According to one researcher, the cryptical biblical apocalypse Christian deliberately uses the language and verbal elements of the Roman cursed tablets, probably to reinforce his message.
Research suggests that the Book of Revelation – a section of the Christian Bible that scholars believe was written in the late 1st century AD – he tried to distinguish the nascent religion from the paganism of the Roman Empire of the time by wording his message in a familiar way that would reinforce his ominous message.
“My research gathers evidence that the curse tablets explain surprising aspects of the text of the Apocalypse better than other pretexts,” Michael Hölscher, a researcher in the department of biblical studies at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, told Live Science in an email to Live Science.
The revealing study of the Apocalypse
Holscher directs a research project on the similarities between the Apocalypse and the Roman cursed tablets for the German Research Agency (DFG).
ANDThe researcher explained that a key example of Revelation is that it speaks of God “binding” and “liberating” Satan. The same terminology is used in the Roman cursed tablets, also known as “defixions” – “lega” in Latin – because they often “bind” or force their victim to perform a certain action.
Another example is that Revelation describes enemies with all-encompassing formulas, as do the cursed tablets: “whether the person is male or female, free or slave… these kinds of formulas also appear in the Apocalypse”, Holscher said.
For example, chapter 13 of the Apocalypse prophesies that a “mark of the beast” will be imposed on “everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and bond…”.
Other scholars, however, disagree, defining the link between the two as “tenuous”.
The Book of Revelation, also known as Revelation, the Apocalypse of John, or the Apocalypse of John, is interpreted by most modern scholars as an attempt to prophesy the end of the world and the second coming of Christ.
According to the Apocalypse, unbelievers would be cast into hell, while Christians would ascend to heaven during the second coming.
Since someone named John wrote one of the four Gospels, it was assumed that he also wrote the Apocalypse. But according to scholar Bart Ehrman, writing in “The New Testament: An Historical Introduction to Early Christian Writings“Now it is believed that the author of the Apocalypse is a man nicknamed John of Patmoswho wrote it around AD 96 after seeing or hearing about it the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70
The Book of Revelation and the Roman Curse Tablets
Revelation describes the end of the world with images familiar to early Christians..
It also introduces the “number of the beast”, probably a reference to the Roman emperor Nero.whose name can be translated into Hebrew numerology as “666” and who was infamous for brutally persecuting Christians.
According to Holscher, not only is the text of the Apocalypse inspired by the Roman tables of curses, but also the actions it describes: for example, an angel throws a large stone to destroy Babylon, which is a type of ritual curse.
The influence of the cursed tablets is also evident in the verbal elements derived from the practice of writing curses.Holscher said. For example, the figures associated with deities in Revelation often have the names of those deities written on their bodies – followers of the beast, for example, bear the beast’s name or number on their hands or foreheads.
Cursed tablets were widespread in the Roman worldalthough they were considered a form of black magic and prohibited by law.
They consisted of a curse to harm an enemy – usually as ominous as possible – usually engraved on a thin sheet of leadwhich was then deposited in a place where only the gods could see it, such as a crack in a wall or in a pagan temple.
More than 100 cursed tablets have been found in a temple in the English city of Bath, which was a healing center in Roman times.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.