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Home , Revelation, Seven churches of Asia

CHAPTER 9 The Air Combat between and the Dragon 12:7–12 in Relation to Similar Texts from the

Rob van Houwelingen

1 Introduction

The dragons of the ancient world are quite different from the drones of the beginning of the twenty-first century. Yet, in some respects there are also simi- larities: they are invisible for a long time and they can become suddenly fatal. In chapter 12 the reports a visionary experience of John on the isle of : he witnessed an air combat between the archangel Michael and Satan. Satan appears in the form of a dragon, having features of the mon- ster (Rev 12:3; cf. 13:1; 17:1, 7, 9). Two otherworldly armies faced each other; they represent the good and the evil forces that are in the air. As a result of this air combat the dragon was cast out. An enigmatic ! What pro- phetic message did the first audience hear in this passage by the end of the 1st century? They were in the seven churches of Asia Minor. As later readers how can we connect this passage with similar texts from the New Testament, in which the elimination of Satan is announced?

2 Structure of

2.1 A Cosmic Conflict First we must view chapter 12 of the book of Revelation as a whole.1 Here the conflict between the Dragon and the Woman is mapped out. They are two fig- ures who had appeared to the visionary eye of John at the very beginning of the chapter. Verses 7–12 interrupt this line, putting the conflict into a framework: it is a cosmic conflict, full of significance for the inhabitants of both heaven and earth.2

1 See also the contribution of Henk van de Kamp to this volume. He deals particularly with Rev 12:3–6 and 13:1–10, while the present contribution focuses on 12:7–12. 2 Peter Antonysamy Abir, The Cosmic Conflict of the Church. An Exegetico-Theological Study of Revelation 12, 7–12 (European University Studies: Series; 23, , 547), Frankfurt 1995, 65–67. See Paul B. DeCock, “Images of War and Creation, of Violence and Non-Violence in

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���7 | doi ��.��63/9789004337961_010 152 van Houwelingen

Verses 10–11 are usually considered to be a brief hymnic interlude about the consequences of the appearance of the Dragon for believers (cf. 13:9–10). They are threatened by a great danger. According to Van Henten, different historical contexts are possible: a lawsuit in a Roman court, or mandatory participation in religious festivities, requiring a sacrifice or demonstration of loyalty to the emperor.3 The vision from Revelation 12 can be structured as follows:4

Introduction Two signs: the Woman and the Dragon verses 1–3 A Fleeing of the Woman persecuted by the verses 4–6 Dragon ------B War in heaven verses 7–9 C Hymn verses 10–12 ------A’ Fleeing of the Woman persecuted by the verses 13–16 Dragon B’ War on earth verse 17

2.2 Observations The proposed structure leads to two primary observations: a. The hymn in verses 10–12 is no interlude, but provides essential back- ground , background music and interpretation. One could think of the function of a chorus in a Greek drama.5 According to Van de Kamp, we are here as close as one can get to the experience of the early Christian community. They could ask why they were experiencing

the Revelation of John,” in: Pieter G.R. de Villiers, Jan Willem van Henten (eds.), Coping with Violence in the New Testament (STAR-series, 16), Leiden 2012, 185–200. 3 Jan Willem van Henten, “The concept of martyrdom in Revelation,” in: Jörg Frey, James A. Kelhoffer, Franz Tóth (eds.), Die Johannesapokalypse: Kontexte—Konzepte—Rezeption (WUNT, 287), Tübingen 2012, 587–618. 4 This structure is based on the analysis by Edith M. Humphrey, “To Rejoice or Not to Rejoice? Rhetoric and the Fall of Satan in Luke 10:17–24 and Revelation 12:1–17,” in: D. Barr (ed.), The of : Rhetoric and Politics in the Book of Revelation, Atlanta 2006, 113–125 [119]. 5 Humphrey, “To Rejoice or Not to Rejoice?,” 121, referring to Aune’s commentary (see foot- note 23).