“Mystically Called”: A Reception-Historical Perspective on Apocalyptic Place Names in the Book of Revelation

Abstract

Biblical scholars have long acknowledged the symbolic significance of specific place names in the Book of Revelation (e.g., Sodom, Egypt, Babylon, the New Jerusalem). But scholars are divided over the extent of such symbolic geography. This article explores the treatment of place names in patristic and early medieval reception of Revelation as one contribution to the scholarly discussion. Attention is paid to “the great city” (variously interpreted as “Sodom,” “Egypt,” and “Babylon,” Rev 11: 8; 17: 5), Armageddon (Rev 16: 16), the cities of the seven churches (Rev 2-3), and John’s island of Patmos (Rev 1:9). Interpreters are found to have responded to different prompts in the biblical text in interpreting these place names: exploring possible etymologies in either Hebrew (following Rev 16: 16) or Greek; the use of gematria in the case of Patmos (see Rev 13: 18); consideration of how names convey a place’s character or significance (as in Rev 11: 8).