On Monday mornings in
March, I attended a 4-lecture series of the last book of the New Testament
(Book of “Revelation”) given by Professor Mickey Efird who is an Emeritus
Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Duke Divinity School. I have attended several of his lectures in
the Fall and Spring here at Fearrington Village and found them very
informational. I was very interested to
hear him talk about “Revelation” as he has written several popular books about the
subject. Prof. Efird is a Presbyterian minister who believes that God is all powerful. My notes from the lectures can be found at this link.
I frequently hear references to verses from "Revelation" but I never really understood them. It just seemed like a bunch of mystical symbolism and obscure references. The lectures began with an explanation of apocalyptic thought and literature popular from 200 BC - 100 AD in both Hebrew and Christian writings. Prof. Efird explained the symbols of various numbers, colors, and animals used in the imagery contained in the visions to John of Patmos. He put the writings in historical context for the messages the author wants to communicate. Prof. Efird then read through various chapters and verses and explained the imagery and what it probably means. He also explained how other people interpret the visions and what it may mean for us today.
The target audience for "Revelation" is first century Christians in the Roman province of Asia. Having visited Ephesus last year, it was very interesting to hear about the Christians' struggle there under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Domitian. "Revelation" tries to bring hope to those struggling Christians who suffer economic persecution for not bending the knee to Roman gods. The use of imagery provides dramatic effects for the belief that Good will eventually conquer Evil. I do wonder what the prophet John was smoking or snorting on the Isle of Patmos. It would be very difficult to make up all this content.
In addition to learning how to interpret the Book of Revelation, I learned many new words such as.. Parousia, Dispensationalism, Eschatology, and Darbyism. I learned where Christian Fundamentalism was born. I learned that the New Testament is not presented in the chronological order in which the various books were written. Unfortunately, my notes cannot show the humor with which the lectures were given. I only wrote down what I had not known before. Please check out the link above to see my notes if you are interested.
I frequently hear references to verses from "Revelation" but I never really understood them. It just seemed like a bunch of mystical symbolism and obscure references. The lectures began with an explanation of apocalyptic thought and literature popular from 200 BC - 100 AD in both Hebrew and Christian writings. Prof. Efird explained the symbols of various numbers, colors, and animals used in the imagery contained in the visions to John of Patmos. He put the writings in historical context for the messages the author wants to communicate. Prof. Efird then read through various chapters and verses and explained the imagery and what it probably means. He also explained how other people interpret the visions and what it may mean for us today.
The target audience for "Revelation" is first century Christians in the Roman province of Asia. Having visited Ephesus last year, it was very interesting to hear about the Christians' struggle there under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Domitian. "Revelation" tries to bring hope to those struggling Christians who suffer economic persecution for not bending the knee to Roman gods. The use of imagery provides dramatic effects for the belief that Good will eventually conquer Evil. I do wonder what the prophet John was smoking or snorting on the Isle of Patmos. It would be very difficult to make up all this content.
In addition to learning how to interpret the Book of Revelation, I learned many new words such as.. Parousia, Dispensationalism, Eschatology, and Darbyism. I learned where Christian Fundamentalism was born. I learned that the New Testament is not presented in the chronological order in which the various books were written. Unfortunately, my notes cannot show the humor with which the lectures were given. I only wrote down what I had not known before. Please check out the link above to see my notes if you are interested.
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| Prof. JM Efird |
