Salvation by migration? How the First-Century Writing and a Second-Century Roman Migrant Reading of Revelation 21:1–22:5 Inform a Theology of Migration to Cities in the 21st Century

This study analyzes the message of the New Jerusalem pericope in Rev 21:1–22:5 and its communication to a Roman immigrant in the late second century CE. The research discusses issues of mobility and migration to the city in the early Roman Empire, beginning with a reading of Revelation in its first-century Asia Minor context before constructing a hermeneutical bridge to a contextual reading of the vision in second-century Rome. Chapter 1 addresses methodological issues related to the study of the pericope and the proposed theme. It further describes how the analysis of Rev 21:1–22:5 has evolved in scholarly debate over the past four decades. Chapter 2 describes mobility and migration in antiquity, arguing that these themes were at the root of Christianity from its inception. It identifies John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, as a migrant who described his visionary experience in language shaped by both his religious and migrant experiences. Chapter 3 explores the ethos of Greco-Roman cities and the way John communicated his perspective on the earthly cities of Revelation in comparison to the New Jerusalem, specifically in terms of social ethos and infrastructure. Chapter 4 examines urban migration and its participants, discussing the significance of movement in the early Roman Empire, the relationship between Christianity and urban migration, and John’s portrayal of migratory movements. It concludes by exploring how the message of the New Jerusalem appealed to urban immigrants within the Greco-Roman world. Chapter 5 moves from Asia Minor in the first century to Rome in the late second century CE to examine the reception of John’s vision within the specific socio-material context of the Roman immigrant. Drawing on the urban graveyard theory, the chapter investigates the biological and social vulnerabilities faced by inhabitants of the insulae. It further explores how the Christian community functioned as a voluntary association providing fictive kinship and survival networks. This final chapter interprets the New Jerusalem as a concrete counter-city that challenges the imperial necro-economy, offering permanent citizenship and dignity to those marginalized by Rome’s exclusionary infrastructure. The conclusion proposes a theological synthesis grounded in the dissertation’s exegetical and historical work. It articulates a theology of migration, shaped by the vision of the New Jerusalem, that offers principles applicable to both ancient and contemporary contexts. These principles aim to inform a faithful, hopeful, and justice-oriented response to migration in the twenty-first century, positioning the New Jerusalem as a theological and eschatological horizon for migrants seeking belonging, dignity, and divine presence in the cities of this world.