The book on the Apocalypse was the last work of Fr. Sergius, which he managed to finish before his death. The author's lecture material on the Apocalypse was processed by him at the numerous requests of students of the Orthodox Theological Institute.

The present work is printed from the first manuscript; therefore, in a number of places it has the character of notes and is not alien to repetitions and inaccuracies.

Orthodoxy, Holy Scripture, New Testament, apocalypse, apostles, John, revelation ru ru Vladimir Schneider FB Editor v2.0, MS Word, XML Spy October 2002, January 2009 http://www.magister.msk.ru/library/philos/bulgakov/bulgak04.htm; http://www.ccel.org/contrib/ru/xml/Bulgakov_Apocalypse.zip C9BF7663-4485-45F8-86F5-DDC2B0142AB7 2.0 The Apocalypse of John "Joy and consolation" 1991 5-362-00818-8

Prot. Sergius Bulgakov

The Apocalypse of John

(An Attempt at Dogmatic Interpretation)

INTRODUCTION

John's "Revelation" is the last book in the Bible, which it completes with itself. In this way, "Revelation" begs to be compared with the book of Genesis, as with the beginning of the Bible, of which it is the end, according to the general plan and theme. At the same time, it is in its own way a unique book, on the whole unlike anything else in the Bible. This passage of it, as well as its general character, testifies to a certain special significance and originality of it, although it does not prevent its particular comparisons in content with other biblical books. In any case, it is by this external passage of "Revelation" in the Bible that it acquires the consummative character of a certain last word in the Bible, which is in accordance with the first.

It is these features of the "Revelation" that are subject to general revelation and revelation. But such a special place and meaning of the last word is characteristic of Revelation, and in its dogmatic content, dogmatic theology is agreed upon and completed in a peculiar way. [1]

Revelation in general is one of the most studied books of Holy Scripture from the philological, exegetical, religious-historical, and general biblical side. You can even say that every word and comma has been studied here.

However, there is already a certain indisputable area of scientific achievements of critical exegesis, which can also be used for the needs of dogmatics. They establish the general character of the "Revelation" from the point of view of its literary features, external style and structure. First of all, as regards its language, it must be said that it bears the obvious and pronounced features of the Hebrew style, which is not flawless because of its Hebraisms in regard to the correctness of language and grammar. However, this does not prevent him from being distinguished by exceptional power, so that it can be rightly said of him: "the author of the Apocalypse, although he is not a perfect artist, he is a writer of genius possessing a rare power of his calling." [2] Of course, it cannot be denied that there is an obvious difference in the style of the Revelation and the fourth Gospel, which is supposed to have been written later than the first. However, this difference does not force us to assert, contrary to Church tradition, that both books are the works of different writers. In any case, there remains the possibility of a purely scientific disagreement and dispute for this. For us, therefore, there is a complete and even scientific possibility of calmly following the testimony of tradition, for which "the author of the Apocalypse, as well as of the Gospel and the Epistles, is one and the same, i.e., the Apostle John of Zebedee," [3] John the Theologian, son of Thunder (as was customary and attested in the canon of sacred books in the East and West).

This peculiar style of the Apocalypse testifies to the special strength of the Jewish spirit and temperament, inherent in this book, and comparatively even weakened in the Fourth Gospel, which in this sense is more Hellenistic. And this deliberately Jewish character of this book is even more reflected in its special literary genre and style, precisely as the Apocalypse. It is equally characteristic that the Apocalypse as such is the only book of its kind in the whole Bible (in spite of the presence of some apocalyptic texts in some places in other books), and at the same time it is one of the many apocalypses with which the Hebrew literature abounds from the second century B.C. onwards. X. and before the second century and after it. In spite of the existence of individual monuments and of non-Jewish origin (such as the Sibylline books), it can be said that this apocalyptic for several centuries (from the second century B.C. to the second century after it) was a particularly characteristic expression of the Jewish spirit in its self-consciousness and its historical destinies. Beginning with the great prophets of the post-exile people, the Jewish people think and feel life apocalyptically, although this was not the only determining factor in their self-consciousness. The preaching of the Forerunner, Christ and the Apostles, and in general the whole of Christianity could find a place for themselves in it. It defeated the apocalyptic. The latter died out with the destruction of Jerusalem, which followed a series of messianic-apocalyptic movements and rebellions led by false messiahs. However, the Church of the Gentiles, which received Christianity from Israel, did not accept it apocalyptically, but remained free from it.