V. SOURCES
V. SOURCES
It is not uncommon to have it suggested that our author has taken over a Jewish apocalypse or apocalypses. Sometimes this view arises from the contents of certain parts of Revelation which look like fragments of earlier writings. Sometimes scholars affirm that the way references to ‘the Lamb’ are brought in seems like an afterthought (e.g. 15:3; 21:22-23). They suggest that this is a way of making a Christian writing out of something that was not Christian before.
All such schemes seem to founder on the fact that the style of the whole book is so uniform. This does not mean that there are no differences, but that the differences are of a very minor character in comparison with the most unusual Greek which pervades the entire book. There was such a thing as the common stock of apocalyptic writings and there is no difficulty in holding that John made use of it. He may even have taken over sections of earlier writings that suited his purposes. But, if John did use sources, he made them so thoroughly his own that there is no chance of separating them out now.
Attention is sometimes drawn to the repetition of themes or ideas. This can be demonstrated (e.g. the two accounts of the beast in chs. 13 and 17). But this does not point to sources or diversity of authorship. Nor does the repetition of the sevenfold judgments, as in the seals, the trumpets and the bowls. It seems to be part of the method of our author to repeat his themes,73 not exactly, it is true, but on another level like a spiral staircase. In this way the same ground is traversed, but other perspectives are revealed and fresh facets of the revelation are disclosed.
It must also be borne in mind that apocalyptic was a peculiarly Jewish type of literature so that John would, in using this vehicle for his message, necessarily use forms with Jewish affinities. To show that part of the book contains Jewish ideas thus does not prove that it is a Jewish work adapted.74 In any case it is unlikely that this book was written at one sitting. There is nothing improbable in the suggestion that the visions took place over a period of years. This would account for a certain lack of coherence. But the use of sources is not necessarily indicated.75