Then I saw heaven opened, and
there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and
on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but
himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The
Word of God. (Rev 19:11-13 NRSV)
On the “Logos-name” from the perspective of the book of Revelation
and the angelomorphic depiction of the Messiah as the Logos of God:
. . . if the logos of God
is what which has come to particular expression through the witness of Jesus,
and if it is the revelation of Jesus Christ (Apc. 1.1) then it is entirely
appropriate that the Logos-name should be applied to Jesus. The Logos-name
encapsulates the function of Jesus as the revealer. But to say that the Logos-name
is an appropriate name for Jesus the Rider in the light of what we
understand about ‘the logos of God’ elsewhere in the Apocalypse is
scarcely to exhaust the significance of this name for the Rider and for our
study of the christology of the Apocalypse. One crucial observation may be
noted at this point. When the Rider is called ‘Faithful and True’ (19.11) and
is described as having the regal name, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’ (19.11),
we are told something about the Rider which is true concerning his character
and function. These names are not given like so many—as ones which are
incidental to the actual nature of the named person. Jesus is called ‘Faithful
and True’ because he is faithful and he is lord over all lords. Consequently,
it is likely that Jesus has the Logos-name because he is in himself the
personal expression of the logos of God. To the extent that we can speak
of a personal being called the Logos who comes from God from the
perspective of the Apocalypse, Jesus is that being. It follows from this
conclusion that it is wroth exploring beyond the confines of the Apocalypse to
material which may lie in its background in order to understand better the
implications of the Logos-name for the Rider.
There is no particular link
between the Rider with the Logos-name and ‘the Logos’ of the
Fourth Gospel. There is a general connection in as much as both figures have a
function in revealing the truth of God. But, apart from this ‘community of
interest’ there is no reason to think of mutual influence between John 1 and
Apocalypse 19.13. Other texts speak of the logos (or rhema) in
terms of similes involving (sharp, two-edged) swords (e.g. Heb. 4.12; Eph
6.17). In Apocalypse 19.15 the Rider is shown to have ‘a sharp sword with which
to strike down the nations’ which comes from his mouth. Immediately in the
background here are Isaiah 11.4 and 49.2. But there are other texts focusing on
the ‘mouth’ of the Messiah but making explicit the through that it is the
‘word’ or ‘words’ coming out of it which effect the judgment. These include Psalms
of Solomon 17.24,35; 1 Enoch 62.2; and Hosea 6.5. However, in none
of these texts is the messiah called or named ‘the Logos (of God)’.
There is one source, however, which appears to lie behind the portrayal of
Jesus as a heavenly figure who comes to judge and make war wielding a sword and
is called ‘the Logos of God’. This is Wisdom 18.15-16 . . .:
your all-powerful word leaped from
heaven (ο παντοδυναμος σου λογος απ’ ουρανω), from the royal throne, into the midst of the land
that was doomed, a stern warrior carrying the sharp sword of your authentic
command, 16and stood and filled all things with death, and touched
heaven while standing on the earth’.
In two particular ways this passage differs from
Apocalypse 19.11-16. First, Wisdoms’ concern at this point is with the Exodus
story rather than the last judgment. Secondly, there is no mention of the logos
riding on a horse. Differences such as these make it difficult to determine
whether John had this passage specifically in mind when describing the Rider as
bearing the Logos-name. Nevertheless, Wisdom 18.15-16 is the closest
passage in the OT to the portrayal of 19.11-16 of a heavenly figure with the Logos-name.
It has motifs which resonate strongly with Apocalypse 19.11-16: descent from
heaven, warrior figure called logos, sword, and royal connotations. If
John was not familiar with Wisdom 18.15 itself then he was familiar with the
set of motifs represented there. . . . It is true that the Logos-name in
19.13 may be simply explained in terms of the Apocalypse itself . . . the Logos-name
ironically illustrates the nature of the Rider’s mission to avenge those who
have suffered for the sake of the word of God. But when the portrayal of Jesus
as the Rider shows signs of the influence of angelology it is conceivable that
John uses the Logos-name because an angelic figure coming out of heaven
on a mission of judgment recalls the kind of development represented in Wisdom
18.15-16. John does not just see Jesus-messiah in his vision wielding the
sword-like logos, he sees the Logos of God in person. In other
words, the application of the Logos-name to the Rider may well reflect
traditions in which the Logos manifests itself in angelic form. (Peter
R. Carrell, Jesus and the Angels: Angelology and the Christology of the
Apocalypse of John [Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 95;
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997], 216-17, 218)