Before Jerusalem Fell

17
THE PERSECUTION
OF CHRISTIANITY
Another argument prevalently employed by late date advocates
is that which, as Morris notes, discovers “indications that Revelation
was written in a time of persecution” — a persecution that accords
“much better with Domitian. ” * Both Morris and Guthrie list this as
their second arguments for the A.D. 95-96 date; Kummel cites it first.
This line of reasoning is given considerable attention by many modern
late date scholars, including Morris, Guthrie, Kummel, Mounce,
Barnes, Hendrickson, and Beasley-Murray, for example.2 Kummel
is quite confident that “the temporal scene which Rev. sketches fits
no epoch of primitive Christianity so well as the time of the persecution
under Domitian. ”3
It is indisputably clear from the perspective of Revelation’s selfwitness
that imperial persecution against the faith has begun. We
will cite two clear samples of references to this persecution by way of
1. Leon Morris, me Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969), p. 36.
See also James Moffatt, The Revelation of St. John ttw Divine, in W. R. Nicoll, cd.,
Englishman’s Greek lktasmmt, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, rep. 1980), pp. 317-320
(though his approach is much different, cp. p. 313). R. H. Charles, T/w Revelatwn of St.
John, 2 vols. International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1920)
1 :xciv-xm. Robert H. Mounce, Tiiz Book of Reudatwn. New International Commentary
on the New Testament, pp. 33-34. Donald Guthrie, New Testament Itiroduction, 3rd ed.
(Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1970), pp. 951-953. Werner Georg Kiimmel,
lntmdwtion tu the New Tedanwnt, 17th cd., trans. Howard C. Kee (Nashville: Abindgon,
1973), p. 467.
2. Morris, Revelation, p. 36; Guthrie, Introduction, p. 951; Mounce, Revelation, p. 33;
Kiimmel, Introduction, p. 467; Albert Barnes, Barws’ Notes on New Tutument, 1 vol. ed.
(Grand Rapids: Kregel, rep. 1962) p. 1532; William Hendriksen, More Than C_or,
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967), p. 20; G. R. Beasley-Murray, “Revelation,” in Francis
Davidson, cd., New Bible Comnwnta~ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), p. 1168.
3. Kiimmel, Itirodudion, p. 468.
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