The Book of Revelation and the Feast of Tabernacles

An Essay: The Hebrew Autumn - New Year Festival and the Book of Revelation.

(This is an essay I wrote for Theological College. As far as I know nothing else has been written about this subject from this point of view. I feel that it is essential introductory background to understanding the next section of REVELATION, particularly the Trumpets . Some parts may be unnecessarily technical for a blog like this but I hope you find it useful. I have added some comments along the way by means of explanation.

Unfortunately references to source books were numbered and put on the bottom of each page as footnotes. In the present format they sort of appear in the middle of bits of text. Just try to imagine wherever footnotes appear that it is the end of a page!

The Lecturer gave me an "A+" for this essay as he thought it broke new ground and was very well argued and researched. That mark helped greatly as this essay was worth 50% of the final mark. It meant I had passed the paper before sitting the exam - very helpful indeed!

I will draw on this paper as we return to the text of REVELATION.)

Introduction:

It is generally agreed now by Old Testament scholars that there was some form of New Year - Autumn - Harvest festival in Palestine dating from early (Pre-Israelite) times. This was adopted and modified by the Israelite people to conform to Yahwistic themes but some of the original intentions remained. The arguments now surround exactly what was involved in the festival and not on the existence of the festival itself. It is not the purpose of this essay to enter that debate but to draw some possible implications from the debate concerning the Book of Revelation.

Part 1: The Development of the Autumn Festival.

MacRae(1) discusses the evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles and notes three main phases in its development:

(1) Origin and Early celebration.

Originally a pagan agricultural thanksgiving festival celebrated at the end of harvest time. MacRae notes that in all four strands of the Old Testament, JEDP, there are traces of this festival.

E tells us that it was at the end of the autumn harvest, giving no fixed date. It is "at the end of the year", but he notes the phrase here probably means "at the beginning of the year". It was, after all, at the end of the agricultural year, the end of summer/autumn, but it was also the beginning of the calendar secular year.

J tells us that it was "at the return of the year", i.e. New Year. This way of speaking of the timing speaks of the festival's antiquity.

MacRae suggests that to this agricultural festival the Israelites added a pilgrimage to remember their nomadic roots. Out of this, the traditional agricultural booths gained a sort of "tent-like" symbolism and became a cultic symbol for the festival.

(The assumptions made about the development of the OT into what we have now is what we commonly call “the Documents Theory”. I do not necessarily agree with this theory as it is generally presented but I have no wish to debate the Documents Theory. In this essay I have simply quoted the findings of my source scholars. Whether or not the Feast of Tabernacles developed exactly as described in this essay I do not know, but the fact that it did develop is indisputable. The Feasts of Israel were, and are today, living memorials and they are not static. There is a vast difference in the way the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated today form how it was in the days of King David or of Isaiah – or even of 100 year ago before the founding of the modern state of Israel!)

(2) Development in Old Testament times.

D is assumed to be contemporary with the reforms of Josiah. D calls the festival the “Feast of Booths”, referring to the ramshackle huts made by those working in the fields to sleep in at night. D also tells us that the men of Israel had to make pilgrimage to the sanctuary.

P is a compilation of older sources but arrived in its final form in the exile. P distinguishes between feasts that come in a group - in this case trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. P also assigns dates to them using the Babylonian calendar, so that the festival becomes a mid year festival, not a New Year festival.

Mowinkel(2) compared the Biblical materials, particularly in Psalms, with the New Year celebrations of the surrounding nations and postulated that the whole idea of kingship and enthronement became a central part of the festival. The theory assumes that when David took Jerusalem he incorporated the Canaanite Zadokite priesthood into the worship of Israel. _________________________________________________________

(1) G.W.MacRae: The Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 1960 vol 22 p251ff.

(2) S.Mowinkel: The Psalms in Israel's Worship (2 Volumes) Oxford 1962.

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Present in the Canaanite cult in Jerusalem was an elaborate creation-kingship-conflict myth ritual which was reinterpreted in Yahwistic terms by Israel.

(The idea that Israel adopted aspects of Canaanite worship and reworked them into the worship of Yahweh is fairly well accepted by OT scholars today. This is what we should expect - the same call comes to us to be culturally relevant in our worship so that we can reach those in the culture we live in with the gospel. The people of God have always taken the forms of the world and "Christianised" them.)

Snaith(3) opposes the theory of Kingship-Enthronement but to me the evidence seems strong enough to suggest some incorporation of these ideas. Eaton (4) supports the theory and develops criteria for deciding which psalms are royal. He suggests Psalms with the following criteria, including: (5)

(1) Where the worshipper is both "I" and "we", i.e. the worshipper represents the nation, i.e. is the national leader.

