The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John An Investigation into Its Origins and Rhetorical Force

includes index and biblioraphy

Introductory Observations ................................... 1 Apocalypse" in Popular Discourse .....................11 Methodology and Reading Strategies ..........................14 Problems Central to this Dissertation .............................19 Procedure and Outline .............................................21 What is to dpviov? ...................................22 Lamb Lexicography and Statistics ...........................22 Questions about Translation ....................................22 The Semantic Domain of "Lamb" in the New Testament ........25 "Lamb" in the Hebrew Bible and Septuagint .....................28 The Lamb Domain in Josephus and Philo ............32 dpviov as a Cryptogram ..............................................38 Conclusion ........................................................38 Lambs in the Ancient Near East and the Graeco-Roman Environment ..........................40 Prehistoric Animal Mythologies ..................................42 Egyptian Religion .........................................43 Aesopic Fable Traditions ...........................................52 Greek and Roman Mythology and Religion ........................55 Summary and Conclusion ......................................... 75 Lambs in Early Judaism .......................... 76 Introduction ................................................. 76 The Literature Examined ..................................... 80 Lambs in Rabbinic Literature ............................... 98 Conclusion ....................................................... 106 Lamb Symbolism in the Old Testament and the Apocalypse ... 108 The Lamb and the Meaning of Symbols ...................108 Method in Symbol Analysis .....................................109 The Social-Historical Setting of the Apocalypse ...........120 Potential Antecedents in the Old Testament ..................127 The Rhetorical Force of the Lamb Christology in the Apocalypse .............................................. 150 The Christology of the Apocalypse in Political Context ......... 151 The Rhetoric of the Apocalypse .............................155 The Central Scene in Revelation 5 .....................................158 Christology and Ethics in the Apocalypse ......................171 Conclusion .............................................................202