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The Twelve Tribes in Revelation Judean and Judeo-Christian Apocalypticism*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Albert Geyser
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Type
Short Studies
Information
New Testament Studies , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , July 1982 , pp. 388 - 399
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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References

Notes

[1] Synoptic repetitions not taken into account.

[2] Replacing Dan by Manasse. Cf. Kraft, H., Die Offenbarung des Johannes (Tübingen, 1974), p. 127Google Scholar for possible reasons. It does not affect the book's rigid scheme of twelves.

[3] Kraft id.ad loc.

[4] 4. 4, 10; 5. 5, 6, 8, 11, 14; 7. 11, 13; 11. 16; 14. 3; 19. 4.

[5] A stadion measuring about 200 m. the size of the city is beyond all human proportion. The size does not affect the scheme of twelves.

[6] The image of the tree is conflated from Gen. 2. 9, the tree of life in the heart of Paradise, and the trees bordering the river in the vision of Ezek. 47. 12.

[7] Joel 1. 14; 2. 15. Cf. Ezek. 30. 21 (Symm.) and 47. 12: ‘healing of the Gentiles’ means their conversion.

[8] ‘Lost sheep’ is the prophets', especially Jeremia's, reference to the dispersed tribes.

[9] Contra Richardson, P., Israel in the Apostolic Church (Cambridge, 1969), p. 61CrossRefGoogle Scholar, ‘it appears that there is no thought in Jesus' mind that they are to represent Israel…’

[10] Cf. Collins, J. J., The Apocalyptic Vision of the Book of Daniel (Montana, 1977), p. 171Google Scholar, ‘the late prophetic texts, sometimes called proto-apocalyptic, clearly envisage the eschatological restoration as a prolongation of history’ – Is. 65, ‘a new heaven and a new earth’, an image often repeated in later apocalyptic (e.g. Rev. 21. 1).

[11] It is implied, though, in Rm. 11. 26. Cf. Acts 26. 6 f.

[12] The Gospel of John (E. T. Oxford, 1971), p. 443 n. 3.Google Scholar

[13] Lindars, Barnabas, The Gospel of John (London, 1972), p. 243.Google Scholar

[14] Brown, R. E., The Gospel according to John (N.Y., 1966), p. cxxxGoogle Scholar, believes the year 70 and the destruction of the Temple constituted the watershed for apocalyptic expectations, and that Rev. 12–22 was a temporary resurgence of it prompted by the Roman persecution. It is true and it accounts, even if partially, for the attitude of the Fourth Gospel, but not for Paul's seeming disregard for the expectations concerning the Twelve Tribes.

[15] In Daniel the figure 12 only refers to the story of Nebukadnessar's madness (4. 29). Revelation on the other hand, not only adopted Daniel's gematric 7, but extended it to sixteen categories: seven churches, throne spirits, angels of the churches, seals, horns, eyes, trumpets, peals of thunder, heads of the dragon and of the monster from the deep, plagues, bowls of wrath, hills of Rome, and her seven emperors from Nero to Domitian.

[16] II Esdr. 13. 40. Cf. Strack-Billerbeck, Kommentar, IV 799 ff.; Schüpphaus, J., Die Psalmen Salomo's (Leiden, 1977), p. 65 on Ps. 17. 4–44.Google Scholar

[17] The visionary introduces each of Scenes II and III with the statement that he saw heaven (a door in heaven) opened (4. 1, 2; 19. 11). Fiorenza, E. S., ‘Composition and Structure of the Book of Revelation’, CBQ 39 (1977), 344 fGoogle Scholar. distinguishes a pattern of seven sections. Her three central sections, C, D, C1 fit exactly into 4. 1 to 19. 10, that is, the central scene, Scene II.

[18] Op. cit. pp. 124–47.

[19] Ibid. pp. 146 ff.

[20] Kraft, op. cit. p. 269.

[21] Op. cit. p. 143.

[22] Collins, op. cit. p. 167. Kraft, op. cit. p. 269 on the twelve angels on the twelve gates: ‘In diesem Fall wäre bei den Engeln an die Schutzengel der Stämme zu denken.’ To these tribal angels refer also Test. Abr. 13. 15, the three successive end-time judgements: firstly by Abel, secondly by ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’, and lastly by God himself. Both Abel and God belong to the heavenly sphere, and for this reason alone ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ sounds odd, and even more so as these last in all apocalyptic never form a court of judgement. The reference of the passage is manifestly to the angels of the twelve tribes as constituting the second court. That each tribe had its separate angel is attested by Test. Dan. 5. 4 with its reference to the angels of the tribe of Levi and of Judah. Test. Abr. 13. 15 possibly had its origin in Is. 3. 14, ‘The Lord has taken his place to contend, stands to judge his people. The Lord enters into judgement accompanied by the elders and the princes (angels?) of his people’

[23] Bornkamm, G., TDNT 6, 654.Google Scholar

[24] Ibid. p. 663.

[25] Ibid. p. 669 n. 13.

[26] Along a different route Bornkamm arrived at the same conclusion cf. p. 665, also p. 671 for the meaning of πρεσβύτερος in 2 John and 3 John.

[27] For the probable original form of the logion cf. Dupont, J., ‘Le Legion des Douze Trônes’, Biblica 45 (1964), 355 ffGoogle Scholar. Ingo Broer, ‘Das Ringen der Gemeinde um Israel’, in Pesch, R. und Schnackenburg, R., Jesus der Menschensohn (Herder, 1975), S. 150.Google Scholar

[28] Bornkamm, op. cit. p. 668 for further references.

[29] Cf. Mettinger, Tryggve N. D., King and Messiah (Gleerup, 1976), pp. 111, 113–15, 150.Google Scholar

[30] Allegro, J. M., ‘More Isaiah Commentaries from Qumran's Fourth Cave’, JBL 77 (1958), 215 ff.Google Scholar, and also, Discoveries in the Judean Desert and Jordan, V. Qumran Cave Four (Oxford, 1968), pp. 27 fGoogle Scholar. Flusser, D., ‘Pesher Yešaiahu vera'iion šnem asar hašeluhim’, in, Yehudut uMaqorot haNosrut (Tel Aviv, 1979), pp. 283 ffGoogle Scholar. Baumgarten, J. M., Studies in Qumran Law (Leiden, 1977), pp. 145 ff.Google Scholar, The Duodecimal Courts of Qumran, the Apocalypse, and the Sanhedrin.

[31] The golden glory of the Holy of Holies is described in 1 K. 6. 20; 2 Chr. 3. 8 f. Cf. Hebr. 8. 5: the earthly Temple is but a copy of the heavenly. M.tractate B.B.75b describes the cubic structure.

[32] Rissi, M., The Future of the World (E.T. London, 1972), p. 74.Google Scholar

[33] Charles, R. H., Revelation 1 (I.C.C.), p. 209.Google Scholar

[34] Bultmann, R., TDNT 2, 873.Google Scholar

[35] On its cultic and pre-exilic origin, Kaiser, Otto, Isaiah 1–12 (S.C.M. London, 1972), pp. 25 ff.Google Scholar

[36] Jeremias, J., Jesus' Promise to the Nations (S.C.M. London, 1956), p. 57 ff. M. Rissi, op. cit. p. 77.Google Scholar

[37] M. Rissi, op. cit. pp. 50 and 132.