Gonzalo Rojas-Flores, «The Book of Revelation and the First Years of Nero’s Reign», Vol. 85 (2004) 375-392
In this article I try to demonstrate that the Book of
Revelation was written in the first years of Nero’s reign, because (a) there
is an important patristic tradition in favor of Nero and (b) the internal
evidence shows that the text was redacted after Nero’s ascension to the throne
in 54 and before the earthquake of Laodicea in 60.
The Book of Revelation and the First Years of Nero’s Reign 389
In the same famous whore passage, the woman is sitting on a
scarlet Beast, having seven heads and ten horns (Rev 17,3). An Angel
explains that the seven heads represent seven hills and seven kings.
Five of them have fallen, the sixth one still reigns and the seventh one
has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while, so
the beast (one of the fallen kings who ascends from the abyss) shall be
his successor (17,7-11). Regarding the names of the five fallen kings
and the sixth reigning king, the possibilities change depending on
whether Julius Caesar is considered the first emperor or not, and
whether the brief governments of Galba, Otho and Vitellius are
included or not (40). Therefore, the sixth king might be Nero (54-68),
Galba (68-69) or Vespasian (69-79):
1st fallen king Julius Caesar Augustus Augustus
2nd fallen king Augustus Tiberius Tiberius
3rd fallen king Tiberius Gaius Gaius
4th fallen king Gaius Claudius Claudius
5th fallen king Claudius Nero Nero
6th reigning king Nero Galba Vespasian
7th future king Unknown to John Unknown to John Unknown to John
8th king (one of the fallen
kings who ascends from
the abyss)
According to many scholars, the beast “that was and is not, it is an
eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction†(17,11)
might be Nero Caesar whose number is 666 (13,18). In fact, there is
evidence that, already in 69, there were people who believed that Nero
was not actually dead and had sought refuge among the Parthians.
They used to place his image upon the rostra, dressed in robes of state.
Proclamations were published in his name as if he were still alive and
ready to return to Rome, in order to take vengeance on his enemies. In
relation to this belief, there were three pretenders who claimed to be
Nero (41). The myth was known by Jewish and Jewish-Christian circles
(Sibylline Oracles, Ascension of Isaiah), who began to foretell that
Nero was back from death as the Beliar demon (42).
(40) I follow the traditional interpretation of considering the emperors already
dead as “fallenâ€. Cf. Moberly and his hypothesis that the five “fallen†kings are
five emperors who died a violent death (Julius Caesar, Gaius, Nero, Galba, Otho).
MOBERLY, “Revelationâ€, 377, 383, n. 22, 385.
(41) Tacitus, Hist. 1.2; 2.8-9; Suetonius, Nero 57; Zonaras, Ann. 11.15-18.
(42) Cf. GENTRY, Before, 74-77, 300-307.