Revelation 21–22 in Light of Ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism
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ABSTRACT The Topography of Utopia: Revelation 21–22 in Light of Ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism Eric J. Gilchrest, Ph.D. Mentor: Lidija Novakovic, Ph.D. In this dissertation, I set out to achieve two primary goals: first, to construct a detailed description of ancient utopian expectations according to Greco-Roman and Jewish literature, and second, to read Revelation 21–22 in light of these utopian expectations. In order to construct a description of ancient utopianism, I survey a large swath of ancient literature and categorize the various forms of utopian expression. For Greco- Roman utopianism, I suggest three categories: political utopianism, primitivistic utopianism, and afterlife utopianism. For Jewish utopianism, I suggest Edenic' utopianism,'nationalistic'utopianism,'and'eschatological'utopianism. After distinguishing the forms of expression and locating texts within which utopian descriptions are found, I then move to elaborating the various motifs, or topoi, that one finds in this literature. It is through the elaboration of the topoi that the specificity of a given utopia, whether Greco-Roman or Jewish, is given substance. Turning to the task of reading Revelation 21–22, I interpret the text in the context of ancient utopianism, particularly as explicated in its Greco-Roman and Jewish forms. I am interested in the variety of ways this text might have been heard by an original audience composed of both Jews and Gentiles with a range of conceptual backgrounds. I, therefore, read the Apocalypse from two vantage points: the point of view of a Jewish- minded auditor whose primary point of reference is Jewish traditions and the Hebrew Scriptures, and the point of view of a Greco-Roman-minded auditor whose point of reference is Greco-Roman traditions. In this way, I wish to account for some of the diversity that would have existed in the first audience that received the Apocalypse. The Topography of Utopia: Revelation 21–22 in Light of Ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism by Eric J. Gilchrest, B.A., M.A. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of Religion ___________________________________ W.H. Bellinger, Jr., Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by the Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Lidija Novakovic, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Mikeal C. Parsons, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Kenneth R. Jones, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2012 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2012 by Eric J. Gilchrest All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS viii DEDICATION ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. The Task of the Project 1 1.2. Definition of Utopia 1 1.3. Methodology 3 1.4. The Topoi of Utopia 11 1.5. Significance of the Project 12 2. GRECO-ROMAN UTOPIA 15 2.1. Introduction 15 2.2. The Categories of Utopian Expression 17 2.2.1. Political Utopianism 18 2.2.2. Primitivistic Utopianism 22 2.2.3. Afterlife Utopianism 30 2.3. The Topoi of Greco-Roman Utopias 38 2.3.1. Setting 39 2.3.2. Wealth and Communism 46 2.3.3. Temples 59 2.3.4. Rivers/Water 61 2.3.5. Wine 64 iv 2.3.6. Food 65 2.3.7. Pleasant Fragrances 68 2.3.8. Music 70 2.3.9. Light 72 2.3.10. Climate 74 2.3.11. War and Peace 76 2.3.12. Citizens 85 2.3.13. Work 95 2.3.14. Divine Presence 97 2.4. Conclusion 103 3. JEWISH UTOPIA 106 3.1. Introduction 106 3.2. The Categories of Utopian Expression 107 3.2.1. Edenic Utopianism 110 3.2.2. Nationalistic Utopianism 126 3.2.3. Eschatological Utopianism 134 3.3. The Topoi of Jewish Utopias 155 3.3.1. Setting 156 3.3.2. Wealth 158 3.3.3. The Temple 174 3.3.4. Rivers/Water 179 3.3.5. Wine 188 3.3.6. Food 190 v 3.3.7. Pleasant Fragrances 207 3.3.8. Music 212 3.3.9. Light 213 3.3.10. Climate 219 3.3.11. War and Peace 221 3.3.12. Citizens 228 3.3.13. Work 245 3.3.14. Divine Presence 249 3.4. Conclusion 253 4. THE UTOPIA OF REVELATION 21–22 256 4.1. Introduction 256 4.2. The Audiences of Revelation 260 4.3. Revelation 21–22 as Utopian Vision 264 4.3.1. Setting 266 4.3.2. Wealth 272 4.3.3. Temple 284 4.3.4. Rivers/Water 289 4.3.5. Wine 299 4.3.6. Food 300 4.3.7. Pleasant Fragrances 308 4.3.8. Music 313 4.3.9. Light 316 4.3.10. Climate 320 vi 4.3.11. War and Peace 321 4.3.12. Citizens 323 4.3.13. Work 331 4.3.14. Divine Presence 336 4.4. Conclusion 339 5. CONCLUSION 344 APPENDIX A 353 APPENDIX B 356 BIBLIOGRAPHY 359 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Over the course of these last years, I have come to recognize that a village is required not only for raising a child but for writing a dissertation as well. From