(2) Where the enemies of Israel are portrayed as the worshipper's personal enemies.

(3) Where the enemies are "nations".

(4) Where the worshipper's suffering seems to have a national character or is brought on by outside influence.

(5) Where the worshipper's salvation is national in significance and results in national prosperity.

(6) Where the psalm is titled "Of David". “dwd” denoting the royal office not necessarily David himself. Some of the "Psalms of David" are clearly later in composition than the reign of David and refer to later events, so this use of "dwd" to mean "the king" is highly probable.

(7) Where the worshipper seems to be leading the congregation.

(8) Where the worshipper is at God’s right hand. He receives God’s counsel. He is Yahweh’s servant. Traditionally this person was the king.

(9) Where the royal interpretation gives the Psalm a consistent and meaningful interpretation where other interpretations do not hold together.

(10) Where there are national themes – covenant, election, promise to Davidic house, etc.

In carrying out an examination of the Psalms using these Criteria he arrives at certain “stock phrases” which then begin to be a sort of “in language” for Royal Psalms. Appearance of this language can then identify other royal psalms.

His argument seems to hold together fairly well, and for the purposes of this essay I will accept his conclusions.

McRae (6) objects to the theory in that he feels that it denies any originality of worship to the Israelites. This is not necessarily so as Mowinkel, Eaton and their followers are not suggesting the wholesale adoption of Canaanite, Egyptian or Babylonian patterns – all of which were quite different.(7)

The differences between countries are well documented in Mowinkel's book. Not only that, there was quite major differences within each culture as one moved from city to city. Thus there is allowance for quite a lot of originality on the part of the Hebrews.

McRae notes other events that were later identified with the festival – the dedication of the temple and the Messianic interpretation as depicted in Zechariah 14:16-19 However the agricultural roots remain(8).

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(3) Snaith: The Jewish New Year Festival.ch7.

(4) Eaton. John H.: Kingship and the Psalms SCM 1976. P19 “I found the royal interpretation to be the most satisfactory.”

(5) Eaton ibid p15,16,20.

(6) McRae ibid p267 “This seems to be a denial…of an element of revelation.”

(7) H. Frankfort: Kingship and the Gods, University of Chicago press 1948.

The feast developed a prophetic/apocalyptic interpretation based on the fact that the ideals of kingship were rehearsed. However the (present) king always fell short of the ideal thus pushing the fulfilment of the ideal out into the future to a coming Messiah who would reign as ideal king. Thus the feast came to be a prophecy of the coming victory and reign of the Messiah.

(3) Later Development in Inter Testament Times.

The Mishnah introduces the idea of waving of Palms, fruit and daily pouring of water and wine, however these could well be traditional and much older than the Mishnah itself(9).

Thus all of the elements of the full development of the festival are present.

Part 2. The Apparent Final Form of the Autumn Festival.

There is still some debate over exact details of how the Festival was celebrated in Israel. However some broad parameters are generally agreed upon. It is felt that Second and Third Isaiah (Ch40-66) are based on the ritual of the festival to some degree, and that many of the Psalms were used in it. Thus 2nd and 3rd Isaiah are a prophetic interpretation of the feast. This gives us some indications of the content of the festival ritual. Most writers assume some parallel between the celebrations in Israel and those of the surrounding nations, though McRae objects to this link.

(Again I don't necessarily agree there was a 2nd and 3rd Isaiah but it it the accepted position of my source scholars and I have no wish to debate the question.)

My own feeling is that the onus of proof is on those who reject a connection to prove their point. Israel did not live in a cultural vacuum, and the idea that they would adopt and modify ideas from surrounding cultures is highly probable. The existence of three factors:

(i) A New Year festival in Palestine and latterly in Israel,

(ii) This festival normally having kingship overtones and

(iii) The Psalms having many Psalms which fit this pattern,

all seem to me to be compelling proof of the theory.

Israel seems to have been somewhat different to the surrounding nations in that the harvest festival became separated from New Year, and the ritual of the Kings' Humiliation was reinterpreted in the ritual of the Day of Atonement as the king in Israel was never identified with the god, i.e. Yahweh. (In all surrounding cultures the king was identified with the god. The closest Israel comes to that is to call the king “God’s Son” – e.g. Psalm 2). These were separated out from the autumn festival by the later P dating. However the whole complex of the three events were still seen to be a unity.

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(8) MacRae ibid p267-270.

(9) Macrae ibid p270-274.

(10) MacRae ibid p266 "...everything depends on a supposed link between the Enthronement psalms and the feast, and this is the weak link of the theory. No strong external evidence has been adduced to prove such a connection..."
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Thus there are two structural areas that are of interest in the Festival:

(a) The division of the Festival into three parts.

