“Arrogant and Blasphemous Words”? Reading Revelation against and within Authoritarian Rhetoric

Abstract

This essay reads the book of Revelation as resistance literature, with a special focus on Roman authoritarian discourse. While such resistance can inspire many readers, authoritarian systems have a way of spoiling everything, compromising even resistance itself. Like other ancient Jewish literature, Revelation characterizes imperial discourse as “arrogant and blasphemous” (13:5). Yet in condemning Rome, its allies, and its enablers, Revelation presents its own authoritarian vision. Read in this way, the witness of this book remains essential, even unique, within the New Testament. It offers a model for redressing authoritarianism—and a case study in the dangers inherent in such resistance.