Before Jerusalem Fell

The Nero Redivivus Myth 301
explicitly in several forms in our text, the latest of which cannot be earlier than
the age of Domitian.”5 He sees the myth -
as growing in stages of
development and its reaching the developmental stage employed in
Revelation only by Domitian’s time. G Mounce lists as the first of his
lesser arguments7 “for the Domitianic date of Revelation “the particular
form of the Nero myth which underlies chapters 13 and 17.” He
follows the typical pattern of late date thinking when he notes that
the myth “could not have developed and been generally accepted
until near the end of the century.”8 Kummel mentions the myth as
requiring a late date, but he only mentions this in passing.g A good
number of other scholars employ the myth as helpful in dating
Revelation in Domitian’s reign. 10
These few scholars – representatives of liberal and of conservative
scholarship – demonstrate the role of the Nero Redivivu myth in
dating Revelation from the late date perspective. Before actually
considering the merits of their case, a brief introduction to the myth
itself will be necessary.
The Myth Explained
The specific passages of Revelation that are deemed expressive
of the currency of the Nero Redivivus myth are Revelation 13:3, 14 and
17:8, 11:
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound
5. R. H. Charles, T/u Reuelatton of St. John, 2 vols. International Critical Commentary
(Edinburgh: T. &T. Clark, 1920) 1 :XCV. Emphasis in the original.
6. Ibid., p. xcvi.
7. His major arguments are two: (1) the role of emperor worship and (2) the widespread
prevalence of persecution. Robert H. Mounce, T/w Book of Revelation. New International
Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), pp. 32-34.
8. Ibid., p. 34.
9. Werner Georg Kiimmel, Introduction to the New Testament, 17th cd., trans. Howard
C. Kee (Nashville: Abingdon, 1973), p. 468.
10. For example:
Arthur S. Peake, ?% Revelation ofJohn (London: Joseph Johnson, 1919), pp. 123-133.
Isbon T. Beckwith, 2% Ajsoca~pse of John: Studies in Introduction (Grand Rapids: Baker,
[1917] 1967), pp. 400-403.
John Paul Pritchard, A Litera~ Approach to tb New Testament (Norman, OK: University
of Oklahoma Press, 1972), p. 303.
Howard Clark Kee, Understanding & Nsw T.stammt, 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, 1983), p. 339.
Ernest Findlay Scott, 2% Literature of thz New 2%tanwzt. Records of Civilization XV
(New York: Columbia University Press, 1932), p. 277.