(i) New Year's Day, the 1st of the 7th Month, celebrated by the blowing of Trumpets.(11) Called the Feast of Trumpets.

(ii) The Day of Atonement, the 10th Day of the 7th Month, containing the elaborate ritual of cleansing of sin.(12)

(iii) The Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths, itself, from the 15th to the 22nd of the 7th Month, a Celebration of the completed Harvest and enjoying the Land of Yahweh's provision.(13)

(b) The Ritual of the Festival of Tabernacles itself.

There is still a large amount of speculation as to the details. When we come to the application of Tabernacles to the Book of Revelation more details will be noted. For now a brief overview is given:(14)

Six Elements in this Ritual Pattern:

(1) A dramatic representation of the death and resurrection of the god, with whom the king was identified. This was common in the Ancient Near East New Year celebrations. In Israel the king was not identified with God but was clearly symbolic of God. Some writers feel that instead of the king the Ark of the Covenant was used in this drama. Thus the story of the entry of the Ark into Jerusalem through King David (2 Samuel 6) is thought to be not only an historical record of events occurring under the reign of David, but is also seen to have cultic significance in that it is the pattern that was reenacted every year at Tabernacles.

(2) A recitation or symbolic representation of the myth of creation.

(3) A ritual combat, in which the triumph of the god over his enemies was depicted.

(4) A sacred marriage.

(5) A triumphal procession in which the king played the part of the god. The god is enthroned. (OR, in Israel, the ark is restored)

(6) The importance of the king for the well being of the community.

All of these clearly appear in 2nd and 3rd Isaiah so the theory holds together so far.

Detailed symbolism was involved in this presentation as we shall note later.

MacRae argues that the festival retained its agricultural motifs of harvest and added to them pilgrimage these being later developed later on - being joined to Messianic concepts.

It seems to me that MacRae is having a hard job at this point trying to cut out the Myth-ritual-enthronement theory. He glosses over the Messianic associations of the feast at embarrassing speed.

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(11) Leviticus 23:23-25.

(12) Leviticus 23:26-32.

(13) Leviticus 23:33-36.

(14) This summary from MacRae ibid p265, where he summarises from Oesterley. I have added the comment on 2 Samuel 6.
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Note on the Use of the Calendar in the book of Revelation and its relation to the Exodus and Conquest.

The Circle of the Agricultural Calendar and The Relation of the Calendar to the Feasts.

Dr. Rainey (15) presented the diagram attached to illustrate the relation of the agricultural and religious years.

(Diagram will appear later when my technology is fixed!)

The feasts cover the summer/autumn period, beginning with:

(i) Passover/ first fruits denoting the start of the grain harvest with the barley harvest. It was linked with the Exodus and Red Sea.

(ii) Pentecost signified the end of the grain harvest, the wheat being reaped by then. It was linked with Sinai.

(iii) The remainder of summer was traditionally for fruit and vintage, Tabernacles signifying the end of the harvest including fruit and vintage. Tabernacles was linked with the blessings of the Promised Land.

In terms of symbolic usage, or typology, of the calendar the New Testament outside of the book of Revelation majors on:

(i) The feasts of Passover/first fruits - speaking of Christ's death and resurrection, and

(ii) Pentecost, speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Tabernacles is not generally applied in the New Testament outside of Revelation except for:

(i) The mention of “trumpets” with respect to the Second Coming of Christ (1 Cor 15:52, etc.).

(ii) The Idea of the "Day of Redemption" (Eph 4:30).

(iii) The Concept of "the Day of the Lord" as the end of history. The "Day of the Lord" became another name for the "day of Atonement" so it was understood that the Day of Atonement prophesied in some way the coming of the Messiah.

(iv) Ideas of “harvest” - particularly in Christ's parables - wheat, vineyards, etc. These seem to be more general, referring to the idea of harvest rather than specifically applying the Feast of Tabernacles. Timing is not stressed.

In the book of Revelation, Passover/ Exodus is used in these ways:

(i) Ch5 the slain lamb - seems to be a clear Passover reference. The reference to redemption supports this as it hearkens back to Exodus 13. The Passover was a redemption sacrifice.

(ii) Ch 15 the passing through the “Sea of Glass” and the singing of the “song of Moses” - clearly refers back to Exodus 15.

(iii) The numbering of the 144,000 seems to refer back to Numbers 2.

(iv) There is also clear reference to the wilderness wanderings in Rev 12 where the seed of the woman is "taken to the wilderness".

