UNHOLY

ALLEGIANCES

HEEDING REVELATION’S WARNING

David A. deSilva

Unholy Allegiances: Heeding Revelation’s Warning

© 2013 by Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC

P. O. Box 3473

Peabody, Massachusetts 01961-3473

ISBN 978-1-61970-141-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture translations are the author’s unless otherwise marked.

Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (CEB) are taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

First Printing—November 2013

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

DeSilva, David Arthur.

Unholy allegiances : heeding revelation’s warning / David A. deSilva.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-61970-141-0 (alk. paper)

1. Bible. Revelation—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title.

BS2825.52.D47 2013

228'.06—dc23

2013012854

To the Rev. Dr. Jim Ridgway, Sr., founder,

and Mr. James Ridgway, Jr., president

of Educational Opportunities Tours,

in honor of forty years of facilitating travel

to the lands of the Bible

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Abbreviations

Chapter 1. Debunking Popular Myths about Revelation

Chapter 2. Divine Emperor, Eternal Rome: The Public Story about Roman Imperialism

Chapter 3. The True Center and the Unholy Scam: John’s Biblical Critique of the Public Story

Chapter 4. Looking at the Immediate in Light of the Infinite: The Seven Oracles to the Churches of Asia

Chapter 5. John’s Proclamation of the One Who Is, Who Was, and Is Coming

For Further Reading

Index of Ancient Sources

List of Illustrations

Figure 1.1. Locations of churches in Asia

Figure 1.2. Bronze sesterce of Hadrian

Figure 1.3a. Cult statue of Diana/Artemis

Figure 1.3b. Silver cistophorus of Claudius and a silver cistophorus of Hadrian

Figure 1.4. Acropolis of Pergamum

Figure 1.5. Site of the Altar of Zeus, overlooking Pergamum/Bergama

Figure 1.6. Monumental Altar of Zeus at the Pergamon Museum

Figure 1.7. Temple of Dionysus, Pergamum

Figure 1.8. Temple of Demeter, Pergamum

Figure 1.9. Cult scene, Temple of Demeter

Figure 1.10. Denarius of Augustus

Figure 1.11. Silver tetradrachm minted in Asia Minor, reign of Domitian

Figure 1.12. Temple of Julius Caesar and Roma, Ephesus 56

Figure 1.13. Plateau of the Temple of ...