Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. -- Revelation 1:11, King James Version.
Saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. -- Revelation 1:11, American Standard Version.
Revelation 1:11 is often cited by trinitarians and some others as proof that Jesus is Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Of course, there is actually nothing in the verse that says such, so the idea has to formulated beyond what is actually stated.
The claim usually is that Jehovah is declared to be first and last in Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12, and that in Revelation 1:11 Jesus declares himself to be first and last. The claim is also often made that there can only be one "the first and the last," evidently giving the term an exclusive meaning of that could only be applied to the Supreme Being. In reality, such a thought is not stated anywhere in the Bible. The terms simply signifies a uniqueness in some way. For instance, George Washington was the first and last to be the first president of the United States. There was no first president before him, not will there ever be another first president of the United States again.
We should also not Hebrews 1:1,2 excludes Jesus as being God who spoke through His prophet Isaiah.
Regardless, in Revelation 1:11, the words "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and," is not found in the most translations. Most scholars appear to agree that the these words were added, and should not be there. We will provide a few quotes from various scholars:
Adam Clark states: I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and - This whole clause is wanting in ABC, thirty-one others; some editions; the Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, Vulgate, Arethas, Andreas, and Primasius. Griesbach has left it out of the text. -- Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Revelation 1:11". "The Adam Clarke Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/revelation-1.html. 1832.
Charles Ellicott stated:
In this verse we pass from St. John to Him who was the Word, of whom St. John gave testimony. He who is the faithful witness now speaks. “What thou seest, write,” &c. The previous words, “I am Alpha,” &c., are not found in the best MSS. -- Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on Revelation 1:11". "Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/revelation-1.html. 1905.
John Gill states:
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,.... These characters, which are repeated here; see Gill on Revelation 1:8; are left out in the Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions; but are very fitly retained, to point out the person that speaks; to express his dignity, deity, and eternity; to excite the attention of John, and to give weight to what he said. -- Gill, John. "Commentary on Revelation 1:11". "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/revelation-1.html. 1999.
Gill appears, in effect, to be saying, despite the textual evidence, that the phrase should be there because Jesus is God. If so, it would be circular reasoning, from this standpoint, to use the phrase in this verse as proof that Jesus is God. I do not dispute that Jesus is deity; I do dispute that Jesus' deity means that he is God (the Supreme Being), or that he is not the firstborn creature. -- Colossians 1:15.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown states:
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and. B 'Aleph (') A C, Vulgate, omit all this clause. -- Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on Revelation 1:11". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/revelation-1.html. 1871-8.
Philip Schaff states regarding verse 11:
The first clauses of the verse in the Authorised Version must be removed, and the words of the voice begin with what thou seest write in a roll. -- Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Revelation 1:11". "Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/revelation-1.html. 1879-90.
Walter Scott states regarding verse 11:
The divine titles, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last," should be rejected as forming no part of what John wrote. The first title was probably inserted from verse 8, and the second from verse 17. -- Scott, Walter. "Commentary on Revelation 1:4". "Walter Scott's Commentary on Revelation". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/sor/revelation-1.html.
Daniel Whedon states of this verse:
The words I… and inclusive, are here a spurious reading. -- Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Revelation 1:11". "Whedon's Commentary on the Bible". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/revelation-1.html. 1874-1909.
Oddly, it appears that many commentators skip over this part of Revelation 1:11 without any explanation at all. I cannot say why so many do this, but it may have been that they just did not wish get into the lack of textual support for the phrase. Some simply ignore the manuscript evidence and treat the phrase as being genuine.