Thus there seems to be a fluidity in the use of the symbolism of the Exodus - it refers back to Christ and also to the final salvation at the end of the age.
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(15) Visiting Lecturer at N.Z. Baptist College 1978 for a short series of lectures entitled "Putting the Bible on the Map".
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Part 4: Use of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Book of Revelation.

Other Authors find many other references to Exodus in Revelation(16), however I want to argue that the symbolism of Revelation is better understood from a viewpoint of the feast of Tabernacles, rather than a Passover/ Exodus viewpoint.

The Thesis of this Essay:

That "The Book of Revelation" is best understood in the light of the Ideas contained in the Feast of Tabernacles as celebrated in late Judaism.

That is to say that, just as 2nd and 3rd Isaiah are a Jewish prophetic interpretation of the Feast of Tabernacles, so REVELATION is the Christian prophetic interpretation of Tabernacles.

This seems to me to give a more coherent origin of the symbolism that other interpretations. I feel this can be demonstrated in both the overall programme of the Festival and also with much of the individual ideas.

(a) Main Themes of the Festival and the Book of Revelation:

(1) The Harvest.

A harvest festival - not so much of the grain harvest which was celebrated as being complete at Pentecost, but of the fruit and vintage.

Rev 14:14-20 The Harvest of the Earth.

A clear Tabernacles concept - we have here a celebration of Grain and vintage harvest. Tabernacles came at the end of the harvest and in a special way celebrated all the harvest - the grain included, even though it had been completed several months before.

In the first part of the vision the sickle suggests a harvesting of grain. in the second part the use of the sickle to harvest grapes is unusual, to say the least. Clearly the aim of the grape harvest is not to preserve the fruit for making good wine, rather it is a "slash and burn" mentality. The grapes are for judgement, not for enjoyment.

(2) Pilgrimage.

The idea of being on the move, going to a designated place.

MacRae (17) argues that the ancient agricultural festival of Palestine was supplemented by the arriving nomadic Israelites with ideas of travelling to a significant shrine. Originally the festival seems to have been a local affair, the idea of pilgrimage is added to this. He notes that the Islamic festival, the Hajj, is a pilgrimage - "Hajj" meaning "pilgrimage". This word derives from the same roots as the Hebrew "hag" (i.e., feast) thus suggesting the "hag Yahweh" may in the first instance have had pilgrimage roots.

Pilgrimage is clearly present in Revelation:

(i) The 144,000 "follow the lamb wherever he goes" (14:4).

(ii) The kings of the earth go up to Jerusalem (21:24).

(iii) Rev 12:6 - the woman is taken into the wilderness - the place of wandering/pilgrimage.

(3) Dwelling in Booths.

The booths were originally temporary shelters for those working in the fields so that they didn't have to travel to and from their homes during harvest. They gained a cultic significance as the feast developed (18).

They came to speak of the wilderness wanderings, reminding them that they were but sojourners on the earth.(19)

Here we have the ideas of:

(i) Tent Dwelling - related to the pilgrimage theme.

(ii) The contrast with having a place of permanent abode.

One of the themes of Revelation is the "place of dwelling".
(i) There are two possible dwelling places: One can either "dwell in the city" and be part of the world system, or one can "dwell in the wilderness" and be separated unto God. This is also pictured as a contrast between "dwelling on earth" and "dwelling in heaven" - where the reference is not to the physical place of living but to the place of commitment.

(ii) To be part of the people of God is to be part of God's dwelling place, his temple. You could become a "pillar" (Rev 3:12).

(iii) In the new order "the dwelling of God will be with men" (Rev 21:3).

In all of these motifs the idea is of permanent dwelling, the place of ones commitments and affections.
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(16) E.g. Beasley- Murray in his commentary, as do most commentators.

(17) MacRae ibid p257ff.

(18) MacRae ibid p 255.

(19) Hillyer. 1 Peter and the Feast of Tabernacles p40,42.
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(4) Joy. A Time of Celebration.

Wearing crowns and waving palms.

Wearing of crowns of leaves was common in Tabernacles(20). The carrying of fruit was part of the festival:

(i) Usually citrus in the left hand - the ethrog - to celebrate the harvest, (ii) In the right hand the lulab - a palm tied together with myrtle and willow to remind them of the wilderness journeys.

Rev ch 7: The Great Multitude waving Palms and wearing crowns made of leaves.

Clearly Tabernacles imagery. The climax of the song about them is that the Messiah "will lead them to springs of living water and wipe away their tears" (7:17). These are both strong motifs in Tabernacles.

Rev 20:4 reiterates this promise "there will be no more...crying".

(5) The number 7 .

