Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 11:1 (Spring 2020)
Article: Did Jesus Quote The Apostles? The Possible Intertextuality And Significance Of Revelation 2:24
Author: Paul A. Himes

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Did Jesus Quote The Apostles? The Possible Intertextuality And Significance Of Revelation 2:241

Paul A. Himes

Baptist College of Ministry, Menomonee Falls, WI

This article examines the significance of the phrase “no other burden” (οὐ . . . ἄλλο βάρος) in Rev 2:24, including its relationship to ὡς λέγουσιν shortly before it. A full analysis of these phrases has been mostly lacking in modern commentaries, which has not prevented many from taking dogmatic positions on whether or not Jesus might be alluding to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. This article defends the possibility that ὡς λέγουσιν is meant to point forward, thus making an allusion to Acts 15 highly probable. This article then explores the theological significance of such an allusion in light of the situation in Acts, and then closes by briefly discussing the practical significance of this thesis.

Key Words: Acts 15, Bible translation, intertextuality, Jerusalem Council, New Testament ethics, Revelation 2, Thyatira

Ὑμῖν δὲ λέγω τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἐν Θυατείροις ὅσοι οὐκ ἔχουσιν τὴν διδαχὴν ταύτην οἵτινες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰ βαθέα τοῦ Σατανᾶ ὡς λέγουσιν οὐ βάλλω ἐφ᾽ὑμᾶς ἄλλο βάρος.2 (Rev 2:24)

A seemingly trivial phrase in Rev 2:24 has managed to polarize commentaries, despite the almost complete lack of technical analysis. Specifically,

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the issue centers around whether Jesus’s reference to “no other burden” is meant to allude to the Jerusalem Council (and the letter it produced) in Acts 15, essentially providing his audience with a rare type of intertextuality, Jesus citing the apostles instead of vice versa.3 Related to this question is the issue of whether or not ὡς λέγουσιν, “as they say,” could be taken to refer to what follows rather than what precedes.

A large number of commentaries are at l...