FOUR HORSEMEN POTATOES

Parsnips and horseradish give this standard side extra kick!

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Eat

Yields 4 generous servings

Ingredients

2 pounds of peeled gold potatoes, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds

1 pound of peeled parsnips, sliced into ¼ think rounds

6 tablespoons of room temperature butter

3 tablespoons of prepared horseradish

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)

2/3 cup buttermilk (plus more as needed)

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Boil potatoes and parsnips together in salted water for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.

2. Drain the pot and return vegetables along with butter, horseradish, garlic and salt to the pot. Mash with a potato masher or electric beater, then add buttermilk and continue mashing until smooth. Use more buttermilk if needed to reach your desired consistency. Finally stir in parsley, adding salt and pepper to taste.

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Theology

Inspired Word

Revelation 6:2-8

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest... Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword... I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "Two pounds of wheat for a day's wages, and six pounds of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"... I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Bite Sized Theology

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation of Scripture.

The Main Meal

Though the four horsemen of the apocalypse are only mentioned briefly in the Bible, their vivid description and connection with the beginning of the end for mankind has made them a fearful image for most people in the Western World. Like the book of Revelation, in which they are found, these harbingers of doom have been subject to varied interpretation and representation over the centuries.

There are four common hermeneutic methods for understanding the book of Revelation and one’s chosen method will significantly impact the meaning that they find in the horsemen. Put briefly, these methods are called Historicist, Preterist, Futurist, and Idealist. The Historicist method finds in the book of Revelation a prophetic outline of world history from the time that it was written to the present day. This outline was broken into seven stages correlating to the seven churches and proponents of the method would apply events in the book to events in world history. Though popular in the Middle Ages, this method has lost favor with most scholars as it has had to be revised numerous times as the centuries continue onward and deprives Revelation of meaning for the original readers. The Preterist model interprets the events of Revelation as symbolic representations of the first-century church’s experience under the Roman Empire. To explain the prophetic nature of the book, Preterist scholars suggest that Revelation was written more than a quarter century earlier than its standard dating and thus predicts the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. Though popular among scholars, this method does face critique for its reliance on early dating and because it limits Revelation’s application to only one people group rather than the whole world (which would be the natural implication of the text). The Futurist model interprets Revelation as a prophecy of future events that will take place at the literal end of the world. This method has is the popular representation found in Christian media and, therefore, what most lay Christians apply to the book of Revelation. Scholarly critiques include its inapplicability to the original audience (and all Christians save those alive for the foretold end days) and unnecessarily literal understanding of symbolic language. The Idealist method interprets Revelation as a symbolic representation of timeless truths which are continually experienced throughout church history. This method is applauded for its relevance to all Christians and focus on theologically appropriate symbolism but critiqued for its failure to connect to the historical events which enrich the symbols.

If you are a fan of buffets and tapas, there is good news. Just like those multi-option meals, many scholars employ more than one interpretive method to their Revelation reading! When looking at each of the four horsemen the various interpretations will lean more heavily on symbolic significance, historical relevance or prophetic implications. The white horse which comes first is the most challenging to interpret. Throughout Revelation, white is a sign of virtue and righteousness and there are similarities between this horseman and the victorious Christ at Revelation’s end. For those reasons, some perceive this first rider as Christ himself, but it is more likely that the similarity is a façade. This rider imitates a holy victor to mask the evil desire to conquer. Whether he represents the many false messiahs who mislead God’s people, the former Roman emperor Nero, or a coming Antichrist, he craves domination. The natural result of such a craving is warfare and so the second horse comes fiery red and wielding a great sword. Given the Roman Imperial context of Revelation’s writing, this large sword is associated with the sword of Rome. The Roman Empire claimed “pax Romana” – a peace ensured by its rule, but this peace was forever under threat of rebellion and civil war and was only maintained by the threat of the sword. Whether then or now, however, the sword is a nearly universal symbol of warfare and violence.

War pulls resources which are necessary to sustain life and often leads to famine. This may be why the third horseman follows the red horse. Interestingly, there is a caveat to this famine… the dark horseman is told not to damage the oil and the wine. From a historical context, this detail may have been meant to remind the original audience of a recent famine in the empire wherein Domitian decreed that the vineyards should be cut down and replaced with grain production. He did not realize that such plants would take years to produce edible grain and in the meantime the famine grew worse. Others see that oil and wine are luxuries for the wealthy and consider this line a scathing message about disparities in economic security. The black color of this horse would have been associated in the first century, as it is now, with death and mourning, the predictable result of widespread famine. The rider of the black horse is not the one named Death, however, that name is saved for the final horseman as he comes in on a pale horse. The original Greek word which we translate pale can also mean green and the visual is one of rot and decay. Death brings with him a sinister friend; Hades following close behind. The gruesome duo move swiftly so that one takes the natural body and the other the soul without pausing long enough for the dignity of grief. They add to the sword and famine a third weapon of mass destruction, plague.

Proceeding one after the other, the horsemen are a warning of the horrendous consequences of human sin as our desire to conquer brings about warfare, famine, and plagues which cause death. The book of Revelation shows what happens when these desires are free to run rampant.

References

Anderson, C. Colt. A Catholic and Ecumenical Response to the Left Behind Series. Journal of Pentecostal Theology 13.2 (2005), PP 210-230.

Awadt, Najib G. Revelation, History and Idealism: Re-examining the Conceptual Roots of Wolfhart Pannenberg’s Theology. Theological Review XXVI/1, 2005, PP 91-110.

Dockery, David S. Is Revelation Prophecy or History? Christianity Today: October 25, 1999. P. 86.

Gregg, Steve, Editor. Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1997.

Koester, Craig R. Revelation and the Left Behind Novels. Word & World Volume 25, Summer 2005, PP 274-282.

Osborne, Grant R. Revelation: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.

Pate, C. Marvin, general editor. Four Views on the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.