The way of imagination

  “A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth…   And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a scepter of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne…” (Rev. 12.1-5)      There seems to be a deliberate “non-violent hermeneutic” being utilized by the New Testament authors as they quote the Hebrew Scriptures.   Psalm 2 is one of the most frequently quoted Psalms in the NT to refer to Jesus’ messiahship (cf. the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism, Ac. 4.25-26, etc. ). [1] Breaking with the pattern of omitting violent elements from biblical quotations, Revelation is the only NT book to quote Ps. 2.9 (Yahweh’s anointed will break the nations with a “rod of iron”; cf. Rev. 2.27; 12.5; 19.15).   ...

  “To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end, I will give authority over the nations, to rule them with an iron scepter,     as when clay pots are shattered—   even as I also received authority from my Father.” (Rev. 2.26-28; cf. Ps. 2.9)      The second Psalm is one of the favourite Psalms of the New Testament, i.e. it is often quoted by the NT authors.   Psalm 2 describes “the nations” and “the kings of the earth” [1] who plot against Yahweh and his anointed king in order to liberate themselves from their rule (Ps. 2.1-3; cf. Rev. 1.5, 11.15).   This Psalm reflects, perhaps, the situation of the kingdom of Israel during the reign of Solomon [2] (cf. 2 Sam. 7.12-16) when Israel’s territory had expanded to include several surrounding nations and when rulers came from far and wide to pay tribute to Solomon in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Kings 4, 10).      In response to the conniv...