Tabernacles was seven days long, in the seventh month, the sacrifices offered all bring multiples of 7(21). Seven signifying completion, perfection, fulfillment - in this case the end of the agricultural and liturgical year, thus foreshadowing the end of history.

The whole book of Revelation is built around "seven sevens"(22) :

(1) The seven churches 1:9-3:22.

(2) The seven seals 4:1-8:5.

(3) The seven trumpets 8:6-11:19.

(4) Seven oracles about the Actors of the last days 12:1-14:5.

(5) The Judgements of the Seven angels 14:6-20.

(6) The Seven Bowls 15:1-16:21.

(7) Seven Visions of the End 17:1-20:15.

(6) Prayers for Rain.

The concept of water is important in Tabernacles as it occurs after 7 months of no rain, just prior to the autumn and winter rains. Libations of water and wine formed a daily part of the Tabernacles ceremony(23) (e.g. John 7 is about Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles - see vss 37-39.). It was interpreted prayer for rain, but prayers were offered at this time by the Jews for the resurrection of the dead. The land was perceived as being dry, dead, and requiring resurrection. Resurrection was the work of the Spirit of God, thus this was seen to be a cry for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the whole earth as prophesied by Joel, and Isaiah.

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(20) Hillyer ibid p49.

(21) Hillyer ibid p44.

(22) This outline from M. Kiddle: Commentary on Book of Revelation. Moffat N.T.Commentary.

(23) Hillyer ibid p46,47.
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The concept of "water also appears in Revelation in:

Rev 22. The Provision of Never Ending waters.

Rev 15,16 The Seven Bowls of Wrath.

Wine, poured "mixed unmixed" (14:10) - this stuff is straight off the vine, there hasn't been time to tamper with it. The phrase "mixed unmixed" makes sense in the context of Tabernacles as the wine was mixed with water in the temple libations, thus is diluted. Here there is no dilution of the wrath of God.

(7) New Years Day.

Traditionally seen to be 1st Tishri. (25)

Snaith (24) argues that 10 Tishri was actually New Years Day but for the purposes of this discussion the fact that New Years Day was part of the celebration is all that concerns us.

Another Tabernacles hint is found in Rev 2:10 "persecution for ten days."

The time span between New Years Day (1st Tishri) and Atonement (10 Tishri) was traditionally seen as a time of affliction and self examination, of penance and suffering leading up to the forgiveness of sins at Atonement. (25)

(8) A Day of Redemption.

In Leviticus 25 we have the laws concerning buying and redeeming land. The Day of Atonement every 50th year is labelled a day of Redemption (25:8ff).

Rev 5: The Seven Sealed Scroll.

We are here into redemption language.

In Jeremiah 32 we see this process of redemption of land in progress. Traditionally scrolls were drawn up covering the sale details. Clearly in Rev 5 the scroll is the title deed of earth and the issue is one of legal ownership.

God is thus here as judge and Christ as the representative man, the second Adam, who alone has legal rights to claim the earth as his inheritance. His legal right is based on his perfect sacrifice, the cross, the payment of the price of death. We are clearly left with the impression that legal right and possession of ownership are not simultaneous in time (though in heaven - which we are viewing - time is not a problem). On the earthly scene the writing on the scroll must be read, i.e. experienced by mankind, as each seal is opened. There is thus a gap between the payment of redemption and the release of redemption.

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(24) Snaith: The Jewish New Year Festival ch4

(25) Article: N.Z.Herald 28\9\96 "The Divine Wake up Call": "...a time of repentance and renewal known as High Holy Days."
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This sets us up for the rest of the book - the price is paid, but it was paid on behalf of others who must in turn accept the redemption. The rest of the book explains the outcome on those who reject and those who accept the vicarious redemption. For this to happen there must be a time of preaching so mankind can hear and decide, so claim of title awaits the coming day of redemption, the day of the Lord, by which time all men will have decided (at least this is how the theory looks to me).

This sets us up into ideas of the Day of Atonement, the Day of the Lord, the Day of Redemption. The Day of Redemption - which was the Day of atonement every 50th year - now becomes clearly important in the scheme of the book. 50 is the year after the end of the cycle of "seven sevens" i.e. 49 years. The Day of the Lord is clearly ushered in by these seven sevens. The fulfillment of Redemption is thus a primary theme, salvation is completed. Thus a major theme of the Feast of Tabernacles - the salvation of Yahweh - is depicted clearly.

