the wall
The wall suggests a clear demarcation between those who are in and those who are out. Scholars note that the revelation is extremely low on imperatives and yet despite this a strongly moralistic view of the world undergirds it: there will be those within the heavenly city, and those outside of it.
jasper
What does it mean to say that the wall was jasper? In Rev 4:3, we find that the person on the throne is "like a jasper." So what does the person on the throne and the wall have in common? Perhaps we are seeing a symbolic representation of Jesus' "I am with you alway[s], even unto the end of the world" (Mt 28:20, which is even more interesting in Greek where the "with you" interrupts the "I am" in a striking example of form following function.)
When the holy city descends in 21:11, the light is described as being like a jasper stone. So the one on the throne, the light emanating from the city, and the wall of the city--not to mention one of the foundations of the city (see v19, where jasper gets pride of place as the first foundation)--are all associated with the jasper stone. The point seems to be to suggest a unity between these elements. Unpacking that a little, I would conclude that the city itself is meant to be identified with the one on the throne and that whatever light it has comes from him.
pure and clear
The same Greek word, katharos, is used to describe the gold and the glass, even though the KJV chose to translate it once as "pure" and once as "clear." While the semantic range of katharos covers both pure and clear (as well as clean), it strikes me as suspect to translate the same word two different ways in the same sentence. One could have translated it as:
The city was clear gold, like clear glass.
The city was pure gold, like pure glass.
And yet both of those would raise their own questions. For the first option, what would it mean to say that gold is clear? For the second, what would it mean to say that the pure gold was like pure glass? (Does this not also imply that it is clear?) Why has the gold lost its opaqueness and become transparent (a word that some translations use here)? If the entire city is transparent, what does that say about life in the city? What might this symbolize?
19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
Note that the gems appear to correspond generally to the gems in the high priest's breastplate. (See Exodus 28:17-20; John's list omits four from Exodus and adds four others from the LXX; the order is also different, but the four that have been swapped out appear to be "semantic equivalents" NIGTC, page 1080). The point seems to be that the very foundations of the city are (or: are decorated with) the breastplate of the high priest. What were the functions of the high priest's breastplate? In what ways would the foundation of the new Jerusalem serve those same purposes? It is very difficult, in an LDS context, to avoid the conclusion that in a general sense, the foundation stones of the city are symbols of priesthood authority/power. Exodus 39:8-14 suggests that the breastplate formed a pouch containing the Urim and Thummim, which then would suggest that the entire city here is the (a?) Urim and Thummim. What would that symbolize for the city's residents?
I was intrigued by your translation issue from v. 18. I looked at a few translatios, with the following results:
ReplyDeleteNET and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass [that the same Greek word is used is disclosed in a footnote]
NIV and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass
NASB and the city was pure gold, like clear glass
NRSV while the city is pure gold, clear as glass
NJB and the city of pure gold, like clear glass
Out of this sampling, only the NIV was persuaded that the same GR word should be rendered the same way in such close succession; everyone else chose to give the word a different nuance in its two occurrences here.
Julie,
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything to add to these verses beyond your own comments. I'll just echo a few of your points that especially appreciated:
1. "What does it mean to say that the wall was jasper? In Rev 4:3, we find that the person on the throne is "like a jasper." So what does the person on the throne and the wall have in common? . . . Unpacking that a little, I would conclude that the city itself is meant to be identified with the one on the throne and that whatever light it has comes from him."
Very nice!
2. "Exodus 39:8-14 suggests that the breastplate formed a pouch containing the Urim and Thummim, which then would suggest that the entire city here is the (a?) Urim and Thummim."
The entire city: "lights and perfections"!
Just a few quick thoughts re: how Julie's comments relate to Shon's:
ReplyDelete1) Shon's comment about the visionary use of the very high mountain suggests that inspiration of the sort expressed in Revelation requires a special broadening of perspective, something that gives both distance (which suggests a critical/discerning relation to the metaphors about to be developed) and height (perhaps emphasizing a form of transcendence that has more to do with overcoming one's current limitations of experience -- that is, that we acknowledge that we may need to heighten our understanding of the world before what follows will make much sense to us).
2) If we tie the issue of perspective suggested above to the emphasis on transparency and clarity advanced in the verses Julie dealt with, there seems to be something of a tutorial in symbolic engagement going on -- the spectacular images developed throughout these passages are perhaps meant to be understood as both re-orienting our perspective in relation to a "new" kingdom/city/world, even as these images REQUIRE enhanced breadth and heighth of contemplative ability.
3) I find it interesting that so much of the language having to do with perspective relies on allusions to Old Testament passages where clarity (for instance) is usually bound up in pastoral images emphasizing the beauty of God's justice and mercy in relation to the natural world: the clarity of dew on grass, of sun gleaming on dew, etc. These carefully placed allusions soften, for me, what otherwise seems an overly geometrical and gem-based web of symbols.
4) On amber: a commonplace metonymy in the ancient world for eternal life, preservation/restoration, healing elixirs, etc.
When cutting and pasting my last comment, I managed to chop off the question with which I ended. So back to amber: I mention it because I'm wondering if jasper similarly has well-known and often used literary and cultural meanings that would have been immediately recognizable to pre-modern cultures?
ReplyDeleteI appreciated that Brandie brought to our attention the softening allusions to Biblical nature symbols which are present in these verses. I also find the order and symmetry of the holy city very angular ("gem-based" as per Brandie's description) and almost overwhelming. This seems to be a truly "heavenly" city, with a degree of non-human perfection that to me seems in stark contrast with the violent story that has been unfolding in Revelation, with the book's calming interludes focused on the salvation of the Saints. The softening allusions that Brandie mentions connect with the beginning of chapter 21 and the beginning of chapter 22, which actually show real human beings with real needs living in and giving a living, softening beauty to the stark grandeur of the holy city. The introduction of the tree and water in chapter 22 serve a similar purpose for me, giving evidence not just of beauty, but also of real life.
ReplyDeleteI also really appreciated the connection that Julie made with the Urim and Thummim, which seems to me to have been one of the intentional allusions of the writer of Revelation. This connection is, of course, strengthened for the LDS reader by the modern, scriptural interpretation offered in D&C 130:9 -- "This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal [note the concept of clearness] and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon... and this earth will be Christ's."