Who Said Armageddon was Megiddo?
(2025) Revue Biblique — Vol. 132, n° 4, p. 558-577 (2025)
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- While the hypothesis that the term Armageddon in Rev 16:16 means “the mountain of Megiddo” is often thought to have existed throughout the history of the interpretation of the Book of Revelation, this article shows that it only became widespread in the 1580s, after having been put forward in the 12th century by Bruno de Segni (without any posterity). Its success is largely explained by the humanist return to Hebrew sources, but it also reflects a certain anxiety about the proliferation of etymological elucidations. It is now widely accepted, but often expressed with some reluctance and caveats, even into the 2020s. This article demonstrates the usefulness of a history of interpretation in reminding interpreters to be cautious in the face of certain opinions that sometimes seem obvious and universal.
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Burnet, R. (2025). Who Said Armageddon was Megiddo? Revue Biblique, 132(4), 558-577. https://doi.org/10.2143/RBI.132.4.3294770 (Original work published 2025)