. Consummation (21:1-22:5). IX. Worship (5:1-14). My plan is that, through this selective study, you will gain an over-all framework for appreciating Revelation. Then you can utilize commentaries effectively in trying to understand details in years to come.
If you are interested in more verse-by-verse analysis, see the courses NT 433 or NT 733.
Reading assignments
Remember, the study of Revelation will take up only one half of the course General Epistles and Revelation. The other half will have its own set of reading assignments and responsibilities. Hence, I have tried to cut the required readings to the bare bones.
Read Revelation in a translation in your native language at least twice through. (This assignment should have top priority. Very important.)
Hermeneutical introduction
George E. Ladd, Revelation, 10-14
Leland Ryken, ‘‘Revelation,’’ in A Complete Literary Guide, 458-69.
Topical insights
G. R. Beasley-Murray, Revelation, 24-27, on Christology
G. R. Beasley-Murray, Revelation, 46, on the purpose of Revelation
Theophany
Meredith G. Kline, Images of the Spirit, chap. 1
Recommended but not required: chap. 2
Historical introduction
Recommended but not required: Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, chap. on Revelation
The millennium
Recommended for later reading
Vern Poythress, Returning King, 177-182
Meredith G. Kline, WTJ 37:366-375, 39:110-19
J. Ramsey Michaels, WTJ 39:100-109
R. Fowler White, WTJ 51:319-344.
See also further bibliography items on the millennium
Course grade
For my half of the course, the grade will depend wholly on one biblical-theological paper. There will be no exam. In particular, I will not check that you have done the required reading. But I think that the required reading will help you to absorb the lectures better, and will be of significant help to you as you write the paper. Hence it makes good sense to do the reading not only for your long-run benefit but for the grade.
The biblical-theological paper is to be 5 or more pages in length (no upper limit), analyzing 2-4 consecutive verses from any of the following passages: 14:1-20, 19:1-21, 21:1-22:5. You may use passages outside these limits if you first obtain my approval. The due date for submission of the paper will be announced in class. Late papers are accepted but heavily penalized. Obtain my permission beforehand for an extension if you are confronted with sickness or some other last-minute emergency.
The paper is to be occupied primarily with exploring the connections between your verses and (a) the rest of Revelation, (b) the Old Testament, (c) the rest of the New Testament. I want not just a catalog of related passages, but some attempt to assess their interrelationships and the contributions that they make to understanding the color and sense of the verses you have chosen. Be concerned to present the verses in the light of the Bible rather than just trying to pin down the exact nature and manner of fulfillment. In your paper you should not restrict yourself to one theme alone. You are responsible to address all the significant theological and thematic connections with other parts of the Bible, but you should devote comparatively greater space to major themes and prominent connections. Try to write a connected piece of explanation that leads the reader step by step into an appreciation of the interconnections of the passage with the rest of Scripture. Write to an audience of nondispensational evangelicals.
Include near the end of the paper at least two paragraphs indicating some implications of your research for a particular modern cultural setting with which you are familiar. Please identify this culture explicitly, and do not simply make an application indiscriminately to all Christians everywhere. If you are an international student or a member of a distinctive American minority group, I encourage you to apply the passage to your own home culture (but you are not restricted to this option). If you are from American suburban middle-class culture, you are free to apply your passage to that culture, or to special American subcultures (e.g., yuppies, suburban teenagers, collegians, senior citizens, Jewish audience), as well as to any other cultural audience with which you have some familiarity.
In accordance with the guidelines for the honor system at Westminster Theological Seminary, you are asked to write out and sign this pledge at the end of the paper: ‘‘I understand and have not violated the Seminary’s position on plagiarism.’’ Be sure that you follow the guidelines against plagiarism, as these are laid down in my syllabus for NT 123, and in the statement "Avoiding Plagiarism’’ on the Westminster Theological Seminary website, <campus.wts.edu/StudentAffairs/plagiarism.htm>. Any clear-cut violation of these standards will lead to a grade of F.
Some sample papers written for NT 311 in previous years have been placed on the library reserve shelf.