Giancarlo Biguzzi, «The Chaos of Rev 22,6-21 and Prophecy in Asia», Vol. 83 (2002) 193-210

Interpreters of the Apocalypse agree that in Ap 22,6-21 disorder reigns and that, most of all, various voices in these verses interfere with one another, without care for rules which would produce a proper development. Therefore, chaos is undeniably in the text. But it is equally true that with some ease one can discern in the text an articulation in three strophes: the first and the third speak of the revelation received by John and of the transmission of that revelation to the churches by means of John’s book, while the second is concerned with the ethical life and its eschatological reward. All this reveals the anxiety of John about a relaxation of vigilance on the part of the churches of Asia, so that John consequently insists on the imminence of the eschatological Coming and labors to show the legitimacy of the demands of his book, especially before the eyes of his ‘brother-prophets’. It is the framework of their prophetic style, probably charismatic like that of the prophets of 1 Cor 14, which allows us to make sense of the interference and injection of various voices in these verses of the johannine Apocalypse; we find a similar style in certain other verses at the beginning and in the body of John’s book.

adored¹⁸; (vi) he introduces himself as a prophet through the words of the angel; (vii) and, again through the words of the angel, he legitimises his book, since it is a book to be made known and not to be sealed and hidden.

        Such an insistence by John on the importance of his book betrays his anxiety: he feared that the book would be accepted with coldness and indifference, — obviously, on the grounds of negative experiences of the past. What especially reveals John’s perspective is the uselessness of certain assertions which according to the surface of the text are addressed to John. As receiver of heavenly visions and revelations, John has no need to hear that he is hearing true and reliable words, and he knows perfectly well that he must not adore anybody but God alone, neither does he need to hear that his book is a prophetic book. It is the average Christians of Asian churches and first of all those who follow the prophetess Jezebel who need to hear that they meet in John’s book not his words, but God’s, mediated by the angel of prophecy.

4. Legitimisation of the book and the brother-prophets

        The surface of the text of Revelation speaks positively of prophets who are given the spirits of God (v. 6b), the witness of Jesus (v. 16; cf. 19,10b), and the spirit of prophecy (19,10d). Furthermore John proclaims them brother-prophets who should not feel intimidated in the presence of an angel mediator, because the angel is simply their co-servant (v. 9; cf. 19,10). But even here, as a matter of fact, he is dealing with interlocutors of very modest stature. One can guess this from the evolution, both in content and in meaning, of the concept of ‘witness of Jesus’.

        At first Jesus sends his witness to the brother-prophets through the angel, investing them with responsibility for the churches (‘I, Jesus,