Rob Dalrymple, «The Use of ka1/ in Revelation 11,1 and the Implications
for the Identification of the Temple,
the Altar, and the Worshippers», Vol. 87 (2006) 387-294
Thus, by means of the symbolic act of measuring ‘the temple’, which is
composed of those who will suffer martyrdom (‘the altar’) and those who
remain faithful to the end (‘the worshippers’) John reassures the entire
covenant community that their eternal destiny is firmly within the sovereign
judge’s control. The epexegetical use of ka1/ in 11,1b explains why it is ‘the
altar’ and not some other piece of furniture that is measured. Finally, the
distinction between the righteous who are martyred and those who are not
confirms that John did not perceive all of the righteous as suffering
martyrdom.
392 Rob Dalrymple
inquire as to the purpose for asserting its divine protection (36). A reasonable
explanation is found wanting.
That ‘the worshippers’ are to be associated with the righteous receives
universal acclaim (37). These worshippers are said to be the ones who are ‘in
it’ — the antecedent of which is most probably the temple (38). Such
worshippers, then, suggests that they are priests, for only priests were
permitted in the temple proper. Moreover, in Revelation it is the righteous as
a whole who are explicitly referred to as ‘priests’ in 1,6; 5,10; and 20,6 (39).
Therefore, ‘the worshippers’ in 11,1 also designates the entire righteous
community.
Why then would John affirm that the whole of the righteous are divinely
protected by means of the inclusion of ‘the worshippers’ in 11,1b, when he
had just affirmed that such was the case in the depiction of the measuring of
the temple in 11,1a? Such can be accounted for by my assertion that ‘the altar’
and ‘the worshippers’ are introduced by the epexegetical kai;, and that these
two designations function appositionally to ‘the temple’. Taking the reference
to ‘the altar’ and ‘the worshippers’ as appositional to the ‘temple’, we then
understand that in Rev 11,1 John is commanded to measure only the temple.
The temple itself is then defined as constituting ‘the altar’ and ‘the
worshippers’ (40). Bauckham, who does not suggest the translation I have
presented here, nonetheless understands 11,1 in an analogous fashion. He
notes, “Thus it is the sanctuary building, containing the altar of incense and
the priests who worshipped there, which John measures†(41). It is, therefore,
my suggestion that the temple references the righteous as a whole, while ‘the
(36) The validity of this question is heightened when one considers the hortatory nature
of Revelation: i.e., what is the purpose for encouraging the church with the assertion that
the altar is to be divinely protected? This issue, however, extends well beyond the
parameters of this present work.
(37) At least I have been unable to find any dissenters.
(38) That aujtw/' is masculine, referring to the temple, derives most reasonably from the
context in that worshippers are more naturally ‘in’ the temple, rather than ‘in’ the altar.
Beale, however, suggests that the antecedent of ejn aujtw/' (in it) is to; qusiasthvrion (the
altar); BEALE, Revelation, 571. If my conclusion that the kaiv here is indeed epexegetical,
then we have further reason to suggest that the antecedent of the pronoun is the temple.
(39) Though 20,6 employs a future referent.
(40) Contra STEFANOVIC, who claims that “although the word ‘temple’ occurs
frequently in Revelation, it never symbolizes the church†(Revelation, 336). He further
contends that “John is very consistent in distinguishing between the temple and God’s
people†(Revelation, 336). In reply, I would first suggest that the application of temple
imagery to the church is the prime feature of the New Jerusalem, which is said to be “the
bride†(21,2.9), and yet the description entails that of the temple. Furthermore, Stefanovic
asserts that the temple that is measured is “a real temple in heaven†(Revelation, 336). The
difficulty with this position is that we are back to the question raised earlier as to how one
measures people; and especially why those who worship in the heavenly temple are in need
of measuring. This is an even more forceful question for Stefanovic’s understands since he
views the measuring as entailing a determination as to who should live and who should die
(Revelation, 336). See also: AUNE, Revelation, II, 596; BEALE, Temple, 365-393.
(41) BAUCKHAM, Climax, 269. The closest anyone seems to have come to the
identification that I am setting forth for the altar and the worshippers is that of Yeatts. He
suggests, “The altar is certainly used symbolically for the worshiping community, thus
preserving the identical meaning of the two parts of this phrase in synonymous parallelismâ€
(Revelation, 191). He, however, does not continue the thought in terms of the worshippers.