Before Jerusalem Fell

Tb Role ofJewtih Christiani~ 223
cities, as Crtristianity was very often persecuted in the first century
by the Jews (cf. Acts 13:50; 14:2, 5, 19; 17:5; etc.). Frend observes
that “down to A.D. 64 danger threatened the Christian Church from
the Jews and the Jews alone.”8
Jewish antipathy to Christianity at Smyma is very evident, for
the “Jews at Smyrna were both numerous and aggressively hostile.”g
Thus, John derides these Jews as not really being Jews in the true,
spiritual sense of the word. As Mounce puts it: “Members of the local
synagogue may claim to be Jews, but the very claim constitutes them
liars.” 10 Thus John does here what Paul does in Remans 2:17-29: he
distinguishes between the “true Jew” (the Christian who is a ‘~ew”
inwardly and spiritually) and the “false Jew” (one who is a Jew
racially and religiously). These Jews had forsaken the truth of historic,
God-given Judaism by not following after the Messiah and
subscribing to the Christian faith.
Thus, John attributes a spiritual significance of the highest order
to being a “Jew,“ i.e., in the true sense of the word: a Christian. The
Christians at this ~tage were argumentatively presenting themselves
as the true Jews. 1] This must be at an early stage of Christian
development when Christianity still understood and presented itself
as true Judaism.
This conception of Christianity is strongly reaffirmed again later
in Revelation. Christians are still designated as the true Jews, the
fullness of the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Rev. 7:4-8; 14: lff.; 21: 12).
Revelation 7:4-8 is particular instructive:
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and
International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), p.
93; Leon Morris, 2% Rsuslation of St. John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969), p. 64 R.
H. Charles, The Rewlation of,St. John, 2 VOIS. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1920) 1:56-57;
Henry Barclay Swete, Comrmntq O. Revelation (Grand Rapids: Kregel, [1906] 1977), p.
31; and many others.
8. W. H. C. Frend, The Ear~ Church (Philadelphia Fortress, 1982), p. 29.
9. Swete, Revelation, p. 31. He cites Lightfoot, Ignatiw, 1:468 ff. and Schurer, Geschichte,
3rd cd., pp. 11, 29, 34. Original ancient documentation is garnered from
Andreas, Int@retation of Rswlation, ad. 10C.; Ignatius, Letter to the Smryaaeam 1 :2; The
Mart@dom of Pol@arp 12:2; 13:1. For additional early, non-canonical evidence of Jewish
antipathy to Christianity elsewhere, see also Justin, Dialagua 16:11; 47: 15; 965; Tertullian,
Scorpion’s Sting 10.
10. Mounce, Revelation, p. 119.
11. C P. Matt. 19:2& Luke 22:30; Gal. 6 l& James 1:1; 1 Pet. 2:9.