Revelation’s New Jerusalem in the Age of Imperial Christianity (ca. 313–ca. 600)

The project "Revelation’s New Jerusalem in the Age of Imperial Christianity (ca. 313–ca. 600)” ("Das Neue Jerusalem der Apokalypse des Johannes im Zeitalter des imperialen Christentums (ca. 313–ca. 600)”) (proj. no. 530173204) is led by Dr. Nathan Betz. The project is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinde (DFG) from April 2024 until March 2027.

Overview

Every great city demands a worthy history. This is not less true for the New Jerusalem described at the conclusion of the New Testament book of Revelation, the resplendent ideal city that has inspired countless theological, artistic, and political developments since it was written at the turn to the second century. From Irenaeus to 16th-century English Puritans, from the so-called Montanists to 19th-century liberal, progressive, and communist leaders, from the fourth-century churches of Rome to the hip-hop group Artifacts, the image has shaped, and at times defined, the course of human events and artistic expression throughout the Christian patrimony.

Much of the early stage of this story, however, has never been told. In this project, Nathan will seek to understand some of the earliest and most fundamental conceptions of this vivid figure as shown in their textual and visual reception, and further to situate them and their rise within the historical conditions that brought them forth in the formative centuries of the Christian imperial age. Building on his previous research, which investigates the very earliest reception of the image during the period of virtually universal acceptance of the book of Revelation (i.e. until ca. 312), this project will illuminate how previously existing theological ideas developed in the larger context of what could be described as imperial Christianity—that is, the late antique political system in which Christianity became a dominant social, cultural, and political factor—from the time of Constantine’s and Licinius’s reforms vis-à-vis Christianity until just after the restoration of the book of Revelation in the Greek East in the sixth century. While Nathan will look to the Greek and Latin textual tradition, he will also investigate both the Syriac textual tradition and the material cultural production—specifically visual art and architecture—in which these three languages were dominant. In the end, this project will illuminate the various significances attached to the image of the New Jerusalem, why and how the image came to be so frequently and lastingly employed in literature, visual art, and political thinking during this period, and how these developments grew out of the preceding period and developed into the period that followed.

This current project, therefore, by picking up where he and others have left off, promises a substantial, vital, and previously unwritten history of the reception of John’s New Jerusalem during the period of the late-antique Roman empire, broadly construed.

About Nathan Betz

Nathan's principal research interests include the New Testament, New Testament reception (especially the book of Revelation), patristic biblical exegesis, "Jerusalem" as an idea, the Christian doctrine of deification (theosis), and religious mysticism.

He is author of?City of Gods: The New Jerusalem of John’s Revelation in Early Christianity?(Brill, 2025) and co-editor of the collaborative volume Revelation's New Jerusalem in Late Antiquity?(Mohr Siebeck, 2024).

Nathan is a strong proponent of developing synergy in team environments. To that end, he actively leverages technology, social media, and traditional networking approaches to overcome traditional academic barriers and foster exceptionally fruitful and open research collaboration.

A founder and participant in several well-known networks for scholarly collaboration, he co-founded the?Revelation Reception Network and Seminar.?This network provides a broad, interdisciplinary group of international scholars with seminars, collaborations, and opportunities relevant to the long and fascinating reception of John's Apocalypse. He was also a founding team-member of KU Leuven's Theology Research News.

Prior to re-entering the academy, Nathan pursued a career in advertising, creative direction, and marketing consulting. During that time, he provided well-known corporate brands and universities with strategic communications solutions using a combination of digital, social, and traditional media. Drawing on this experience, Nathan is an active promotor of digital technology to solve persistent problems and shortcomings in humanities scholarship.

For Nathan’s research profile and publication record, please visit his ORCiD page at?https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6852-333X.