The Book Of Revelation - Dating & Authorship

Modern scholars favor a later date because the Roman leader in AD 96 was Domitian, and the Church historian Irenaeus, writing around AD 120, seemed to indicate that Revelation was written during Domitian’s reign. Yet, many historians question Irenaeus's credibility, as he also claimed Jesus's ministry lasted from age thirty to fifty (instead of three and a half years). This error has led to doubts about his reliability with dates and numbers. But let's assume for a moment that Irenaeus was correct and that John was on Patmos during Domitian's reign.

The next question is, "Which reign of Domitian?" Frank Viola highlights a little-known but crucial fact in his book, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Domitian was emperor for six months in AD 70 and then again from AD 81–96. This means that, even if Irenaeus was accurate, he could have been referring to the earlier period, before Jerusalem's fall.

During Emperor Vespasian's consolidation of power in AD 70, he was occupied in Alexandria, Egypt. In his absence from Rome, Vespasian entrusted his elder son, Titus, with the command of military operations, particularly the ongoing siege of Jerusalem. Simultaneously, his younger son, Domitian, was given a prominent role in Rome's governance. Domitian served as the representative of the Flavian family in the Senate, effectively acting as a figurehead under the guidance of Mucianus, who headed the interim government. This arrangement allowed Domitian to gain political experience and visibility, setting the stage for his eventual ascension to the throne in AD 81.

Therefore, the evidence from Irenaeus used to support a later date is inconclusive. So, setting aside the debate over Irenaeus, let's examine the text of Revelation itself, which I believe provides nine solid proofs that it was written before AD 70.

Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) almost certainly knew of Revelation, as he writes in 'Dialogue with Trypho' that a man "named John, one of Christ's Apostles', received a revelation and foretold that the followers of Christ would dwell in Jerusalem for a thousand years, and that afterwards, the universal and in short, everlasting resurrection and judgment would take place." Here Jus- tin names the author as John and identifies him as an apostle; describes the "revelation" using the word άлоkáλvic (apokalypsis), which is the Greek title for Revelation; and offers what reads as a précis of Revelation 20:4-6. Reference to Revelation is virtually certain. Dialogue itself was likely written sometime between 154 and 167. Thus the data from Dialogue would in principle allow for Revelation to have been written perhaps as late as 160.

Andrew of Caesarea reports that Papias (60-130 AD) knew Revelation. Eusebius fails to mention Papias's knowledge of Revelation and attributes this chiliasm not to Revelation but rather to material that we would be inclined to call Apocrypha and agrapha.20 Nonetheless, Eusebius's description of Papias's chiliasm would be consistent with a more literal interpretation of Revelation 20:4-6. It cumulatively seems likely that Papias knew Revelation, and as such we should be wary of dating Revelation later than 120. Insofar as Papias's knowledge of Revelation is not certain, we cannot exclude a date as late as 160 based on external attestation. There are two primary views regarding the dating of Revelation. One group believes it was written around AD 65, shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The other group suggests a later date, around AD 96, twenty-six years after Jerusalem's fall. The modern and widely accepted position has generally been at a later date. However, most evidence within Scripture suggests the book was written before Jerusalem's fall.

Proof #1 The Syriac

The first proof of an earlier dating of Revelation is the witness of one of the most ancient versions of the New Testament, called The Syriac. The title page of the fourth-century Syriac Version, called the Peshitto, says this: Again the revelation, which was upon the holy John the Evangelist from God when he was on the island of Patmos where he was thrown by the emperor Nero. Nero Caesar ruled over the Roman Empire from AD 54 to AD 68. This 15 means John had to have been on the island of Patmos during this earlier time period. One of the oldest versions of the Bible tells us that Revelation was written before AD 70! This alone is a very compelling argument.

Proof #2 The King's Count in Revelation 17: 10

Second, when we look at the internal evidence, we find a very clear indicator of the date of authorship in Revelation 17: 10: “They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.” This passage, which speaks of the line of rulers in Rome, tells us exactly how many rulers had already come, which one was currently in power, and that the next one would only last a short while. This accurately identifies the rule of Nero and gives an outline of the Roman Empire of the first century.

The succession of the first seven Roman Emperors went like this:

1. “Five have fallen...” Julius Caesar (49– 44 BC)

   
   

2. Augustus (27 BC– AD 14)

   
   

3. Tiberius (AD 14– 37)

   
   

4. Caligula (AD 37– 41)

   
   

5. Claudius (AD 41– 54)

   
   

6. “One is...” Nero (AD 54– 68)

   
   

7. "the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.” Galba (June AD 68– January AD 69, a six-month rule)

   
   

Of the first seven kings, five had come (Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius, and Claudius), one was currently in power (Nero), and one had not yet come (Galba), but would only remain for a short time 16 (six months). From this we can clearly see that the current Caesar at the time of John’s writing was the sixth Caesar, Nero.

