The Rider on the White Horse, the Thigh Inscription, and Apollo: Revelation 19:16

This article proposes a solution to the puzzling thigh inscription of Rev 19:16, beginning with an examination of seven thigh inscriptions from antiquity, both statuary and literary. All but one of the inscriptions are dedicated to Apollo. I treat the thigh inscription of Rev 19:16 in light of possible images and allusions to Apollo in the Apocalypse. The saga of the celestial woman, the child, and Satan in Rev 12 emerges as a primary allusion to the Leto-Apollo-Python myth of antiquity. I consider secondary allusions to Apollo in relation to the defeat of Satan, the function of doxologies, oracle and revelation, and the imagery of the sun in the Apocalypse. I conclude that the inscription on the thigh of the rider on the white horse recapitulates the various terms and images reminiscent of the Apollo cult in the Apocalypse, which are perfected and fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16).