Original Research

Geweld en geweldloosheid in Openbaring

Pieter G.R. de Villiers
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi | Vol 49, No 2 | a1997 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v49i2.1997 | © 2015 Pieter G.R. de Villiers | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 23 June 2015 | Published: 27 August 2015

About the author(s)

Pieter G.R. de Villiers, Faculty of Theology, Department of New Testament, University of the Free State, South Africa

Abstract

Hierdie artikel ondersoek die algemeen aanvaarde interpretasie van Openbaring as ’n boek met ’n nie-gewelddadige boodskap wat sy lesers oproep om nie wraak te neem teen hulle vyande en vervolgers nie. In die eerste afdeling van die artikel word sommige van die belangrikste redes vir hierdie interpretasie ondersoek. Daarna word bespreek hoe die diepsinnige niegewelddadige boodskap met gewelddadige taal en inhoude gekombineer en aangebied word. Eerstens word dus aandag gegee aan die oproep tot die lesers om nie geweld te beoefen nie, aan die lewering van getuienis, aan die vergeesteliking van die oorlogstaal en aan goddelike geweld. Daarna ondersoek die artikel in meer diepte hoe die geweldlose boodskap van die boek ingebed is en gekarakteriseer word deur geweldstaal, hoe die skynbaar positiewe uitbeelding van vroue met gender-geweld deurspek is en hoe uitermatig gewelddadig die goddelike oordeel is. Die artikel eindig met kort hermeneutiese opmerkings oor hoe die gewelddadige aspekte van Openbaring se geweldlose boodskap benader kan word.

Violence and non-violence in Revelation. This article questions the widely accepted interpretation of the Revelation of John in the New Testament as a book with a non-violent message that calls on its readers to refrain from vengeance. First of all, after a discussion of some good reasons for this interpretation, the article subsequently points out how the profound non-violence of the message is combined with and presented in violent language. Attention is therefore paid to Revelation’s message to its readers to refrain from violence, to its call to witness, its spiritualising of war-like language and its focus on divine judgement. The article then investigates in more depth how the non-violent message of the book is embedded in and characterised by violent language, how its seemingly positive portrayal of women is infact permeated by gender violence and how it portrays a divine violence that has an extremely violent nature. The article concludes with brief hermeneutical remarks that reflect on how the violent dimensions of Revelation’s non-violence can be interpreted.


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