Yes, but this concept is evidenced, over and over again, in the canonical Revelation. Something you refuse to admit. And I sorted out from the final Revelation all kind of bits which, at first look, are not Christian (but with explained reasons why).Yes, I have read both of those web pages. The foundation of what you said in your post and what you say in the web pages hinges around the concept that the text is Jewish and therefore we can throw out the Christian elements.
I said that the author of the most of the Christian additions was the same as for the Jewish original version. He wrote the additions after he turned Christian. Luke-Acts and Matthew are different and I had no reason to think they were Jewish writings later interpolated by Christians.The problem with the approach is that at the time of John's writing there were many Christian who were converted Jews. Luke-Acts is written the exact same way, Jewish poetry throughout, and I am aware of no one who think that originally it was a non-Christian document that was converted to Christian document. Matthew likewise, uses Hebrew poetry throughout and yet are you saying that Matthew was originally not a Christian document.
Another text which started as a strictly Jewish writing and then Christianize in different ways:
The ascension of Isaiah. See http://historical-jesus.info/100.html
The same author wrote the seven letters. So he did not change his method about being inspired by passages from the OT. That does not make the letters as original, and not Christian additions. And I explained my reasons why these letters did not belong to the original version, and that was not by a stroke of the pen.I have also pointed out many sections that are Jewish but you have excluded it in your derived source document. The seven churches for example is filled with Jewish imagery, derived from Hebrew Scriptures and with the stroke of the pin you excluded them from the source you view as proof.
Here are my comments on Rev 1:1 to 4:1 (from http://historical-jesus.info/rjohn.html:
1:1 (NKJV) The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
Notes:
a) But in the Christian version, the first "revelation" (the seven letters) to John is not from an angel, but from Jesus Christ himself (according to 1:17-3:22, "He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore" (1:18, also 2:8) and "Son of God" (2:18, also 2:27,3:5,21)).
Furthermore, in the Christian letters (about admonitions rather than prophecy), there is no hint that any "revelation" here was initially delivered from God to Christ.
b) Furthermore verses 22:6-9 state "... the Lord God ... sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place [God sent his angel, NOT his Christ! And the angel comes from God, NOT from Christ!]
... Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that.
For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets [Christ should normally be mentioned here, if the angel was a servant of Christ], and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God [again, no mention of Christ!].""
c) Verse 22:16 states "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches"
This is consistent with the (christianized) first verse of 'Revelation', but conflicting with 22:6-9 (here the messenger to John is an angel sent by God).
Therefore the words shown in italics are most likely Christian insertions.
2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy,
[only the main part of 'Revelation' is signified here; the (Christian) letters are ignored (as not existing yet!)]
` and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
4 Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.
[God is supposed to come]
8 (NIV) "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty [the Almighty is God, not Christ!]."
Notes:
a) Later, in the Christian additions, those words would also be attributed to Jesus (22:13--see note at this verse), resulting in an apparent conflict: how could two entities be "the Alpha and the Omega" at the same time?
Furthermore, in the rest of the N.T., God (or Jesus) is never called "the Alpha and the Omega".
b) Occurrences of 'the Beginning and the End' at 1:8 and (identifying Jesus as the speaker, instead of the angel's voice!) 'the Alpha and the Omega' & 'the First and the Last' at 1:11 do not show in most ancient manuscripts and therefore are most likely the result of late interpolations. Ref: List of major textual variants in the New Testament
c) The "Almighty" is always God in the rest of 'Revelation' (4:8, 11:17, 15:3, 16:7,14, 19:15, 21:22).
9 (Darby) I John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience,
10 I became in [the] Spirit on the Lord's Day, I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet,
11 saying, What you see write in a book,
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and having turned
Note: the seven letters to the churches of Asia, by far the main block of the (about 110 verses) Christian additions are located here (1:12b-3:22) and introduced by 1:4a,5-7 (total: 63 verses). As already noted, they are ignored in the introduction (the revelation to John comes from an angel, not directly from Jesus) and the whole passage, with some outright Christian elements ("I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever" 1:18, 2:8, "Son of God" 2:18, 2:27, "I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time" 3:3, 3:5, "the ruler of God's creation" 3:14), looks like an insertion within non-Christian Jewish material.
Remarks:
a) Between 1:1 and 1:10, there are three occurrences of 'Christ' and five of 'Jesus'. However, after 1:10, 'Christ' reappears not before 11:15 and 'Jesus' not before 12:17. It looks the front end was "loaded" with 'Christ' and 'Jesus' to establish (the final) 'Revelation' as Christian right from the start. Also here is located the main statement about Christian faith (1:5-7). Furthermore, most occurrences of the two aforementioned words happen in short clauses outside (i.e. foreign to) the main narration) (1:2,9, 11:15, 12:10,17, 14:12, 17:6, 19:10, 22:20-21).
b) It is likely the Christian additions were made with knowledge of GMatthew:
Mt24:30 "... and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven ..."
Rev1:7 "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him [from GJohn?]. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. ..."
Nowhere else in 'Revelation' Christ's coming (14:1, 19:11, 20:4, 21:2) is associated with clouds.
Another passage (of the Christian additions) apparently drawn from GMatthew:
Mt24:43-44 "... if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched ... Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (also in Lk12:39-40)
Rev3:3b "Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."
Furthermore, among the gospels, only in GMatthew the resurrected Jesus has his own throne at some day of Judgment (Mt19:28,25:31). In Rev3:21a, Christ will also have his own (but before, (as the Lamb) he shares God's throne: Rev3:21b). And let's notice Rev20:4 makes allowance for Christ and his disciples to judge from their thrones (as in Mt19:28).
4:1 (NKJV) I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place."
Cordially, Bernard