Satan’s Throne, Imperial Cults and the Social Settings of Revelation

Abstract

The book of Revelation did not have one single social setting but several, reflecting the fact that its recipients lived in seven different urban settings. These recipients had various external and internal problems but they agreed with John about non-participation in imperial cults. In the last half of Revelation, John used their agreement regarding imperial cults as a way of addressing three disagreements he had with certain members of some of the assemblies. In each case, John connected the disputed issue to imperial cults, and then located the issue in a broader critique of Roman imperial society. Thus he employed the imagery of imperial cults to move his audience from the consideration of particular issues to an analysis of religion, economy, and imperialism.

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