The term divus was originally not sharply distinguished from deus (“god”) but from the consecration of Caesar onwards it was used almost exclusively (outside poetical texts) of properly consecrated members of the imperial family. 11 Concerning the imperial usage of Divvs, Price provides the following remark: Price points out that the title Divvs was bestowed on the recipient of the imperial cult since the establishment of the official cult of Julius Caesar.
The legend on the reverse of the coin reads, Divvs Caesar Imp Domitiani F. Finally, I will conclude that understanding Rev 1:16a in light of numismatic evidence and the larger context of Revelation serves as a fruitful approach for understanding the symbolic meaning of Jesus as being the holder of the seven stars in his right hand. Third, I will establish the historical setting of Revelation, attempting to understand how the intended audience would have perceived the identification of Jesus as the holder of the seven stars in his right hand. This comparison will show that there are noticeable similarities and dissimilarities between the son of Domitian depicted in the DCCT and Jesus described in Revelation. Then, I will compare the imperial message to Rev 1:16a and its related passages in the larger context of Revelation. In order to advance this argument, I will first interpret the inscription and iconography on the reverse of the DCCT, thereby providing the imperial message embedded in these coins.
In doing so, John urges the Christians in Asia Minor to abandon their participation in the Roman economic system that is embedded in imperial cults 9 and encourages them to endure the accompanying social and economic pressures even unto death.
I will argue that by portraying Jesus as such, John 8 places Jesus far above the imperial power, claiming that Jesus is the ruler par excellence whose sovereignty extends to both the terrestrial and celestial realms. The purpose of this article is to further develop the numismatic approach to Rev 1:16a in order to grapple with how the depiction of Jesus as the holder of the seven stars in his right hand functions in a larger context of Revelation. 6 According to this reading, Rev 1:16a is a literary device that polemically subverts the message embedded on the reverse side of the DCCT-a message that promotes the imperial power. 5 Advocates of this method often suggest that the depiction of Jesus as the holder of the seven stars should be understood in comparison with the Divvs Caesar coin types (hereafter DCCT)-coins that the emperor Domitian issued in 82–83 CE to consecrate his deceased son (see fig. Among many approaches, one viable method is to take into account Greco-Roman numismatic evidence.
4 While this interpretation is justified by the immediate context of Revelation, some scholars go further in scrutinizing the symbolism depicted in Rev 1:16a. Whitaker correctly avers, “he interpretation offered within the text is very specific,” that is, “he seven stars are the seven angels of the churches (1:20).” 2 According to this reading, the portrait of Jesus in Rev 1:16a 3 indicates the sovereignty of Jesus over the seven angels of the churches.
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