Source: Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (London; New York: T&T Clark: A Continuum Imprint, 1993), 92–117.
Synoptic Parousia Parables and the Apocalypse.wav
This podcast analyzes how parables about the Second Coming of Christ (parousia), particularly the Watching Servants and the Thief, were used and transformed in early Christian writings. It argues that these parables were widely known and often associated together, leading to a process called "deparabolization" where their imagery was extracted and used as independent metaphors or exhortations for Christian readiness. While the story of the parables persisted, this deparabolization was the primary way the church's teaching influenced the form of these parables in the tradition. The podcast examines examples in the Synoptic Gospels, Revelation, and other early texts to show this pattern, suggesting that while Revelation's prophetic pronouncements formulate sayings as spoken by the exalted Christ, their use of existing tradition isn't fundamentally more "creative" than other early Christian teaching.
1. The Tradition and Association of Parousia Parables, particularly the Watching Servants and the Thief: The text extensively examines the history and transmission of certain parables related to the parousia (the coming of Christ), focusing significantly on the parables of the Watching Servants and the Thief. These parables, often found together in early Christian tradition, emphasize the theme of preparedness for the unexpected return of the master or the Son of Man. The Lukan versions in Luke 12:35–40 present the Watching Servants as focusing on the parousia as a blessing for the ready, and the Thief as focusing on it as a threat to the unprepared. The double aspect of return as blessing or judgment is also found in related parables like the Servant in Authority. These parables were widely used and familiar in the primitive church and were collected and associated from a very early stage. Evidence for this association is seen not only in Luke but also in Matthew's extended collection of parousia parables (though he omits some versions) and in other texts like the Gospel of Thomas and the Didache, which even conflate elements of these parables. This demonstrates a strong tendency for these parables to be linked together due to their shared subject matter: preparedness for the parousia.
2. The Process of Deparabolization: A key concept explored is "deparabolization," a process where the application or imagery of a parable breaks down its original narrative structure. Instead of functioning as a cohesive story with an appended application, the parable transforms into direct metaphorical statements or commands drawn from the story's imagery and applied immediately to the audience. While applications and allegory within a parable don't necessarily cause this breakdown, deparabolization replaces the narrative with these direct exhortations. The text identifies the Watching Servants and Mark's Doorkeeper (which includes elements of the Watching Servants) as providing the most extensive examples of deparabolization within the Synoptic tradition. For instance, Mark's Doorkeeper moves quickly from a single narrative verse into direct address using the parable's imagery. Luke's Watching Servants begins with metaphorical exhortation ("Let your loins be girded...") and incorporates beatitudes that function as direct applications. This process is attributed to the intensive use of these parables in the churches and their subject matter being particularly susceptible to translation into common Christian metaphors like "keeping awake." While deparabolization leads to sayings and metaphors becoming detached from the original story context, the parables as stories continued to be known, and these detached exhortations likely gained imaginative force from their original parabolic setting. Deparabolization is seen affecting different parts of the parables in various texts, including the Didache, Ascension of Isaiah, Sibylline Oracle, and Methodius, confirming its widespread impact on the tradition.
3. Revelation's Relationship to and Use of Synoptic/Early Christian Traditions: The text addresses the question of whether the Book of Revelation draws upon existing traditions of Jesus' words, similar to the Synoptic Gospels. While the extent of John's knowledge of Synoptic traditions is debated, the text argues for the probability of dependence, especially concerning certain "detachable logia." These are sayings in Revelation that appear separable from their immediate context and show similarity to Synoptic sayings. Examples discussed include Revelation 3:5c (related to Matt 10:32 // Luke 12:8), Revelation 2:7 etc. (echoing the saying "He who has an ear, let him hear" found in the Synoptics), and particularly Revelation 3:3b, 3:20, and 16:15, which the text contends are dependent on the Synoptic parables of the Thief and the Watching Servants. John's use of these traditions is seen as distinctive in its formulation as 'I' sayings spoken by the exalted Lord. In Revelation 3:3b and 16:15, the image of the thief is used to suggest the suddenness and unexpectedness of the parousia, similar to the Q version of the Thief, sometimes incorporating the motif of staying awake found in Matthew and 1 Thessalonians. Revelation 3:20 is interpreted as a clear and intentional allusion to the parable of the Watching Servants, picturing Christ as the master returning to his house and dining with the servants who are ready. This usage is consistent with John's literary technique of alluding to familiar traditions, such as Old Testament texts. John's adaptation of these parables serves his purpose of providing eschatological warnings and promises to the churches addressed in Revelation, fitting them into the context of the Lord's messages and the promises to the conquerors.
4. The Early Church's Use of Parousia Parables in Paraenesis (Exhortation): The social setting, or Sitz im Leben, of these parables in the early church tradition is identified as "eschatological paraenesis." This refers to the teaching and exhortation aimed at preparing Christians for the anticipated return of Christ (the parousia). The epistles of the New Testament provide abundant examples of this type of exhortation, frequently employing metaphors like "keeping awake." The parables of the Watching Servants and the Thief, with their themes of readiness, wakefulness, and unexpected return, were evidently popular and widely used in this context. Their imagery provided vivid narrative settings that reinforced common Christian metaphors for spiritual preparedness. The process of deparabolization was a direct result of this paraenetic use, as the vivid imagery was extracted and applied directly as commands and metaphors in Christian teaching and writing. The text suggests a two-way interaction: the tradition of Jesus' parables was used in the church's exhortation, and in turn, this usage influenced the formal structure of the parables, primarily through deparabolization. Examples like Didache 16 and passages in 1 Thessalonians demonstrate the use of language and imagery derived from these parables in paraenetic material from an early period.
5. Comparative Analysis of Parable Traditions Across Different Early Christian Texts: The study relies heavily on comparing versions and allusions to the parables of the Watching Servants and the Thief (and related material) found in a variety of early Christian writings beyond the Synoptic Gospels. This includes passages in 1 Thessalonians, 2 Peter, Revelation, the Didache, the Gospel of Thomas, and later texts such as the Ascension of Isaiah, Sibylline Oracles, Methodius, and Epiphanius. By examining how these texts preserve, adapt, conflate, and deparabolize the parable traditions, the text reconstructs aspects of their transmission history. For example, comparisons reveal tendencies towards association and conflation of parables, the introduction of the "staying awake at night" motif into the Thief parable in various traditions, and the widespread phenomenon of deparabolization. The comparison also helps identify potential relationships between traditions (e.g., Luke's version of the Thief with Q, Didache with a non-Lukan version of a saying, Epistle of the Apostles altering the Wise Virgins parable based on the "watching" motif). This comparative approach provides crucial external evidence, outside of the Gospels themselves, for understanding how these parables were used and modified in the early church, offering insights into the dynamics of tradition transmission.
How does the Book of Revelation relate to the Synoptic tradition of Jesus' words?
The Book of Revelation shows a relationship to the Synoptic traditions of Jesus' words, although the exact nature and extent of this relationship is debated. While many of Christ's words in Revelation are specific to its unique visionary context, a small number of detachable sayings bear a relationship to Synoptic sayings. The author of Revelation, John, likely knew these traditions in forms independent of our written Gospels, similar to the apostle Paul.
What is the significance of "He who has an ear, let him hear" in Revelation?