However, while many scholars present it as being fact that the phrase does not belong in Revelation 1:11, we actually have no way of knowing this for a certainty. IF Jesus did apply the phrase Alpha and Omega to himself in this verse, it should not be understood, as many claim, that Jesus was saying that he was God, the source of all. Alpha and Omega being the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, we should realize that it is synonymous with the expression "first and last." Neither phrase, of itself, signifies the Supreme Being who is eternal, but as designating one who first and last, uniquely, the only one of what is being referred to. The God and Father of Jesus is certainly first and last of all who are the source of all (1 Corinthians 8:6). He is the first and last of those who are "from everlasting to everlasting." (1 Chronicles 16:36; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalms 41:13; 90:2) Jesus, being the firstborn creature (Colossians 1:15) is not "from everlasting," but he is uniquely first and last in other ways. He is the first and last firstborn creature. (Colossians 1:15) He is the first and the last firstborn of the dead. (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5) And he is first and last, unique in many other ways. I believe that in Revelation 1:17,18 and Revelation 2:8, Jesus referred to himself as being first and last in relation to what he said in the immediate context and also to what is stated in Revelation 1:5. He is the first and last firstborn of the dead; there will never be another firstborn of the dead. Thus, if he used the expression Alpha and Omega in verse 11, it should be viewed with this same meaning.
Even though the phrase "Alpha and Omega" is disputed as being in the original text, the other mentions of this phrase are undisputed elsewhere. Let's look at this and other phrases ascribed to both the Father and Jesus in the Book of Revelation:
ReplyDeleteAlpha and Omega
"Alpha and Omega" is a phrase that occurs three or four times in the book of Revelation as follows:
• Rev 22:13, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. This is spoken by Jesus to John, as V12 makes clear.
• Rev 21:6, He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Compare Isa 55:1; John 4:10-14; 7:37-38 for very similar declarations by Jesus.
• Rev 1:8, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
All these occurrences of "Alpha and Omega" are undisputed.
First and Last
The other part of the disputed phrase above is "the first and the Last" (idiomatically equivalent to "Alpha and Omega") which occurs (undisputed) in Rev 22:13 and is spoken by, and is a title of, Jesus. It is also spoken by Jesus in Rev 2:8. It is a direct quote from two places in the OT:
• Isa 44:6, This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
• Isa 48:12, Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last.
Thus, Jesus is effectively claiming one of the titles of the LORD, YHWH.
The Beginning and the End
Yet another phrase idiomatically equivalent to Alpha and Omega, First and Last, is "Beginning and End". Again, this is spoken by Jesus in Rev 22:13 and also by the Father, One who sits on the throne" in Rev 21:6 and Rev 1:8.
Thus, these three important, equivalent titles, "The Alpha and the Omega", "The beginning and the End", "The first and the Last" are all spoken by Jesus and the Father and are a direct allusion to titles spoken by the LORD in the OT. In both cases, the OT quotes are in the context of establishing that YHWH is the one and only true God.
In Revelation 1:8, it is obviously not Jesus who is being quoted but rather he who is siting on the throne. Likewise in Revelation 21:6 and Revelation 22:12,13.
DeleteFor links to some of our studies related to Revelation 1:8:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/revelation.html#rev1-8
Likewise, Revelation 21:6 is quoting, not the Lamb, but rather Jesus' God, Jehovah.
For links to some of our studies related to Revelation 21:6:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/revelation.html#rev21-1
Again, in Revelation 22:12,13, it is obvious that it is Jehovah, Jesus' God, who is being quoted.
For links to some of our studies related to Revelation 22:12,13:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/revelation.html#rev22-13
In Revelation 22:12,13, we believe that it is Jehovah of Isaiah 40:10,11, the God of the Messiah (Micah 5:4), who is speaking, not Jesus.
In Revelation 1:17,18; 2:8, Jesus applies the phrase the first and the last to himself, not as being the first and the last God Almighty, but as being the first and the last firstborn of the dead who had been dead, but brought back to life.
DeleteFor links to ou studies related to Revelation 1:17,18:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/revelation.html#rev1-17
For links to studies related to Revelation 2:8:
https://jesusnotyhwh.blogspot.com/p/revelation.html#rev2-8