The Influence of the Emperor Cult on the - Abilene Christian University

68 RESTORATION QUARTERLY
<strong>The</strong>y cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long
before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on <strong>the</strong> earth.
Here a contrast with Caesar may be implicit, a contrast between <strong>the</strong> apparent
sovereign and <strong>the</strong> real sovereign.
Eighth, <strong>the</strong> word “king” is significant in at least three passages. In 1:5,
Jesus is described as . In 17:14 and 19:16, <strong>the</strong>
phrase “King <strong>of</strong> Kings and Lord <strong>of</strong> Lords” appears. In 17:14, <strong>the</strong> Lamb (“<strong>the</strong>
King <strong>of</strong> Kings and Lord <strong>of</strong> Lords”) conquers <strong>the</strong> Caesars.
From this survey it is clear that some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> titles have polemical force. That
is, <strong>the</strong>y function to show <strong>the</strong> surpassing nature <strong>of</strong> that which is heavenly. <strong>The</strong>
terms , , , , , and “King <strong>of</strong> Kings/
Lord <strong>of</strong> Lords” stand out. In fact, Dominique Cuss has suggested that divine
titles used <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> emperor may account for <strong>the</strong> phrase []
in Rev 13:1, “And I saw a beast rising out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sea, with ten horns and seven
heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its
heads.” 60
Ano<strong>the</strong>r aspect, which may be promising, is <strong>the</strong> imagery surrounding <strong>the</strong>
throne room scenes. However, since no hymns sung in <strong>the</strong> emperor cult survive,
it is difficult to compare <strong>the</strong> hymns. Equally frustrating is <strong>the</strong> silence on <strong>the</strong>
practice <strong>of</strong> obeisance before imperial images. One aspect, however, appears to
be illuminated by knowledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> emperor cult. Aune connects <strong>the</strong> crowns <strong>of</strong>
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Rev 4:10 with <strong>the</strong> crowns that <strong>the</strong> lictors wore. Price, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand,
suggests that <strong>the</strong> crowns on <strong>the</strong> twenty-four elders would remind <strong>the</strong> readers <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> crowns on <strong>the</strong> imperial priests:
<strong>The</strong>se crowns worn by imperial priests displayed up to fifteen busts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> reigning
emperor, his family and his predecessors, and are a token <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
imperial cult. <strong>The</strong>y are prominently featured on coins <strong>of</strong> one city (Tarsus),
presumably as part <strong>of</strong> that city’s claim to special provincial status (P1. 2f), while
leading citizens <strong>of</strong>ten chose to be immortalized in stone in <strong>the</strong> prestigious role <strong>of</strong>
an imperial priest, wearing <strong>the</strong> special crown (P1. la). 62
It seems possible that Pergamum, <strong>the</strong> provincial center <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> emperor cult, had
similar coins or practices. At <strong>the</strong> least, <strong>the</strong>se data present ano<strong>the</strong>r feasible
“solution” to <strong>the</strong> significance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> crowns in <strong>the</strong> book <strong>of</strong> Revelation.
Conclusion
Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> presuppositions surrounding <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> emperor cult,
upon which many interpreters build, cannot be supported by actual data. In fact,
60 Dominique Cuss, Imperial <strong>Cult</strong> and Honorary Terms in <strong>the</strong> New Testament
(Fribourg, Switzerland: Fribourg University Press, 1974), 50. See also 13:5, 6; 17:3.
61 Aune, “Court Ceremonial,” 12–13.
62 Price, Rituals, 170–71.