Rev. 5 Notes

5:11-14- 

1)It cannot be overstated to see the Lamb at the center of the throne vision.It is a little lamb, a little slain lamb that transmutes the image of the Lion of Judah.(CS Lewis seemed to have trouble grasping that) 

2)worthy (axios) was a call for honoring political power-

3)All of this is praise for the lamb that grows in number and scope-see the piece Costly Loss of Praise in Interpretation or Breuggemann’s work on doxology in 1988. In choir practice, we would be told to sing this as a crescendo in forte.. I find praise songs insipid or coercive in feeling tone, what do you detect here? The praise here could be a parody of court ceremonial actions as well, but I wonder how john would be familiar with them?

4)One could look at the fluidity of images for God and the Lamb.

5)The book to be opened is dangerous for Reformed Christians and our distant brethren as we tend to see a book of plans of some detail. 

6)  Do you think these hymns are counters to the work of Roman acclamation in temples and cities? (see Int. 2009 on empire and Rev.) If you faced martyrdom would the image of a slain lamb offer courage or fear?

7)Where is small beautiful? Where does weak and small demonstrate power,real power? When does power fail?

8) (Earlier the 24 could be a mix of Israel and the apostles or a parody of Greco- Roman gods, (see Morton-Glory to God JSNT:2001 or Fiorenza-  Rev. p.58)