Review of "The Use of Zechariah in Revelation" by Marko Jauhiainen

This article traces the contours of the past century of discourse surrounding the underlying textual form of allusions embedded in the book of Revelation. Special attention is paid to the rapid developments on this issue in the past thirty years, a period in which New Testament scholarship has grappled with the textual complexity of the Hebrew Bible presented by the scrolls from the Judaean Desert. The question of textual form is of foundational importance for analysing the reuse or interpretation of Scripture in the book of Revelation. Despite this reality, it is common to find assumptions or misconceptions in recent studies that obfuscate the textual reality of the Hebrew Bible and its early Greek versions the first century ce. The appraisal of scholarship on this issue allows scholars to better contextualize their own approaches to the text of allusions in the light of previous research. This analysis also highlights the changing methods and approaches by which scholars analyse the text of allusions and suggests some avenues for future research on the allusions embedded in the Apocalypse.

Prooftexts, 2007

Comparative Literature and Biblical Studies: The Case of Allusion R o B e R t S . K a w a S h i m a a B S t R a C t Robert Alter's groundbreaking study, The Art of Biblical Narrative, is premised on literary comparisons that are based not on historical contiguity, but on formal similarity. Failing to grasp such comparisons, Alter's critics have unfairly dismissed his project as "ahistorical" and "anachronistic." His literary approach to the Bible, however, is in fact historical, just not historicist, realist rather than nominalist. That is, it posits the existence of various literary universals, specifically, the formal narrative possibilities inherent to the medium of literary prose. The theoretical issues involved can be observed in the case of allusion. Allusions in biblical narrative operate according to the literary principle Viktor Shklovsky identified as " defamiliarization." In contrast, allusions in Homer's oral epics operate according to the aesthetic principle of familiarity, which according to Walter Benjamin characterizes the traditional art of the storyteller. Thus, literature and oral tradition, poetry and prose, are no mere constructions, but autonomous categories subsisting in the real of language.

The article presents a brief overview of the research devoted to biblical allusions (BA-s) functioning in literary texts. It describes the process of realization of biblical allusion in speech, defines the essence of stylistic functions for BA-s, reveals the basic stylistic functions of BA-s, encircles the range of functional scope of BA-s in literary texts. The process of realization of BA in the text is described as the simultaneous development of two information flows, contextual and associative, resulting in the creation of a subtext, the various semantic-stylistic components of which are regarded as stylistic functions of allusion. The basic stylistic functions of BA-s, Implication, Evaluation, Expressive and Aesthetic-cognitive functions, correspond to the general functions of the language. The functional range depends on the position of BA in the organization of the text. The strong position BA's functional coverage embraces the mega context, and other position BA's – micro/ macro context.

"Exploring Intertextuality: Revelation 18 and Overlooked Allusions to the Old Testament." A Proposal Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree, Master of Arts, Theologische Hochschule Friedensau, December 7, 2023, 2023

The literature review of the intertextual allusions in Revelation 18 to the Old Testament reveals certain deficiencies. While the allusion of Revelation 18:1 to Isaiah 6:3 was completely overlooked, the allusions of Revelation 18:4, 20 to Genesis 19:15 and Ps 95[96]:11 were merely mentioned. In addition, a detailed methodological analysis of these allusions is lacking. Goal: The purpose of this study is twofold. First, the investigation aims to establish the nature of the Old Testament allusions in Revelation 18:1, 4, 20. Second, the thesis aims to conduct an in-depth intertextual analysis. This analysis will focus on unravelling and understanding the intricate relationships between source texts (Isaiah 6:3, Genesis 19:15, and Psalm 95[96]:11) and target texts in Rev 18:1, 4, 20. In order to accomplish this goal, the investigation focuses at the linguistic, thematic, and structural intertextual relationships between the source and target texts.

