The Original Book of Revelation

The original book of Revelation was written around 500 BCE. It was part of a collection of prophecies written by a woman named Heropbile who lived in a cave near the ancient town of Cumae, in Campania, Italy. She was known as the Cumaean Sibyl, and the general populous considered her 'a slowly ageing but immortal priestess. The remains of Cumae and the adjoining caves are two hours drive from Rome and open to tourists today.  Herophile was one of several women who prophesied under the supposed inspiration of some deity; and delivered her prophecies in a frenzied state.  She was considered the greatest seer of Pagan antiquity. With the discovery of the 'Vatican Scrolls' it is possible to prove the Sibyl's influence reached deeply into the Christian book called the New Testament, for one of those books was written by her and later became the Book of Revelation.

Herophile appeared before the king of ancient Rome, Tarquin the Proud ('traditionally 510 BC').  She offered to sell him nine volumes of her perplexing writings which she said contained the destiny of the world which she called “The Mysteries of Osiris and Isis” for the pricey sum of 300 gold pieces.  Upon his refusal to buy, the prophetess departed from his presence and burned three of her writings in the palace courtyard, and then offered the remaining six books at the original price.  King Tarquin again refused, whereupon three days later the Sibyl returned and publicly burned three more of her prophetic writings.  Once again, she demanded the original asking price for the remaining three books. There was much local gossip about the strange goings-on, and the found out that she had burned 6 of the books, his curiosity was aroused to the point that he purchased the last three writings at the original asking price.  Some historians say that after the king read the 3 books he called her to have her reconstruct the 6 missing books. She refused. Other historians say that after the sale, Sibyl then vanished and was never seen again.

The Sibyl’s writings, regarded as ‘the mouthpiece of the gods’, were recognized as the most efficacious instruments in Roman religion, and were customarily observed and respected by all Romans.

The originals perished in the fire that destroyed the Temple of Capitolinusin 83 BCE, and were immediately replaced with copies from other temples. A special priestly college, called the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis, was set up by Julius Caesar, to take charge of the Sibylline books, and its sixteen members excercised great influence on decisions of state.

Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, directed the preparation of additional identical sets of the Sibyl’s oracles, and they were supplied to the Senate in Egypt, and to priests in all the Hellenised lands.

In 12 BCE, he transferred a special ‘pontifex’ collection to the Temple of Apollo, on the Palatine hill, where it remained until 405 CE. All this demonstrated their legal status, and their immeasurable worth, while misuse of the Sibyl’s oracles was punishable by death. For at least the first four centuries CE, the Sibylline Books were held to be the highest religious authority in the Roman Empire. So highly regarded were the Sibyl’s prophecies that the fourth century church usurped her second book, inserted narratives that dealt with Christian characters, and then said it was a divine revelation given to the apostle John given from heaven, and added it to their new testament.

Church records state that Cerinthus ‘rewrote’ the original Sibyl’s prophecies to create a falsified version, that was adjusted again in the fourth century, when it was added to the New Testament. The early church was so concerned that the general populace would learn that its Christian Book of Revelation was a forgery, that in 405 CE the Bishop of Rome ordered the Roman general Flavius Stilicho to burn as many copies of the Sibylline Books as he could find. The Bishop of Alexandria, Dionysius (d.c. 204 CE), had much earlier denounced the Book of Revelation, as being “without sense or reason, a forgery by Cerinthus.”.