This should be understood as a reference to the Divine protection afforded to each church and so to the church community which benefits from this care. Indeed, the number seven (seven churches) was in Jewish numerology a symbol of fullness or wholeness, so it is best to take each “letter” as applicable in various ways to the whole Church.Įach “letter” is addressed to the “angel” of that particular Church. The vision gives different messages to each of these churches, including some specific references that we do not fully understand (such as the warnings against the Nicolaitans and the false Jews of the Synagogue of Satan).īut given that particular historical applications of Christ’s messages to these Catholic communities are hard to determine, it is probably most fruitful to read them in a more symbolic light, understanding what is being praised and condemned in each community as representative of the different types of failings which characterize the various Catholic people in every age. These are the churches in Asia of which John was the leader (the “elder” as he calls himself in his letters). John explains that, in his exile on the island of Patmos, he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”, and had this vision which he was commissioned to write to the seven churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea). For all things will be consummated in Christ: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (1:8). John begins by giving glory to Christ and proclaiming the theme and the warning of the book: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. From the first, the tone is urgent: “Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein for the time is near” (1:3). The nature and purpose of the book is explained in the first chapter: It is a revelation of Jesus Christ to St. The Book opens with a greeting and an explanation of how John was commissioned by Christ to write the book (chapter 1) and closes with a final dialogue between Jesus and the Church, final warnings, and a farewell (final verses of chapter 22). The second part is far larger than the first. The Biblical book is divided into two main parts: (1) The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (chapters 2-3) and (2) Eschatological Visions (that is, visions relating to the last things, death, judgment, and the destiny of mankind both personally and collectively) (chapters 4-22). For the very affordable paperback edition, see: There is also a 15-page introduction which orients you to the book as a whole. Perhaps the most helpful thing the reader can do for personal study is to get a copy of The Navarre Bible’s volume on Revelation, which in the space of 125 pages provides the English text (RSV), the Latin text (New Vulgate) and a very intelligible same-page commentary throughout. However, the Book of Revelation is so difficult to understand that it will do little good to attempt to summarize it in a single installment. John, shortly before his death near the end of the first century, to convey revelations of the end times which he received in visions. There is no reason to question the authorship: It was written by St. The book is written in the striking symbolic imagery of the apocalyptic genre, which we have already seen, for example, in the Book of Daniel. Shop: Roman Catholic "RC" Brand Original White Logo Collection Classic Long Sleeve Tee | Multiple colors and sizes available!
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