The Deep Things of God

by Jon Paulien

Weighing the Evidence One of the chief tasks of the intrepreter of any passage in Revelation is weighing the level of probability that the author of Revelation had particular Old Testament passages in mind. If the interpreter considers it certain or probable that John had an Old Testament text in mind, that text and its Old Testament context should be considered in the interpretation of the passage in Revelation. If the allusion is only possible, that text and its context can be used as supporting evidence for a conclusion about the text in Revelation, but should not form the primary basis. If the potential allusion is judged uncertain or a nonallusion, it should be ignored for the purposes of interpretation. Definitions Certain Allusion Very strong verbal, thematic, and structural parallels; or virtual quotations (eight to 12 verbal parallels) Probable Allusion Strong verbal, thematic, and/or structural parallels; verbal parallels of four to seven words without a structural parallel Possible Allusion Some verbal (two or three words) and thematic parallels, but without structural support Uncertain Allusion Weak verbal or thematic parallel, without structural support Nonallusion No evidence of verbal or thematic parallels