Riches, Poverty, and the Faithful
Perspectives on Wealth in the Second Temple Period and the Apocalypse of John

Proposes a new approach to understanding how John speaks about wealth in the book of Revelation.

Mark D. Mathews (Author)

9781107567443, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 October 2015

294 pages
21.6 x 13.9 x 1.6 cm, 0.37 kg

'… there is much to be learnt from this careful study …' Paul Foster, The Expository

In the book of Revelation, John appeals to the faithful to avoid the temptations of wealth, which he connects with evil and disobedience within secular society. New Testament scholars have traditionally viewed his somewhat radical stance as a reaction to the social injustices and idolatry of the imperial Roman cults of the day. Mark D. Mathews argues that John's rejection of affluence was instead shaped by ideas in the Jewish literature of the Second Temple period which associated the rich with the wicked and viewed the poor as the righteous. Mathews explores how traditions preserved in the Epistle of Enoch and later Enochic texts played a formative role in shaping John's theological perspective. This book will be of interest to those researching poverty and wealth in early Christian communities and the relationship between the traditions preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls and New Testament.

Part I. Introduction: 1. The question of wealth in the Apocalypse
Part II. The Language of Wealth and Poverty in the Second Temple Period: Introduction
2. Dead Sea Scrolls: non-sectarian Aramaic documents
3. Dead Sea Scrolls: non-sectarian Hebrew documents
4. Dead Sea Scrolls: sectarian Hebrew documents
5. Other Jewish literature
Preliminary conclusions
Part III. Wealth, Poverty, and the Faithful Community in the Apocalypse of John: Introduction
6. The language of wealth and poverty in the seven messages - Rev 2-3
7. The present eschatological age - Rev 4-6
8. Buying and selling in Satan's world - Rev 12-13, 18
9. Final conclusions.

Subject Areas: Judaism [HRJ], New Testaments [HRCF2], Religion: general [HRA]