Books

The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse, by Roland J. Worth

Reviewed by Michael Daniel

Contents - Apr 2001 - Buy a copy now Editorial: 'If Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain' - Peter Westmore John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family to open in July 2001 - AD2000 Report News: The Church Around the World Former Townsville Bishop's admissions on liturgy practices - Bishop Raymond Benjamin Is Townsville the model for Ballarat's priest shortage? - Michael Gilchrist Archbishop Curtiss on implementing the theology 'mandatum' - Archbishop Elden Curtiss US parishioners more outspoken about church "renovations" - Zenit News Service Thomas More Centre Summer School 2001: "Building a Culture of Life" - Michael Daniel How to avoid banal, superficial liturgies - Bishop Kevin Manning Rights of unborn are inalienable - Archbishop Barry J. Hickey Tanzania's Father Winfried makes return visit to Australia - Martin Sheehan Letters: Melbourne RE texts (letter) - Barbara Chigwidden Letters: Sponsorship (letter) - Barry O'Brien Letters: Legal action (letter) - Chris Joseph Letters: Inaccuracy (letter) - Fr Michael Kalka PP Letters: Ambiguities (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Letters: ACU Syllabus (letter) - John Kelly Letters: Stations of the Cross (letter) - Charles Bignold Letters: Good responses (letter) - Hyacinth Morel Letters: Dress code (letter) - Raymond de Souza Review Article: A 'silly book' from ACU professor of theology - Frank Mobbs Books: Keeping The Faith: Making a Difference by Wilson D. Miscamble - Michael Daniel (reviewer) JESUS - Jubilee Edition Video - Johanna O'Farrell (reviewer) Books: 'Contraception: The Hidden Truth' by Christine de Stoop - Katie Forster (reviewer) Books: The Apostles' Creed, Defend the Faith and other apologetics topics - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: 'The Atonement Child' by Francine Rivers - Mary-Jane Donnellan (reviewer) Books: The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse, by Roland J. Worth - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Reflection: Giving witness to the Gospel of Life - Rebecca van Rensburg

The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse and Greco-Asian Culture and The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse and Roman Culture (New York: Paulist Press, 1999, 219 pp and 142 pp, plus end notes, bibliographies and indices. Available from AD Books at $79.95 each)

Cultural backgrounds in which New Testament books were written

A recent attempt by the reviewer to explain to a twelve-year-old a world without the internet and e-mail, personal computers, faxes and CD players was met with bemusement and disbelief. Yet here, the author was merely trying to explain 1970s culture!

However, in the case of the New Testament, this problem intensifies if we allow our cultural assumptions to be imposed upon texts written in the Mediterranean world of the first century AD.

Roland Worth, an American scholar, explores the Greco-Asian and Roman backgrounds to the Book of the Apocalypse in these companion volumes. He argues that in order to fully understand the New Testament message, one must try to reconstruct, as best we can, the cultural background in which the books of the New Testament were written. For these books contain subtle nuances reflecting contemporary customs and thought patterns, which need to be grasped if we are to interpret the full meaning of a given text.

In the first volume, each of the seven cities is analysed in turn, with readers introduced to some of the complexities of reconstructing the social and cultural background behind a given passage of Scripture.

The early chapters of the second volume, The Seven Cities of the Apocalypse and Roman Culture, focus upon Roman government and culture. By the end of the first century AD, parts of Asia Minor (or what is modern day Turkey) had been under Roman rule for between a century-and-a-half and over two centuries.

The survey provided helps acquaint the reader with a portrait of the world to which the Apostles first preached the Good News, and the early Christian communities, many of whom were in Asia Minor, emerged.

Worth then explores issues relating to the authorship and writing of the Apocalypse, before examining the nature of persecution against early Christian communities - Christians being liable to be punished for their refusal to participate in the worship of the Emperor. He argues there is no evidence to suggest any systematic, province-wide persecution of Christians. What is interesting is that many terms Christians use in connection with Jesus were also connected with the Imperial Cult, such as saviour, son of God, epiphany and gospel.

These two books would be useful for anyone wishing for a deeper understanding of Scripture backgrounds, particularly in courses of study on the New Testament.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 14 No 3 (April 2001), p. 17