Theological Librarianship: An Online Journal of the …, 2009

The article discusses two examples of creation motifs in Isaiah in order to elucidate four distinct features of allusion that can enhance an integrative interpretation of biblical literature. The first example is a messianic vision of the branch from Jesse in Isaiah 11:1–10, whereas the second is the recurring metaphor of nations as “(raging) waters” in Isaiah. The article also addresses some of the pitfalls inherent in the conventional classificatory approach to genres in biblical scholarship.

This thesis investigates the rhetorical structure of Zechariah’s night visions (Zech. 1:7-6:15). First, the internal relationship between the various sentences in the vision report is analyzed, and second, the night report as a whole is discussed with regard to an overall, coherent message. Fundamental to this study is a functional understanding of grammar, i.e. grammatical structures are intentionally employed by an author to communicate a particular message. In order to investigate the rhetorical structure of Zechariah’s night visions, this study combines Jan Renkema’s Connectivity Model, Knud Lambrecht’s Information-Structure and Robert Van Valin’s Role and Reference Grammar. The results of this thesis suggest that the night visions do not adhere to a plot in any modern sense but, in various ways, they unfold the rebuilding of the temple and its cultic, social and politic implications. Accordingly, the night visions are a response to a crucial issue at the time of the prophet, viz. the Persians’ political dominance and the cancelling of the temple building. In terms of methodological implications, the rhetorical-structural criticism conducted in this thesis is also a response to a rigid form-critical distinction between visions and oracles as well as to a post-structuralist reading in which the inherent structure of the night visions and the rhetorical implications of such structure are ignored.

Methodology. 1 He places intertextuality in one category and inner-biblical exegesis and innerbiblical allusion in another. Intertextuality, according to Meek, studies how readers perceive the connection between texts irrespective of authorial intention. 2 Meek explains three primary assumptions of intertextuality. First, intertextuality's focus exceeds the written word. Oral tradition and extratextual material plays a role in this approach. 3 Second, intertextuality shows no concern for determinate meaning and the diachronic relation of texts. 4 The fluidity of textual meaning is central to the intertextual approach. Third, intertextuality does not develop criteria for establishing intertextuality. 5 Since intertextual connections are determined by readers rather than 1 Russell Meek, "Intertextuality, Inner-Biblical Exegesis, and Inner-Biblical Allusion: The Ethics of a Methodology," Biblica 95 (2014): 280-91.

2023

This dissertation attempts to overcome a signifi cant obstacle to the development of a comprehensive exegetical method that can enable an interpreter to unlock the meaning of such difficult apocalyptic passages as Rev 8:7-12. The first chapter utilizes a survey of previous research to explore four issues whose resolution is vital to the interpretation of the book of Revelation: (1) the sources of the Apocalypse, (2) how the Revelator used them, (3) the language and text tradition of the Old Testament that he used, and (4) the nature and location of Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. his allusions to earlier literature. The literature survey indicates that a major obstacle to the accurate interpretation of Revelation is the lack of an objective method for evaluating the allusions to prior literature that characterize the book. Chapter II opens with a brief outline of a comprehensive exegetical method for the study of the Apocalypse. The bulk of the chapter focuses on a proposed method that can enable interpreters to more objectively evaluate the allusions in Revelation. Through a pains taking analysis of the verbal, thematic, and structural parallels to the Old Testament in Rev 8:7-12, the process of evaluating proposed allusions to the Old Testament is clearly demonstrated. The results of that analysis have implications for many of the issues raised by the litera ture survey of Chapter I. Chapter III offers an interpretation of Rev 8:7-12 in the light of the comprehensive method outlined at the beginning of Chapter II. The imagery of the passage is compared to its context, to the author's sources, and to the overall structure of the Apocalypse. Relevant insights from the first two chapters are incorporated. The resulting interpretations help to illuminate the basic meaning structures of the first four trumpets. Reproduced with permission o f the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. How could I ever find words to thank you all? iii Reproduced with permission o f the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.