This study emerged from a study of the Book of Revelation
originally undertaken in the Bible study programme of a
local Baptist Church congregation in Kingston, Jamaica.
Soon, dissatisfaction was felt by the writer, who had
conducted the study, concerning the methodological
procedure adopted and the practical relevance achieved.
Insights gained from the Theology of Liberation, its own
methodological procedure in general and hermeneutical
approach in particular, showed up the inadequacies of the
approach that had been adopted and also suggested
possibilities which have become the basis of this present
study. There resulted a heightened appreciation of the
book including fresh awareness of its significance for
the contemporary world, particularly the so-called Third
World.
There seems to be a certain structural correlation and
correspondence of experience between the context and
people of the book's focus and the context and peoples of
Today's Third World. The context was one of oppression
and the. experience one of struggle and endurance. The
Book represents reflection on engagement in solidarity
and struggle against oppression, on the part of its
writer and his fellow-believers. The reflection took
place in the light of the Word of God, the book being
greatly influenced by the Old Testament in particular,
without it being quoted and by the inspiration of the
Spirit. Self-Conscious Contextual orientation, practical
commitment, prophetic consciousness, political
sensitivity, ecclesial framework of action and witness
and liberative hope soteriologically grounded and
eschatologically focussed are significant features of the
reflection. These features which are themselves
anticipatory of certain insights of the theology of
liberation give the Book very powerful meaning and
effective relevance particularly for the Third World
experience.
The book's significance is, however, not exhausted by
the particular contextual relevance emphasised. It
combines remarkably the contextual and cosmic, thus
indicating quite instructively that the contextual and
universal are not necessarily mutually exclusive realms
for theological reflection that is self consciously
contextual.