The Throne Motif in the Book of Revelation

[BOOK REVIEW]

Gallusz, Laszlo. The Throne Motif in the Book of Revelation. Library of New Testament Studies. New York: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2014. [ISBN: 0567664198]

The focus of my research is the meaning of the shepherd motif in Rev. 7:9-17. As many scholars have emphasized, this paragraph is the only text that explicitly described the shepherd motif in the Book of Revelation. In the New Testament and early Christian literature, Jesus is often described as a shepherd (Matthew 15:24; 25:32; Mark 14: 27–28 = Matthew 26: 31-32; Luke 19:10; John 10: 2, 11, 12, 14; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:4; 1 Clement 16: 1; Clement Paed. 3.101.3). John introduces Jesus as ‘the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David’ and ‘Lamb’. His favorite title for Jesus is the ‘Lamb’(Rev. 5:5-6). The representative christological title of Revelation is ‘the Lamb’, which describes the Lamb as shepherd in 7: 9–17. There are many studies on an association between Revelation 7:9-17 and Zechariah 14. Unfortunately, unlike the author, who focuses on the shepherd motif in the relationship of the two texts, all of these studies have focused on the Sukkot motif. This author of this book also has a different of view from the writer of this paper. In this book, he focuses on the throne motif in the Book of Revelation. My interest depends on how the author interpreted Revelation 7:9-17, so I will write a review based on my interests. In other words, I want to see what kind of connection or difference there is between the throne motif and the shepherd motif.

First of all, because the author focuses on the motif of the throne, he adopts the motif as research methodology. So the scope of the study is limited to the text in which the throne motif appears in Revelation. However, it is not easy grasp the Old Testament quotations of the author of Revelation. Thus, when studying the texts related to the throne motif, it can lead to a misunderstanding of the Old Testament quotations. For example, the author did not recognize the connection between the book of Revelation and the Feast of Tabernacles. This choice is not a matter of motif methodology but a matter of interpretation, but it is clear that it is a case to reveal limitations that can occur when research methodology is limited to motifs. If the author found a connection with the Feast of Tabernacles in this text, the would have been a chance to observe the old Testament texts and the intertestamental period literatures.

In addition, he focuses on the throne motif and overlooks the importance of the shepherd motif. Even if the same motif is used, motifs to be emphasized for each text may be different. This text is based on the throne motif, but the latter emphasizes the shepherd motif (vv.15-17). Therefore, there is a need to study a methodology that can overcome these limitations.

In my opinion, here are some questions raised. First, what is the function of the shepherd motif in Revelation 7:9-17? Second, is Rev. 7:9-17 connected with Sukkot in Zech. 14? Third, since Zech. 9-14 used the shepherd motif, is there any possibility that Revelation 7:9-17 is connected to Zech. 14 in terms of the use of the shepherd motif? My paper is the journey to answer these questions.

Finally, there seems to be a limit to finding thematic unity. The author has covered this text in Chapter 5. The author seems to interpret the connection between the throne motif and the restoration of Israel: “The central ideal of the scene of 7:15-17 is the fulfilment of the promise of the ultimate restoration of the divine-human relationship.” This interpretation helps the reader to understand meaning of the passage. However, according to my observations, the themes of this this text is as follows: (1) eschatological salvation, (2) God’s sovereignty and Eschatological worship. And the author finds a thematic connection between 7:9-17 and 21:1-:22-5: “There is a close thematical connection between the visions of 7:9-17 and 21:1-225, since both portray the realization of the ideal condition of God’s universal reign.” The author then points out the difference between the two texts: “While ch. 7 refers to the life in front of the heavenly throne in reference to the victory in the great tribulation, chs. 21-22 depict the perfect communion in the context of new creation on which tribulation is not at all in view.” In my view, the author overlooked the significance of the shepherd motif in Revelation 7:9-17, so he did not find any significant facts in the thematic connection with Chapter 21-22. According to my observation, in the case of shepherd motifs 7:9-17 focuses on comforting God’s people, and 21:1-8 encourages believers to be a winner in close connection with the concept of inheritance. Consolation and exhortation through shepherd motifs are characterized by emphasizing the theme of eschatological salvation.

As a result, the author focuses on the throne motif and misses the meaning of the text. It also has a problem of interpretation. Nevertheless, the importance of this study must be acknowledged.