Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 38:2 (Jun 1995)
Article: The Tribes Of Revelation 7 And The Literary Competence Of John The Seer
Author: Christopher R. Smith

JETS 38:2 (June 1995) p. 213

The Tribes Of Revelation 7
And The Literary Competence Of John The Seer

Christopher R. Smith*

Richard Bauckham1 has recently offered some criticisms of my analysis2 of the 144,000 “sealed out of all the tribes of Israel” depicted in Rev 7:5–8. As others have by now begun to draw applications from my conclusions,3 I find it appropriate to reply briefly to some of the concerns Bauckham has raised. I believe it is important to continue this discussion not simply for the sake of the interpretation of these verses, although they are of crucial importance for an assessment of such systems as dispensational premillennialism, but also for the sake of an appreciation of the literary skill of the author of the last book in the canon. At stake in our discussion is whether he was in command of his craft, making purposeful creative use of traditional imagery and expectations to communicate a clear message, or, rather, plagued by carelessness and forgetfulness, unable ultimately to execute the grand design upon which he had embarked.

I should note, first of all, that Bauckham and I share an essentially similar interpretive approach to the book of Revelation. We both understand the technique of the author of the book (“John,” by his own description) to be the ironic transformation of conventional Jewish messianic expectations into Jewish-Christian images. We differ only on how this transformation is actually accomplished in Revelation 7.

Bauckham’s particular understanding, based on a parallel between this chapter and Revelation 5, is that an opening “hearing” section (7:4–8) announces a conventional Jewish messianic expectation, but then a “seeing” section (7:9–14) ironically transforms this expectation, giving it a Christian interpretation. An important corollary for him is that

we should not look, as Smith does, for a Christian interpretation of the list of twelve tribes within 7.4-8. This image as such is a traditional Jewish image

* Christopher Smith is minister of First Baptist Church, 19 School Street, Williamstown, MA 01267.

JETS 38:2 (June 1995) p. 214

of the people of God called to military service in the messianic war. The Christian interpretation comes in 7.9-14, which shows the same people celebrating their victory in heaven, but shows them to be an innumerable multitude ...