Dispute
in Revelation 2:9–10
I know your affliction and
your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those
who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not
fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of
you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have
affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life
(Rev. 2:9–10).
The church at Smyrna is poor
and in tribulation. Yet it is rich because of its affliction and poverty. Jesus
who is ‘The First and the Last’ knows not only of their poverty and affliction,
but of the slander uttered by those who say that they are the true Jews (2:8).
The synagogue’s blasphemy leads John to retort that they are not Jews but a
synagogue of Satan. The context for this is the synagogue’s accusation that
church members are not Jews. This fits the etymology of the word Satan: ‘one
who accuses falsely’ (Job 1–2; Zech. 3). It also corresponds with ‘blasphemy’
that indicates ‘slander’ as the NRSV has translated (Mt. 12:31, 15:19; Mk.
15:29; Rom. 3:8; 1 Cor. 10:30; Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8; 1 Tim. 6:4; 1 Pet. 4:4;
Jude 9). Therefore, underlying the word is a charge made against the church. In
sum, Revelation 2:9 is understandable in the context of the synagogue accusing
the church of not being Jews.
The synagogue’s accusation
heightened the church’s expectation of trouble in which the faithful would be
thrown into prison by the devil (2:10). The ancient serpent is also the devil
and Satan (Rev. 12:9 and 20:2). These three signify the forces of opposition to
God represented in the contemporary political power that is Rome. Rome is the
beast, the devil and Satan. The synagogue of Satan reflects not only a
synagogue that accuses falsely, but also a synagogue in collusion with Rome.
This idea of collusion and compromise fits with Kraybill’s understanding of the
use of Satan: ‘a way of highlighting commercial or political relationships some
Jews had with Rome’.15 The setting is then that of the synagogue
informing Roman officials that the churches are not synagogues of Jews. Because
only Rome had the power to incarcerate, this act of the synagogue had
consequences for the church.
In conclusion, the
accusation that the synagogue is of Satan is a rebuttal to allegations that the
synagogue made against the church that the church was not Jewish. The synagogue
informed Rome that members of the church were not Jews. This led to a heightened
sense of danger for the churches. The church argued that the synagogue
informers were hand in hand with Rome and, thus, no longer worthy of the name
“Jew”. As Satan is Rome, the synagogue is of Rome. In sum, in 2:9–10 two groups
have differing attitudes towards Rome, and those who compromise with Rome
cannot be considered faithful to the God of Israel according to John. (Mark
Bredin, Jesus, Revolutionary of Peace: A Nonviolent Christology in the Book
of Revelation [Paternoster Biblical and Theological Monographs; Milton
Keynes: Paternoster, 2003], 129-30)
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