Proof #3 Those Who Pierced Him

Our third proof is found in the Hebrew idiom “coming on clouds,” 7 which speaks of God coming to bring judgment on a city or nation. That is what Jesus came to do in AD 70. Revelation 1: 7 tells us the target of God’s judgment: Lo, he doth come with the clouds, and see him shall every eye, even those who did pierce him, and wail because of him shall all the tribes of the land. Yes! Amen (Revelation 1: 7 YLT). Here, the phrase “those who did pierce him” refers to the people of the first century. At any later time in history, these people would be deceased. Yet, according to this passage, they were expected to be alive at the time of this verse’s fulfillment. This tells us that the prophecy of Revelation 1: 7 had to be fulfilled within a short time after Jesus’ death, while His accusers were still alive on earth. In other words, it was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in AD 70. For this to be true, the Book of Revelation must have been written before AD 70.

Proof #4 Influence of the Jews and Judaizing Heretics

Our fourth proof is found in the fact that the activity of the Jewish leaders and Judaizers in the Church is mentioned in the letters to the churches in Revelation. Jesus speaks of “those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2: 9). This was a clear reference to the Jewish leaders who persecuted the Christians. Also, among the Christians existed a group called the Judiazers, who tried to turn Christians back to the old covenant Jewish Law. This was a major heresy in the first century church, and Paul wrote quite a bit against it. Prior to AD 70, both the Jewish leaders outside the church and the Judiazers within the church had a strong negative impact upon 17 believers. About them, Jesus says: I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars— I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you (Revelation 3: 9). Before the AD 70 destruction, it was advantageous to be a Jew. The Jewish people had a favored relationship with Rome. They were allowed to have their own police force and follow their own Temple system, so long as they continued in subservience to the empire. But all that changed in AD 70, when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and killed more than a million Jews. Ever since that time, history has not been particularly kind to the Jewish people, and I think it is safe to say that after AD 70 people were not touting their status as Jews. These verses about people who falsely claimed to be Jews only makes sense in the pre– AD 70 context. Since the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, it has not been advantageous to claim to be Jewish. In this way, these verses point to an earlier dating of the letter. The first century Jews and Judaizers lost a great deal of influence after the destruction of AD 70, because the Jewish religious system had been destroyed and the Jewish population significantly diminished. Only if we give the Book of Revelation an early date of authorship does the significant presence and threat of the Jews and Judiazers make sense.

Proof #5 Existence of Jerusalem and the Temple

Along the same lines, the fifth proof of an earlier date is the existence and integrity of Jerusalem and the Temple in Revelation 11. This suggests that the book was written before the destruction of AD 70. On the other hand, if the Book of Revelation was in fact written in AD 96, only twenty-six years after the destruction of the Temple and the Holy City, it is shocking that John didn’t mention the recent massacre of the city and Temple. The sheer unlikeliness that John would omit such a crucial piece of Jewish history tells us that the book must have been written prior to AD 70. 18

Proof #6 Time-related Passages

Our sixth proof is in the time-related passages at both the beginning and end of Revelation. In Revelation 1: 1 and 1: 3, as well as 22: 10 and 22: 20, we find internal time indicators that declare “the time is near,” it is “shortly to come to pass,” “he is coming quickly,” and “behold, he comes speedily.” John clearly wrote that the time of judgment was close. This only fits if the book was written before the destruction of Jerusalem.

Proof #7 John’s Appearance in AD 96

A seventh reason to believe the Book of Revelation was written at the earlier date is the appearance of John in AD 96. Jerome noted in his writings that John was seen in AD 96, and he was so old and infirm that “he was with difficulty carried to the church, and could speak only a few words to the people.” 8 We must put this fact together with Revelation 10: 11, which says John must “prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” It is difficult to imagine John would be able to speak to many nations and many kings at any date after AD 96 since he was already elderly and feeble.

Proof #8 Timetable Comparison with Daniel Eighth

In Daniel’s prophecy about events that would happen hundreds of years later, he was told to “roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end,” because it was a long way off (Dan. 12:4ff). By contrast, John was told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near” (Rev. 22:10). While Daniel was told to seal the prophecy up because it was a long way off (about 500 years), John was told not to seal it up because it was about to come to pass. In other words, the prophetic events were closer than 500 years. This only makes sense if the book was written before AD 70 and the prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70.

Proof #9 Only Seven Churches

Our ninth proof for an early dating of the writing of Revelation is the existence of only seven churches in Asia Minor (see Rev. 1). This tells us that the book was written before the greater expansion of Christianity into that region, which occurred after the fall of Jerusalem. These nine points strongly point to a dating of the writing of Revelation before AD 70. The debate continues in scholarly circles, yet I believe these points are convincing enough for us to move forward with the idea of a pre-AD 70 writing of Revelation.

CREDITS

1. The Art Of Revelation by Dr. Jonathan Welton

2. Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament: The Evidence for Early Composition by Jonathan Bernier