Calvin Synod Herald, 1995 (95. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)

1995-01-01 / 1. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 6 -REFOMÁTÜSOK LflP]fl

"Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near..." Rev. 1:3. Read Rev. 2:1-7.

Many of you could say with an impatient wave of hand: why the book of Revelation? Are we going to have some old fashioned, scary "hell fire sermons with a dash of brimstone?!" By the way, maybe it would not hurt at that...I am, however, not that kind of preacher... Did not Martin Luther call the book "dumb prophecy" and say that Christ could neither be learned nor recognized in it?! (The Message of the Books, by F.W. Farrar, p. 515) did not John Calvin himself deal summarily with the book? When the preachers from Bern requested him to write a commentary on the book of Revelation, Calvin declined, answering that since the book had caused so much misunderstanding during the Christian centuries, he did not want to increase the trouble. Calvin's recommendation for Bible readers is still valid: when a passage is not clear, lay it aside. Wait until the testimony of the Spirit will make it clear. Would it not be wiser to lay the book aside and let the rabid gospelers have their field day with it?!

The book was written in the apocalyptic-eschatological mood, characteristic of hopeless conditions. When national hopes are gone, then even the people of God wait for the special intervention of God and His Messiah, the Christ and the great Armageddon, the final battle will be fought, with angels and archangels lined up against Satan and his minions, the false prophet and many-headed beasts and demons. Are we not intelligent, tough-minded enough to de-mythologize at least the

In the Footsteps of the Geneva Reformation

Column by Rev. Julius Paál

book of Revelation, and be done away with the foreboding mythological elements... so Bultman and his students would ask. I wonder... Why cannot some people accept the creative imagination of John the Martyr and consider eschatological literature, as a literary form, which can carry and does carry the message of the exalted Christ and for us in sacred Scripture, carrying the Word of God? I would rather deal with angels and archangels and their antibodies, Satan, beasts and demons, than with Mr. Wormwood of C.S. Lewis - though the Screwtape Letters is a thoughtful piece of work, or the even more puny anti-heroes of modern novels (headshrinking is fashionable now).

John the Martyr, had the courage to pit against Nero Redivivus, the evil reborn Nero, who was supposed to lead an army from Parthia against Rome, and against Domitian the emperor, who gave the order to be addressed "Dominus, noster deus" "Our Lord and our God", yes, John did pit against these, the deified Roman emperors the heavenly Christ.

Two-edged sword came out of his mouth, he commanded heavenly legions, held the seven stars of the seven churches and he walked among the seven lampstands. Is this picturesque language of powerful, masculine imagination too strong for our puny antiheroic age?... At least we should learn to respect the bold literary forms of past ages as a Biblical framework which still carries for us the Word, the dynamic Word of God...

(In the Koine Age, Lucian and his kind demythologized the thundering Zeus and the Homeric Pantheon, but they could not replace the faith that produced the Homeric heroes and the victors of Marathon.)

And here again some people have trouble with the broken Greek of the

book of Revelation. I suppose it was written by an ex-Roman soldier of Jewish background who became a Christian, a martyr confessor who stood the test when it cost him. But you know the Greek of the apostle Paul was rather awkward too, and if Jesus of Nazareth would have spoken Greek or Latin instead of his native Aramaic... What would have happened?!... Never mind the smooth, very smooth talk of very talkative gentlemen of the cloth or the sing-songy luring, handkerchief talk of the street corners or the angelic voice or bellowing thunder of the big auditoriums... Nevermind all that... I hope you don't mind the lack of polish or some of the grammatical errors of your bi-lingual preachers... not all is well when you speak English well, though it is good to do it. Not necessarily here are "weigthier matters of the law" and the prophets. Just a word of defense about our bi-lingual ministers. There were times when some highbrows used to make fun of hyphenated Americans... all that is changed now. We bi-lingual preachers, and you who speak two or three languages, we kind of feel proud, that we can still serve our congregations... I am still proud that I can read Scripture in Hungarian, English, German, Latin and more important in the original tongues: Hebrew and Greek... Is it a waste of time...?! I do not think so... The better young, modern young people will soon learn to respect the real literacy and other achievements of the past and will make good use of them, and this selective knowledge will lead to intellectual freedom. Traditionless, modern people are really still in the adolescent bondage of revolt and ignorance.

CAN WE AT LEAST SALVAGE THE BASIC MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION? At least the seven letters to the seven churches, at least the first three chapters?! THE COMING, FINAL VICTORY OF THE MARTYRS who kept the faith, loyal until the end... Now that sounds relevant enough, important enough...YES WE NEED LOYALTY... WE NEED MARTYR I A, WITNESS and, oh Lord, WE NEED VICTORY in ourshabby, conforming, compromising life.