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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This episode is co-sponsored by Samford University and the Alabama Humanities Alliance, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this episode do not necessarily represent those of the Alabama Humanities Alliance, the National Endowment for the Humanities or Samford University.

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