Journal: Global Journal of Classical Theology
Volume: GJCT 06:1 (May 2007)
Article: Word And Witness: An Analysis Of The Lawsuit Motif In Revelation Based On The Witness Terminology
Author: Alan S. Bandy

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Word And Witness: An Analysis Of The Lawsuit Motif In Revelation Based On The Witness Terminology

Alan S. Bandy

Alan S. Bandy is a Ph.D. candidate in New Testament Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The thesis of this paper is expanded as the topic of his dissertation.

The admonition to “be a witness for Jesus,” may conjure up several connotations in the mind of a twenty-first century Christian. Most common, perhaps, is the idea of telling someone about Jesus in an evangelistic presentation. This may include sharing one’s personal testimony about coming to faith in Christ, or it may simply involve being a good neighbor. However, one may observe a formal disjunction between the concept of witness in the New Testament [NT] and its modern usage. On one hand, the concept of witness in the NT may include the proclamation of the apostles, which would indubitably involve an evangelistic component.1 On the other hand, however, it includes strong legal and judicial connotations.2 In other words, those who are witnessing are doing so as if they are standing trial for the veracity of their testimony. The disjunction, therefore, results from the absence of the connotation of standing on trial in the modern conception.

The noun μάρτυς (“a witness”) almost always occurs in the NT in the context of (1) a legal or public declaration about something that has happened, and (2) those who are witnesses claim personal knowledge and experience of the facts that they assert.3 Another important noun, μαρτυρία (“testimony”), typically refers to the content of what the witnesses testify and often occurs in a trial setting.4 Significantly, the greatest distributional weight of μαρτυρία is found in the Johannine writings (fourteen times in the Gospel, seven times in the Epistles, and nine times in Revelation). This suggests that witness is a prominent aspect in Johannine theology.

The book of Revelation employs μαρτυρία as a key term with both the verb and noun forms present.5 One phrase, τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ᾿Ιησοῦ (“the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”), has garnered a significant amount of scholarly attention.6 The discussion concerning the interpretation of this phrase has primari...

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