Revelation as Drama
I recently purchased tickets to take my wife to see the Chicago stage production of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol in December at The Goodman Theater. Second row seats, December 15, 2007! Past performances have received rave reviews. The tickets are a birthday present (hers is on December 14). Well, I guess I am giving myself a present as well! We are both excited because the drama is one of our favorites.
The purchase got me to thinking. Even though some scholars have organized the book of Revelation around Greek dramas (see J. L. Blevins’s Revelation As Drama
a terrifying drama of which God is the victim and the hero.”
— Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos
“The Bible is not a theological dictionary but a theological drama, and
should be used as such. . .Evangelical theology, to the extent
that it is a theology of the gospel, is therefore no rag-bag collection
of teachings but rather a dramatic ‘from rags to riches’ tale in
which God the Son makes himself nothing in order that his human
followers gain everything. The Bible. . .is an integrated drama
concerning the unfolding of the covenant of grace. The Triune God
is the principle actor throughout, uniting even the drama of
creation with the drama of redemption.”
— Kevin Vanhoozer, “The Voice and the Actor”
On this site I have stressed the STORY of the Bible is one about God’s saving actions so that we may have the relationship with him that he desires. Each Story (told in the books we divide into the Old and New Testaments) must be read in light of the STORY. And the stories we read in each Story must be read in light of THE STORY. And even our own s-t-o-r-i-e-s must be placed in the context of the stories, the Biblical authors’ Stories, and the grand STORY.
The Bible is primarily a STORY told in Stories with stories filling the pages. and we are talking about drama. The Drama of the Bible has God as both playwright and main actor. There is a plot that moves from creation to climax (or consummation). The cast of characters are innumerable. And the Drama is a live, ongoing production.
So next time you read through Revelation, please ask: What role are you playing in The Drama of all dramas, the Greatest Story ever told? And ask yourself another question: How will the Heavenly Critic evaluate your role?
Related posts: