Each of the seven letters to the churches of Asia ends with a promised blessing to those who overcome (Revelation 2-3). The letter to Pergamum ends with a triple promise of \u201chidden manna,\u201d \u201ca white stone,\u201dand a \u201cnew name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it\u201d (2:17). The reference to a \u201cwhite stone\u201d has long been a puzzle. What might it mean?<\/p>\n
We can gain a couple of clues from the context. First, the letter to Pergamum employs wilderness era imagery throughout. The enemies of the church are Balaam and Balak (Numbers 22-24), the sins are the sins that Israel committed at Baal Peor (Numbers 2), and one of the promised blessings is manna, the bread of wandering. Whatever the white stone is, we can surmise it fits into this set of imagery.<\/p>\n
Second, and more specifically, Jesus promises not merely manna but hidden <\/em>manna. That must refer to the jar of manna hidden in the ark (Exodus 16:33; Hebrews 9:4). Since the white stone and the name are linked with the hidden manna, we might surmise that the stone has something to do with the ark of the covenant.<\/p>\n Once we set these parameters, a few possibilities seem promising. Only the high priest had (very limited) access to the most holy place where the hidden manna was kept, and the high priest wore a stone (gold) crown that had Yahweh\u2019s name on it. Alternatively, the white stone might refer to the gemstones of the high priest\u2019s breastplate and the onyx stones on his shoulders, both of which are inscribed with the names of Israel\u2019s tribes. Whichever direction we go, the stones are associated with the high priest and thus with access to the hidden manna.\u00a0<\/p>\n The color points in a different direction. When Korah challenged Aaron\u2019s priestly credentials (Numbers 16), the Lord told leaders of each tribe to inscribe their name on a rod (Numbers 17). The rods were placed in the sanctuary, and Aaron\u2019s privileged status was confirmed when the Lord made his rod sprout, blossom, and bear ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8-9), which are white. There\u2019s a pun in the Hebrew, since the word for \u201calmond\u201d means \u201cwatcher\u201d; by turning Aaron\u2019s rod into a \u201cwatcher tree,\u201d the Lord confirmed that Aaron was the one to watch and guard His house. With the white blossoms and the almonds, Aaron was designated as the one who guarded (among other things) the hidden store of manna.<\/p>\n The white stone thus seems to conflate several images from the wilderness sanctuary \u2013 the inscribed crown of the high priest, the gems of his breastplate, the white flower that sprang from the rod that bore his name. Each is a marker of priestly privilege. When Jesus promises manna, a stone, and a name to the victors in Pergamum, he is promising to make them priests and more than \u00a0priests.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Each of the seven letters to the churches of Asia ends with a promised blessing to those who overcome (Revelation 2-3). The letter to Pergamum ends with a triple promise of \u201chidden manna,\u201d \u201ca white stone,\u201dand a \u201cnew name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it\u201d (2:17). The reference […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-nt-revelation"],"yoast_head":"\n