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- Revelation 12: 1-5a
Revelation 12: 1-5a
The Woman and the Dragon
Note for Preachers:
In traditional thought, this female figure is often identified with the Virgin Mary, the son being Jesus. This can therefore be interpreted as an eternal prophecy both fulfilled already and still be fully realised. Alternatively, the woman may represent Israel, with the twelve tribe as the jewels in her crown; it is Israel’s sufferings which bring forth the Messiah. The elements in the passage call upon a range of influences including Jewish, Greek and Persian, and the subsequent verses, which are not included in this reading, introduce other elements.
Whatever the method of interpretation, the presence of the ‘great red dragon’ or ‘serpent’ signifies an evil force, in Jewish tradition and in both Greek and near eastern mythology. In apocalyptic style, this passage is about temporal suffering and ultimate victory, and stresses that the fight will be hard and vicious. It has much to say today, first in terms of sustaining those Christians in situations where the beast is as identifiable and terrible as in this picture. But mostly it challenges a complacency which celebrates a victory already won, without the need to address the issues of evil which beset us.
- Revelation 12: 1-5a (pdf)