Thus although Rev 5 is clearly based on Exodus 13 and the Passover episode, it is reinterpreted here as the basis of something far greater which the rest of the Book of Revelation develops out of Tabernacles. The reference to Passover is thus incidental and foundational. At various points in the Tabernacles festival Passover was remembered, particularly in the early days of the festival. As the week of tabernacles progressed so did the ideas from Passover to Canaan. This is what we seem to see in Revelation - Passover is introduced at this early stage but it is not developed greatly after this, the ideas develop from there into Canaan ideas.

(9) The Festival of Trumpets.

Here we are clearly in the Autumn festival. Trumpets were blown on the 1st Tishri and also on the 10th. The commemoration on the 1st Tishri was so significant that it became a solemn festival in itself.

Rev ch 8: The seven Trumpets.

We do not know where John gets seven trumpets from. It is possible that:

(i) Seven trumpets were blown on these occasions (in unison?), or

(ii) On other days between the 1st and 10th trumpets were blown thus making up seven blowings altogether, or

(iii) The Seven trumpets refer to the seven trumpets of the new moon – a trumpet was blown each new moon, i.e. each month so seven months = seven trumpets.

(iii) John just rounded it up to fill up a series of seven.

The last option is not likely as the way John introduces the seven trumpets suggests he is using a traditional motif and giving it new meaning. Virtually all of the other symbols in the book are traditional so we should suspect this to be also. Along with this we have the obscure reference to the "last trump" (1 Cor 15:52) which suggests that Paul knew of some sequence of trumpets which tied in with the doctrine of the Second Coming. The word "last" here suggests at least some before it! This would suggest that the idea of seven trumpets was around a long time before John wrote Revelation.

In the Synagogue today trumpets are blown every morning of this ten day period (25).

(10) A recollection of the conquest of Jericho.

At Tabernacles there was a recollection of the conquest of Jericho c/f Rev 11:13.(26)

(11) The dedication of the temple - idea of access to God.

Tabernacles was tied in firmly with ideas of the dedication of the temple and its sanctity before God. Pilgrimage was to "the place of his choosing".

Tabernacles was known as "the Feast of his Appearing". The ark of the covenant went in procession through the city and God, thought of as being on the ark, his footstool, was enthroned again on the cherubim.

Rev ch 4. The Appearance of God.

The four living creatures here are clearly cherubim ( c/f Ezek 1 & 9) and speak of the rule of God over all creation. The rule of Yahweh over all creation is a major theme of the enthronement Psalms(27). .

Rev ch 11: The idea of measuring here suggests Gods protection of the temple which was a major theme of the festival.

Rev 3:12: "...a pillar in the temple of my God" - the temple is no longer a physical building but is made up of people. It is relational, implying an open communion between God and man.

Rev 11:19, 15:5 "God's temple in heaven was opened" - access is opened.

Rev 21:22 "There is no temple" - permanent personal relationship with God is achieved thus temples are redundant.
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(26) Hillyer ibid p40.

(27) A point Eaton comes back to so often that it doesn't bear documentation.
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(12) The Festival of Lights

Four large candelabra were lit and burned all night. The whole of Jerusalem was lit as in daytime (28).

Rev 21:23,25; 22:5.- no darkness.

Rev 1-3 - The seven candlesticks at least hint towards the candelabra ceremony.

(13) Jerusalem the Centre of the Earth.

(a) The motif of the nations coming up to Jerusalem - to war against it - is prominent in Tabernacles Psalms - c/f Rev 11, 20:9.

(b) The glorious future of Zion is a major part of the Tabernacles ceremony and this is seen in the latter parts of Isaiah.

c/f Rev 21,22. The Blessing of Jerusalem. The kings of the nations flow to it.

(14) The Missionary Outlook of Tabernacles.

Tabernacles was perceived to be of universal significance in Ancient Israel. It was "THE feast of the Lord" par excellence. It was the feast that all were expected to pilgrim to from all over the earth. This applied to Jews initially but came to be seen as applying to all men as the symbolic meaning of the feast developed.

This is seen clearly in the seventy bullocks offered in total - speaking of the 70 nations of the earth (by Jewish reckoning the 3 sons of Noah founded 70 "nations"), thus the festival is missionary in character. (29)

The Universal nature of Tabernacles is clear in Revelation:

(a) The 144,000 have "been redeemed from all the earth" (14:3) and are clearly the same group as the great multitude who come "from every nation, tribe people and tongue" (7:9).

(b) The nations share in the blessings of the New Jerusalem -particularly the healing coming from the leaves and fruit of the tree of Life(22:2), who is presumably Christ.
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(28) Hillyer ibid p49,50.

(29) Hillyer ibid p45.
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(b) The Enthronement-myth-ritual Theory and the Book of Revelation.

In this section I will compare the Book of Revelation to the elements of the kingship ritual listed above as summarised by Oesterley.

