One issue is the relationship between the series of visions as John experienced them and the literary sequence. To take an example, the book of Jeremiah is an anthology of his oracles. But the literary sequence doesn't consistently mirror the order in which he received his revelations. That's an editorial sequence.
Now, it's true that Revelation has more of a narrative structure or storyline than Jeremiah. I'm using Jeremiah as an extreme example to illustrate a point.
But, arguably, Revelation is also like a film that contains flashbacks (not to mention flashforwards). Indeed, there are movies and TV dramas that begin at the end, like a crime scene, or the hero in a tight spot, then go back into the past to explain how things got to that point.
In narratology, you can have prolepsis and analepsis, as well as internal/external variations of both.
I'm not saying Revelation has that reverse order. Just that we can't assume consistent linearity.
The action in Revelation is vertical as well as horizontal. Not just temporal progression, but spatial contrast (i.e. shifting scenes from heaven to earth or vice versa). The axial perspective (i.e. space and time) alternates, because both are happening, but both can't be stated at the same time.
One issue is the relationship between the series of visions as John experienced them and the literary sequence. To take an example, the book of Jeremiah is an anthology of his oracles. But the literary sequence doesn't consistently mirror the order in which he received his revelations. That's an editorial sequence.
ReplyDeleteNow, it's true that Revelation has more of a narrative structure or storyline than Jeremiah. I'm using Jeremiah as an extreme example to illustrate a point.
But, arguably, Revelation is also like a film that contains flashbacks (not to mention flashforwards). Indeed, there are movies and TV dramas that begin at the end, like a crime scene, or the hero in a tight spot, then go back into the past to explain how things got to that point.
In narratology, you can have prolepsis and analepsis, as well as internal/external variations of both.
I'm not saying Revelation has that reverse order. Just that we can't assume consistent linearity.
The action in Revelation is vertical as well as horizontal. Not just temporal progression, but spatial contrast (i.e. shifting scenes from heaven to earth or vice versa). The axial perspective (i.e. space and time) alternates, because both are happening, but both can't be stated at the same time.
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