Apocalyptic horsemen

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a redirect to this article. For the volume with this name see Die Apokalyptischen Reiter (volume) . For the apocalyptic horsemen in the couple relationship, see John Gottman # The four apocalyptic horsemen in the couple relationship .

The apocalyptic horsemen ( woodcut by Albrecht Dürer )

The Bible mentions the four horsemen of the apocalyptic in the 6th chapter of the Revelation of John as messengers of the approaching Apocalypse , the Last Judgment , one of the four last things .

In a vision of the heavenly throne room ( Rev 4–5  EU ) John is shown a book with seven seals , which neither a person nor an angel is considered worthy to open , only the Lamb of God . The expression lamb (ἀρνίον) in Revelation denotes Jesus Christ . In Rev 6 the Lamb begins to open the seals. When the first four seals are opened , a rider appears on the call "Come!" And haunts humanity with his scourges.

Revelating of the Johannes

Text of the standard translation:

“Then I saw: the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals; and I heard the first of the four living beings shout like a thunderous voice: Come! Then I saw, and behold, a white horse; and he who sat on it had a bow. A wreath was given to him, and when he was victorious, he set out to win. When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living being call out: Come! Another horse appeared; that was fiery red. And he who sat on it was empowered to take away the peace of the earth so that people might slaughter one another. And a great sword was given to him. When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living being call out: Come! Then I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on him had a scale in his hand. In the midst of the four living beings I heard something like a voice say: One measure of wheat for one denarius and three measures of barley for one denarius. But do no harm to the oil and the wine! When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living being call out: Come! Then I saw, and behold, a pale horse; and he who sat on it is called 'death'; and the underworld followed him. And power was given to them over a quarter of the earth, power to kill by the sword, starvation and death, and the animals of the earth. ( Rev 6 : 1-8)  EU "

interpretation

Overall, the four “Come!” Calls to which the four riders appear are interpreted in such a way that they appear in harmony with the divine will and with God's permission.

The first rider

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ( Beatus von Osma Codex , 11th century)

The white color of the first horse (6.2) symbolizes victory, purity and justice; the rider's wreath is considered a victory wreath. The bow carried is the most far-reaching weapon of antiquity. The departure of the white rider indicates the outbreak of war, which is referred to several times in Revelation ( Rev 12.7  EU ; Rev 16.14  EU ; Rev 19.11  EU ).

Interpretation history

Old church interpreters such as the church father Irenaeus interpreted the rider as referring to Christ himself, or as Andrew of Caesarea to the preaching of the gospel. For this interpretation, the rider, recognizable as Christ, is used in Rev 19 : 11-16  EU .

Conversely, many interpreters understand the first rider as a negative figure in analogy to the other riders. Even Martin Luther suggested, inspired by a woodcut by Albrecht Dürer and troubled by the siege of Vienna by the Turks, the first tab called "the first plague, the persecution of the tyrant." This negative interpretation is also shared by the majority of the important exegetes of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The second rider

The red color of the second horse symbolizes blood and death from wars, and the long sword wielded by the rider symbolizes powerful weapons of war and violence. The prophecy of wars is a common motif in apocalyptic texts. The text offers no clues for a historical interpretation of a particular war or world empire.

The third rider

The black color of the third horse symbolizes death and hunger. His rider carries a scales as a symbol of price increases. A voice announces inflation and hunger.

The fourth rider

The fourth, pale horse means fear , sickness , decline and death . The order is based on the information given by the prophet Zechariah ( Zech 1, 8–10  EU or Zech 6, 1–8  EU ).

Interpretation of riders in pop culture

Contrary to the biblical text, in today's pop culture there is often another tab called pestilence , plague or disease in various media. This rider symbolizes disease and plague. He often replaces one of the other four riders in order to maintain the number of riders. In this way the first rider (symbolizing victory) is usually replaced.

Reception in art, psychology, literature and music

Among the apocalyptic motifs, the horsemen, like the whore of Babylon and the fall of Jerichos, occupy a prominent position.

→ Main article : Apocalyptic horsemen in art, literature, music, film and computer games

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse (painting by Peter von Cornelius )

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse (painting by Viktor Wasnezow )

• The Angers Apocalypse Tapestry (14th century)
• Albrecht Dürer : The four apocalyptic horsemen , woodcut (1498)
• Peter von Cornelius : The Horsemen of the Apocalypse , cardboard , (1841–1867)
• Viktor Wasnezow : The Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1887)
• Aphrodite's Child : 666: The Four Horsemen (1972)
• Metallica : The Four Horsemen (1983)
• John Gottman : The four horsemen of the apocalypse in the couple relationship

literature

• Otto Böcher : The Johannes apocalypse , earnings of research 41, Wiss. Buchgesellschaft Darmstadt 4th edition 1998, pp. 47–56.
• Michael Bachmann : The apocalyptic horsemen. Dürer's woodcut and the history of interpretation of Apk 6.1–8 , in: Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche 86 (1989), pp. 33–58.
• Michael Bachmann: Another look at the first apocalyptic rider , New Testament Studies, vol. 44, 1998, pp. 257–278.
• Jens Herzer : The first apocalyptic horseman and the king of kings. A contribution to the Christology of the John Apocalypse , New Testament Studies 45/2 (1999), pp. 230–249.
• Jens-Wilhelm Taeger : Light or dark? On the recent debate about the interpretation of the first apocalyptic horseman. In: Jens-W. Taeger, David C. Bienert , Dietrich-Alex Koch (editor): Johanneische Perspektiven. Essays on the Johannes apocalypse and the Johannine circle 1984–2003 (research on religion and literature of the Old and New Testament 215), Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2006, pp. 139–156.

Video games

In the PC game Hexen 2 from 1997 , four final bosses based on the apocalyptic riders have to be defeated.

In the game series Darksiders , which was published by THQ Nordic , the roles of the players are based on the four riders. The person playing has to compete as an apocalyptic rider against different opponents, such as demons, angels and others.

The four riders are also represented in Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare and appear there as special horses.

The game The Binding of Issac thematizes many religious texts in its own way and here too the four riders are represented as between bosses.

Web links

Commons : Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Rev 6 after the critical Greek edition by Nestle-Aland

Individual evidence

1. ^ Adversus haereses ("Against the Heresies"), IV 21.3 German text
2. ↑ See Wilhelm Bousset, The Revelation Johannis , Göttingen 1906, p. 64 .
3. ↑ WA.DB 7.435
4. ↑ On this Otto Böcher: Die Johannesapokalypse , S. 47–56.
5. ↑ Cf. Mk 13.8; Mt 24.7; 4 Esr 6.24; 13.31; 3Bar (syrBar) 70.3
6. ↑ See Wilhelm Bousset, The Revelation Johannis , Göttingen 1906, p. 267 .
7. ↑ Supernatural Season 5, Episode 19 - "His Last Trick"
8. ↑ Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell Season 4, Episode 2 - "The Poor Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
9. ↑ The Binding of Isaac on Steam. Retrieved March 1, 2020 . 
10. ↑ Supernatural Season 5, Episode 19 - "His Last Trick"