However some general comments can be made:

(1) This whole concept of ideas was presented - it seems - as an extended drama or recital. The key ideas are conflict and kingship, which are intertwined with agricultural fertility.

At the end of summer the ground in Palestine was baked hard and dry and this was seen to be a sign of the victory of the powers of Chaos over good order in creation. Hence the drama is intended to represent the victory over the forces of chaos in creation, but in a prophetic sense - bringing it up to date and making the victory real again for this year.

A dramatic presentation of the overcoming of the forces of chaos by the god of creation is part of the autumn festival of the surrounding nations. This was clearly tied into the concept of kingship(30). We can safely assume Israel adopted this into their autumn festival. Hints of this are present in the Psalms and Isaiah in contexts which would seem to be associated with this festival.

Though we do not have any direct references to creation in REVELATION except in Chapter 4, the creation motif is never far away. The beast with 7 heads is a clear reference to the creation monster of mythology. The use of this monster is a clear indication that we are seeing, in REVELATION the working out of a conflict begun at the Fall.

(2) Ideas of Enthronement, kingship, rulership of God.

Hayes (31) demonstrates how Ps2, 110 were used to interpret Christ's ascension in the early church, but the application of them went beyond the events of Acts 1. In the Autumn festival it was traditional to give the king universal powers. Universalism of the "salvation" of the king and his subsequent global rule is an important motif.

(3) This battle with evil was often presented in stages in the surrounding culture(30). This is seen in:

(i) The Tammuz myth (Canaan)

(ii) The Osiris myth (Egypt).

(iii) The Marduk myth (Babylon).

This conflict was dramatically enacted by the king of Babylon, and possibly elsewhere, in an overnight ritual. Night thus means death, defeat. The coming of day speaks of salvation.

Israel must have been aware of these ideas but how much they adopted them is unsure. (32)
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(30) Frankfort: Kingship and the Gods. (This is part of the essence of Frankfort's thesis. He develops this in relation to Egypt and Babylon, developing his theory in part VII of his book in detail.)

(31) Hayes: Resurrection as Enthronement.

(32) Eaton brings out hints of this pattern in the Psalms in ch2 of "Kingship and the Psalms". He refers to the ideas of night, darkness, the floods or waters overwhelming the Psalmist, etc.
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The stages were:

(a) Conflict and victory of the creator/king in creation.

(b) The overcoming and "death" of the creator/king (Messiah) by the forces of evil. This death is seen as vicarious - on behalf of the nation. This "death" is the cause of the deadness of the land, which awaits the resurrection of the king-god for its fertility.

(c) The king's subsequent "resurrection" and victory over the chaos/death powers.

(d) A final battle in which the chaos monster is totally destroyed and there is a sort of recreation.

These ideas are clearly seen in the servant songs of Isaiah, particularly ch 53 and Eaton brings out the ideas in the Psalms.

Revelation and this complex of Ideas:

(1) A recitation or symbolic representation of the myth of creation.

This seems to be missing in Revelation, but the thrust of Revelation is not the beginning but the End, so this is not unexpected.

(2) A dramatic representation of the death and resurrection of the god, with whom the king was identified.

Ideas of the enemies of God being overcome, particularly Tiamat, the seven headed creation monster. Tiamat is the god of death and destruction so ideas of overcoming death, i.e. resurrection are prominent in this festival.

Rev 5: One set of ideas here is that of the Humiliation of the Messiah. Clearly here the king (Christ) has conquered - but the way to that victory was a humiliating death.

Rev 12:1-5. The conflict between the Dragon and the Manchild is traditional. The Dragon kills the child who is the king, though that is not stated in Rev 12 - it is implied by the use of the title "lamb" (12:11). The king then rises from the dead and ascends to God.

(3) A ritual combat, in which the triumph of the god over his enemies was depicted.

The combat features of Revelation are vast. Note these:

Rev 12, 13, 17: The Battle with the Seven Headed Chaos Monster.

(4) A sacred marriage.

Throughout the Ancient Near East the Marriage of the king was re-celebrated at the Autumn festival. Often there was a sort of victory, marriage banquet.

Rev 19, 21. The Marriage of the Lamb, the King.

(5) A triumphal procession in which the king played the part of the god. The god is enthroned.

Rev 19:11-16 - A triumphal procession.

Rev 11:15-18 The Seventh Trumpet.

The language here is so strongly Enthronement language that it would be impossible to deny a connection with Tabernacles. it is clearly something new "you have...begun to reign", i.e. a new phase of rulership/ enthronement. References to Psalm 2 are so strong at this point of Revelation that many commentators argue that this section of Revelation is an exposition of Psalm 2.

