Pictures from an Ethiopian illuminated manuscript,
first half of 18th century

Or 533, f. 1v. Rev.1:9. ‘I was on the island of Patmos’.
While this picture certainly reflects the scene-setting statement, ‘I was on the island of Patmos’, it can also be seen as a portrait of the author, like those which precede Ethiopian Gospels, or of the subject – as John was to some extent – like those which precede a gädlä or hagiography. John is both author of and protagonist in the narrative, albeit rather a less active than observing or passive one as regards Revelation, in as much as he describes himself not merely receiving the visions, but also interacting with angels and with God or Jesus and being transported through time and space to witness the visions or cosmic events. Later, of course, in the part concerning his life, he is a principal actor in terrestrial events.

f. 2v. Rev. 1:10. ‘I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet, …’
The angel’s shout is purely notional; there is no attempt to depict it – nor the trumpet nor the drums which the Ethiopian painter will later substitute when ‘trumpet’ is used in the text. The Ethiopian exegesis explains that the drum brings what is distant near: the isolation of the angel and the distance from John hints at the force of the summons needed to bridge the gap from the spiritual to the material world.

f. 3r. Rev. 1:12-17. ‘I saw seven gold lampstands and, surrounded by them, a figure like a Son of man … I fell in a dead faint at his feet.’
This is a thoroughly symmetrical composition except for the sword and the figure of John, which, though at different levels, can be held to balance each other. The small detail of the different position of the hands is not unusual. Sword and stars excepted, the iconography of the main figure is standard for God, rather than Jesus, on account of the white hair. In the present context, however, this feature should be understood to show that the Son of God/Son of Man/Messiah/ Jesus Christ existed before the beginning of time, i.e., was coeval with the Father.

f. 4r. Rev. 1: 17. ‘… he touched me with his right hand and said, ‘Do not be afraid …’
The fact that a whole picture is devoted to this moment of the narrative is interesting. An Ethiopian interpretation is simply that God strengthened John with his authority, but this image goes beyond touching to raising up, and it is tempting to see a message of reassurance about the active will of God to help humankind. Considering the review of terrible trials for humankind about to follow, this eschatological signpost to hope should be welcome.

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