The Cult of Rome and John's Apocalypse

In The Cult of Rome and John's Apocalypse, Eckhard J. Schnabel offers a comprehensive study of the cult of Dea Roma and its significance for interpreting the book of Revelation. Drawing on inscriptions, coins, literary texts, and statues, Schnabel examines the deification of Roman power across the empire, with particular attention to the cities of Asia Minor addressed in John's Apocalypse. Schnabel argues that the worship of Dea Roma, closely coordinated with the imperial cult from the age of Augustus, provides a crucial political and religious background for Revelation's portrayal of the forces opposed to God, the Messiah, and the church. By situating John's visions within the concrete realities of Roman civic religion, Schnabel illuminates the pressures facing early Christians who were called to resist assimilation and remain loyal to the one true God and to Jesus, the crucified, risen, and exalted Lamb.