Demonic Symposia in the Apocalypse of John

Abstract

Food and dining references have generally been treated individually in the Apocalypse rather than as a motif of the text. Reading for typical daily practices such as eating and drinking rather than specific local or historical references or biblical allusions provides a window into the social world of the audience and the ideological agenda of the text. This article argues that the text employs banqueting traditions that would be familiar to Christian communities in urban Asia Minor. John uses aspects of the literary symposium tradition to construct the moral character of several actors in the text and to connect his opponents in the Asian communities with the satanic forces.