Texts in Conversation
Revelation’s image of Jesus holding a sword echoes the Wisdom of Solomon, where God's word descends from heaven like a warrior with a sword during Egypt's judgment. In Wisdom, this retelling of Exodus personifies the divine command as an active agent.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Wisdom of Solomon 18:15
Deuterocanon
12 Yes, they all together, under one form of death, had corpses without number. For the living were not sufficient even to bury them, since at a single stroke, their most cherished offspring was consumed. 13 For while they were disbelieving all things by reason of the enchantments, upon the destruction of the firstborn they confessed the people to be God’s children. 14 For while peaceful silence wrapped all things, and night in her own swiftness was half spent, 15 your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, a stern warrior, into the midst of the doomed land, 16 bearing as a sharp sword your authentic commandment, and standing, it filled all things with death, and while it touched the sky it stood upon the earth. 17 Then immediately apparitions in dreams terribly troubled them, and unexpected fears came upon them. 18 And each, one thrown here half dead, another there, made known why he was dying;
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Revelation 2:12
New Testament
10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. 11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.’ 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has the sharp double-edged sword: 13 ‘I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you continue to cling to my name, and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
Date: 92–96 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The title the “Word of God” may suggest to readers a connection with the Gospel of John, which also speaks of Jesus being “the word” (John 1:1). For this reason, this title could be a reference to Jesus’s close association with the Father. Jesus is the Logos because he is the Father’s agent; the Father expresses his will that an action be brought to pass, and the Logos is the one who fulfills the Father’s “words.” However, based upon the context, this title is likely describing Jesus’s role as judge, since “the rider will judge by means of God’s word.” (Compare Wisdom of Solomon 18:15-16) ..."
Nicholas J. Frederick, "The Paradoxical Lamb and the Christology of John's Apocalypse" in Huntsman, Eric D., Lincoln H. Blumell, and Tyler J. Griffin (ed.) Thou Art the Christ: The Son of the Living God, The Person and Work of Jesus in the New Testament (Brigham Young University, 2018), 244–259.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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