The Seven-Headed beast of Revelation 17

Abstract

"One of the serious challenges of the book of Revelation is how to interpret the seven-headed beast of Rev 17. The interpretation, naturally, is affected by the presuppositions which one brings to the text. Consequently, a great variety of interpretations have been put forth, each reflecting the particular presuppositions which the interpreter has brought. It is my purpose to ,attempt to avoid external presuppositions as far as possible, listening closely to the text and reading it as far as possible within its own internal context. I realize, of course, the impossibility of coming to the text with no presuppositions whatsoever; however, I hope to consciously avoid insofar as possible letting such presuppositions influence the interpretation. Therefore, there will be few references to the literature in this article, since the purpose is to listen as closely as possible to the text without introducing the bias brought by previous interpreters."