Rev 12:10.

(6) The importance of the king for the well being of the community.

His death was vicarious - as was the humiliation of the king in the Psalms and the Servant of Isa 53. This is a strong theme of the Tabernacles literature and of the role of the king in the festival throughout the Ancient Near East. The king’s suffering is because of the nation's sin and his subsequent victory over death is for their salvation.

Rev 5:9 12:11.

(7) Chaos monster Destroyed and a Recreation.

Chaos Monster destroyed: Rev20:1-6

Also Rev 12 – the chaos monster was Leviathen – the seven headed serpent.

Recreation: Rev 21,22.

Summary:

It seems clear from this overview that Tabernacles themes are clearly present in every chapter of Revelation from ch 4 onwards, and there are hints even earlier than that. If Second Isaiah is a Jewish interpretation of the feat of Tabernacles, then we can also say that Revelation is a Christian application and interpretation of the same festival.

Part 5: Ideas of Liberation from Revelation.

Revelation is, as we have noted previously, the exposition of the final outworking of redemption, of salvation, and the full manifestation of the kingship of Christ on earth.

Liberation motifs are thus strongly underlying the book- particularly the idea of the 50 year jubilee release of land and people. This is not systematically brought out but is, in my view, the underlying dominant concept which holds the whole book together.

The key idea which seems to thread right through the book is the liberation of mankind from "Death" - the evil power which enslaves and controls mankind (33).

Ch 5 - Christ died a substitutionary, vicarious death which overcame Death.

Ch6,7 - Yet if mankind reject this death the only outcome is Death - as each seal is opened Death reigns on every side. Every plague of the book results in ever increasing death of man and destruction of his inheritance, earth.

ch12 - we can over come Death - by the blood of the Lamb, by confession, by not loving our own lives unto death.

Those whose affections are on this word partake in the Death of this world - those who "dwell in heaven" are mysteriously preserved from Death - even if they die a martyr's death. Over them the "second death" has no power, and even the consequences of their physical death are reversed by a bodily resurrection. They have the right to the tree of life which is in the garden of God. They shall dwell in the inheritance God has planned for mankind - they shall reign on earth.

But lest we think that all of this is in the great beyond, we are called now, as members of the local church to overcome - "He who has ears to hear let him hear...he who overcomes shall..." The liberation from Death is thus to be a present reality in some way for the present people of God. In this way we are to witness to the "nations" (Rev 22:2). Tell me, what are the nations doing here in Rev 22 if this is the eternal state? The implication is that the healing of the tree of life gets to the nations because of those who partake of the waters of life now.

Revelation is thus a call to missionary activity in the face of the hoards of Hell, a call to witness even at the expense of your own life, to die a witness, a martyr.

The message of Revelation is thus that God has liberated his people - but they are liberated to mission, the aim of which is the liberation of the world from the dominion of Satan, the power of Death.

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(33) I will in this section personify "Death" by capitalising it. "Death" thus refers to that which we need liberation from; "death" (small "d") refers to physical death.

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The use of Tabernacles imagery is thus significant - Israel here celebrated in the land the fullness of God's blessing and provision under his rule - yet were surrounded by hostile and warring nations bent on her destruction. John's use of Tabernacles tells us much the same message: we are living in the fullness of Gods provision - if we have ears to hear - but we are surrounded by opposing forces. We should rejoice in the kingship of our God and thus overcome the darkness with the light of his rising.

Bibliography:

Cited in this Essay:

Frankfort. H. Kingship and the Gods. Univ of Chicago 1948.

Eaton. John H. Kingship and the Psalms SCM 1976.

Hayes. John H. The Resurrection as Enthronement and the Earliest Church Christology. Interpretation Vol 22/3 p333-345.

Hillyer. N. 1st Peter and the Feast of Tabernacles. Tyndale Bulletin 1970 Vol21. p39-70.

MacRae. George W. The Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 1960 Vol22. p251-277.

Leigh. Jack. The Divine Wake Up Call. N.Z.Herald 28\9\96.

Mowinkel. S. The Psalms in Israel's Worship vol2. Oxford 1962.

Snaith. N.H. The Jewish New Year Festival. London 1948.

Beasley Murray. G.R. A Commentary on the Book of Revelation.

Kiddle. M. A Commentary on the Book of Revelation.

Also Read:

Mowinkel. S. He That Cometh. Oxford. 1956.

Ringgren. H. The Messiah in the Old Testament. ET 1956.

Hooke.S.H.(ed) Myth, Ritual and Kingship. Oxford 1958.

Johnson.A.R. Sacral Kingship in Ancient Israel. Cardiff 1967.