Neither Cold nor Hot but Lukewarm: Rethinking the Temperature Metaphor in Revelation 3:15–16

The temperature metaphor in Revelation chapter 3 is used by Jesus to admonish the Laodiceans regarding their spiritual condition. The prevailing understanding of the metaphor centres around the city’s deficient water system, an interpretation no longer tenable because of recent archaeological discov...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wilson, Mark W. 1949- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Tyndale bulletin
Year: 2025, Volume: 76, Pages: 1-29
Further subjects:B Water
B roman bathhouse
B temperature metaphor
B Revelation
B laodicea
B Hermeneutics
B New Testament
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Description
Summary:The temperature metaphor in Revelation chapter 3 is used by Jesus to admonish the Laodiceans regarding their spiritual condition. The prevailing understanding of the metaphor centres around the city’s deficient water system, an interpretation no longer tenable because of recent archaeological discoveries. A subsequent interpretation of the metaphor was proposed, but this too is not persuasive. After briefly reviewing the archaeological finds related to Laodicea’s hydrological situation and critiquing the alternate proposal, a fresh hypothesis is introduced for interpreting the temperature metaphor by setting it amidst the material culture of Laodicea and the other six cities in Asia, specifically bathing in a Roman bathhouse.
ISSN:2752-7042
Contains:Enthalten in: Tyndale bulletin
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.53751/001c.132253