professional mentors, to family, to friends who cared for my family and me, I am deeply grateful and profess profound thanks. I would like to thank Baylor University Department of Religion for giving me the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. and for creating a culture that encourages first-rate scholarship through critical instruction in the classroom and collegiality outside of the classroom. My dissertation advisor, Dr. Lidija Novakovic, deserves enormous thanks. She has walked with me step-by-step through the writing process and has been an irreplaceable sounding board for ideas that made their way into this work and others that did not. Her ability to dispense discerning criticism with an exterior of grace is a gift. I wish also to thank Dr. Mikeal Parsons who served on my dissertation committee, has been a mentor at many times and in many ways, and has given me repeated opportunities to develop my scholarship over the course of my tenure at Baylor. Finally, I wish to thank Dr. Ken Jones, Dr. James Nogalski, and Dr. Bill Bellinger who served on my dissertation committee and gave insightful comments and critique. This dissertation owes much to the numerous friends and family who supported and encouraged me and my family over the course of these last years. To my parents, Brian and Sherry Gilchrest, I am forever indebted for the never-ending support and love I have felt throughout my life. You are models of Christian ! viii! maturity, and your sacrificial journey will forever be the bar by which I measure my own life. To my wife’s parents, Karen and Russ Byron, there are not enough ways to thank you for the tireless treks from Lexington to Waco. Despite the distance, you were always present when we needed help the most, and your love and care for Ezra and Lizzie are invaluable to me. To the Guests and the Camps, our dearest friends, you have been a source of inspiration, love, and most of all hope throughout these years. To my colleagues in the Religion Department, the revolving door of students who shared life with us so closely and cared for our children so that my wife could work and I could write, Cindy Williams, the community of DaySpring Baptist Church, and those in Baylor campus life, I say thank you because you are Waco to me. But most of all, words fail to express the love and admiration I have for my wife, Kendel. For the last nine years, you always believed in me, always supported me, and always stood by me. Our two beautiful children are a joy and an inspiration to me. I am a better person and a better scholar because of you. This dissertation does not exist without you. ! ix! To Kendel, with whom I journey toward utopia, and without whom utopia is entirely unimaginable ! x! CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1.1. The Task of the Project In Revelation 21–22, the author paints a vivid description of the new Jerusalem, an eternal city in which God will dwell with the righteous after the final judgment. The author uses a number of stock images prevalent throughout the ancient world in discussions of the blessed afterlife and/or utopian communities. Streets of gold, walls of precious gems, the presence (or absence) of a temple, rivers, absence of darkness, and bounteous fruit are all elements found in Greco-Roman and Jewish expectations regarding the good life. Scholars have occasionally recognized the similarities in Greco- Roman, Jewish, and Christian expectations of the afterlife, but no study to date has attempted to map out the “topography” of utopia. As a result, there has not been a full- scale study devoted to Revelation’s use of utopian imagery. The task of this study, therefore, is twofold. First, I wish to clearly articulate the utopian expectations of the ancient world as found in Jewish and Greco-Roman literature, and second, I wish to read Revelation 21–22 as an eschatological utopian description drawing on the expectations articulated in the first part of the study. 1.2. Definition of Utopia The term utopia was coined by Thomas More in the 16th century, and its initial “u” is commonly understood to be a wordplay—“ou” topos (“no place”) and “eu” topos (“good place”). Though I primarily intend the latter sense—and thus throughout this work I prefer to define it, in essentialist terms, as a place where the good life is lived— 1 there is a real sense in which utopia is always longed for but never achieved and in that sense “no place.”1 All utopian aspirations addressed in this study, whether Greco-Roman or Jewish, whether of the past, present, or future, are indeed aspirations more than they are “reality.” They are cultural memories of the Golden Age, sailors’ tales of exotic islands, philosophers’ dreams of a perfect city, and awaited expectations about the blessed life to come.