Abstract

The purposes of the present study were two-fold: to provide an explanation of Kenneth Burke's theory of entelechy, and extract from his theory an entelechial critical methodology, and, to apply the Burkean methodology extracted to the Apocalypse of John. ;Burke claims that his theory of entelechy is an extension of Aristotle's theory of entelechy. In the present study, Burke's claim is corroborated. Burke extends Aristotle's primarily biological theory into the realm of symbolic action. In doing so, Burke makes mutatis mutandis adjustments to the Aristotelian theory in the areas of "form" and "material," as he replaces the Aristotelian concept of "causes" with "motives." Burke's methodology is presented as a tracking down of the perfectionist implications of terminologies, symbol systems. ;In applying the Burkean methodology extracted to the Apocalypse of John, the "representative anecdote" of the Apocalypse is identified as Woman vs. the Dragon . The Apocalypse is then entelechially critiqued from four perspectives--Poetics, Psychological, Socio-Political, and Rhetorical. ;From the Poetics perspective, the Apocalypse is seen as the ultimate human drama in which John chiastically/symmetrically perfects the future by developing a mirror-image of the past. John's structure is found to resemble the "Weltwochenschema" of the Rabbinic school of Elias as they both resemble a Greek trilogy-turned-tetralogy. ;From the Psychological perspective, the Apocalypse is seen as borrowing the archetypal "seven" form from the Creation Week account of Genesis 1. The expectations of this form are utilized by John as he emphasizes the entelechial "brink" number throughout the Apocalypse, the number "six." ;From the Socio-Political perspective, the Apocalypse is seen as perfecting an intra-Jewish political order. The top echelon of the Jewish hierarchy prior to 70 CE, the high priestly party, is "dramatistically replaced." ;From the Rhetorical perspective, John is seen as transcending the "Conqueror - Conquered" dichotomy by making the Conquered the Conqueror