Revelation 1 with Dr. Robyn Whitaker
Dr. Robyn Whitaker (Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity) guides us through Revelation 1. We discuss:
* The rhetorical/persuasive and iconic function of vivid imagery
* Whose apocalypse is this, and what does it mean that it is a prophecy?
* Which John is responsible for Revelation and why is he in Patmos?
* John's descriptions of: God; the seven spirits; and Jesus Christ
* The vision of the Son of Man and how it functions as ekphrasis (i.e., vivid visual description)
* What it means that Jesus is "the First and the Last" and that he has the keys to death and Hades (1:17–18)
Works by Robyn Whitaker
* Even the Devil Quotes Scripture: Reading the Bible on Its Own Terms. Eerdmans, 2023.
* "Invoking Jezebel, Invoking Terror: Exploring the Sexualization of Conflict in the Biblical Tradition." In Terror in the Bible: Rhetoric, Gender, and Violence. Edited by M. Melanchthon and R. Whitaker. SBL Press, 2021.
* Ekphrasis, Vision, and Persuasion in the Book of Revelation. Mohr Siebeck, 2015.
This Week’s Blurb
Robyn Whitaker recommends:
* Vegemite, an Australian spread
* Recommends listening to the book of Revelation
Next Week
Next week, Dr. Christopher R. Seitz (Wycliffe College, University of Toronto) guides us through the Book of Joel.
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