The Reign of Domitian
Most conservative commentators date the book of Revelation in the late 90s A. D., during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Some argue against that date because, clearly, Revelation reflects a time when the Christians are being persecuted (1:9, for example) but Domitian did not instigate an empire-wide, official persecution of Christianity.
Kevin Rhodes, putting his master thesis into print, has contributed to understanding the issue. His book is titled, A Consequence of Legitimacy: Domitian’s Conflict with the Senate and the Imperial Cult’s Conflict with Christianity. The title might put you off, but the book is easier to read than the title suggests.
Rhodes begins by giving us a glimpse into the thinking of the Roman Senate and its relationship to the emperor’s position. That is, the emperor needed to be considered “legitimate” by the senate, in order to be respected and supported – and to avoid assassination! In Rhodes’s study, the emperor needed “legitimacy” in three key areas: experience, character, and authority.
The fourth chapter deals with Domitian personally. Domitian, according to Rhodes, pursued this “legitimacy” in the eyes of the senate by showing his loyalty to Rome’s gods, the position of the emperor, and the Flavian family.
The consequences of Domitian’s actions are seen in changes that are brought about in the area of Asia, the specific region in which the seven churches are located to whom the book of Revelation was written. In other words, how did Domitian’s pursuit of legitimacy effect local policies that provide the background to Revelation?
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The province of Asia, engaging in important commerce with Rome, needed to prove its loyalty to the emperor. The large Jewish communities in Ephesus and Sardis would also be strongly motivated to side with the Roman authorities against the Christians. “Therefore, while the government did not pursue Christians solely based upon their Christianity, policy decisions left them vulnerable to persecution nonetheless” (174).
Rhodes’s conclusion is that the persecution depicted in the book of Revelation is consistent with what we know of Domitian’s efforts to make himself viewed legitimately in the eyes of the senate, even if the persecution was not formally and officially instigated by the emperor. “Domitian’s pursuit of the legitimacy denied him by the patricians in the senate ultimately created a new role for the imperial cult [“worship” of the emperor, p.h.] as the proof of imperial loyalty for those in the province [of Asia, p.h.], a test for the provincials [local leaders in Asia, p.h.] to determine the loyalty of Christians to the emperor, and for the conscientious Christian caught up in the fray, a test to determine his loyalty to Christ” (201).
Rhodes concludes: “Domitian did not have any policy at all directed specifically at Christians, but the persecution of Christians that did occur during the latter portion of his reign occurred as a consequence of his legitimacy.”
Rhodes has contributed to our understanding of the political atmosphere of the late first century and the cultural pressures that were put on Christians to denounce their faith in Christ. It is in that environment that John challenged Christians to “be faithful unto death” (2:10). His message is the same for us today, even if the immediate threat of persecution is not as keen.
–Paul Holland
