Floyd O. Parker, «‘Our Lord and God’ in Rev 4,11: Evidence for the Late Date of Revelation?», Vol. 82 (2001) 207-231

This article challenges a commonly-held belief that the title ‘our Lord and God’ (Rev 4,11) served as a Christian counter-blast to the claim of the emperor Domitian to be dominus et deus noster. Despite the claims of several scholars that the title ‘our Lord and God’ does not appear in the OT, the data collected favors the view that the title in Rev 4,11 does indeed have its origin in the divine title ‘Lord and God’ found in the LXX and other Jewish sources. Consequently, the title is of no use in helping to determine the date of the book of Revelation.

‘god’: Tibe/rioj Kai=sar Sebasto_j qeou= u(io_j au)tokra/twr (SB 8317); [Tibe/rioj Kai=sar qeou= Seb]astou= ui(o_[j S]ebasto_j a)rxiereu_j (SEG XI 922-923)³⁶. A denarius from 37 CE refers to him as divus³⁷. Despite the fact that Tiberius officially rejected the title ‘lord’ (Suetonius, Tib. 27), the Lysanius inscription from Syria (prior to 29 CE) refers to Tiberius and his mother Livia as ‘the lords Augusti’ (tw=n kuri/wn Se[bastw=n])³⁸.

        Gaius or ‘Caligula’ (37-41 CE) was called ‘lord’³⁹, ‘new god’ ne/wi qew=i (IGR IV 1094), ‘son of Ares’ jArhoj ui(o/n (CIA III 444a), and ‘son of Augustus, a new Ares’ Sebastou= ui(o_n ne/on jArh (CIA III 444)⁴⁰. Josephus claims that Gaius ‘wished to be considered a god and to be hailed as such’ (Bell. iud. 2.184)⁴¹. Philo of Alexandria records that Gaius first likened himself to demigods (Leg. 11.78), but that he later compared himself to the supreme deities (Leg. 13.93). Gaius began not only to say but to think he was a god (Leg. 25.162). Among his titles mentioned by Philo are ‘god’, ‘ruler and master’ (Leg. 33.247), ‘master and lord’ (Leg. 36.286), and ‘lord’ (Leg. 45.356).

        In his letter to Alexandria (41 CE), Claudius (41-54 CE) made it clear that the establishment of temples and priests was ‘a prerogative to the gods alone’⁴². Yet, this did not prevent some from addressing him as ‘lord’ and ‘god’: o( ku/rioj (OPetr 209); Tibe/rioj Klau/dioj ku/rioj (SB 4331); Tibe/rioj Klau/dioj Kai=sar Sebasto_j au)tokra/twr o( ku/rioj (GOA 1038)⁴³; qeo_j Klau/dioj (PSI 1235; P. Oxy. 713); qeo_j Kai=sar (P. Oxy. 808; P. Oxy. 1021); qeo_j Sebasto/j (P. Mich. 244)⁴⁴; qeo_n e)pifanh=⁴⁵; deus noster Caesar (Scribonius Largus, Praef. C60, C163) ⁴⁶.

        Nero (54-68 CE) was called ‘lord’ and ‘god’ in several