Analyzing J. W. Colenso's Unpublished Comments on the Book of Revelation

Abstract

<p>John W. Colenso was an Anglican missionary in South Africa in late 19th</p> <p>century who took a role as a philanthropic legal advocate for the uncivilized. He</p> <p>also contributed in pioneering linguistics of Zulu, one of the official languages</p> <p>used by many in South Africa. However, he is known for his destructive views</p> <p>on interpretation of the biblical texts, to be evaluated as one “smashing the</p> <p>Old Testament text,” and it caused him to be disgraced by his own church.</p> <p>His unpublished comments on the Book of Revelation, personally acquired</p> <p>to this researcher, are selectively presented and analyzed in this study, and his</p> <p>methodology of interpretation on the biblical texts examined. It was found that</p> <p>he invented words that are not in the text, transformed those which are in the</p> <p>text, and conflated some nouns as identical that are syntactically separated.</p> <p>He foregrounded interpretation with a preteristic model but backgrounded</p> <p>it now and then with a historicistic model. These findings confirm the</p> <p>existing evaluations on his theology. His calculated attempt to break down</p> <p>the inspiration of the Scripture is one of the biggest ironies regarding his</p> <p>philanthropic services as a missionary.</p>