Revelations

The Book Of Revelations

This article is about the book in the New Testament. For other uses, see Book of Revelation (disambiguation).

Books of the New Testament
Gospels
Matthew · Mark · Luke · John
Acts
Acts of the Apostles
Epistles
Romans 1 Corinthians · 2 Corinthians Galatians · Ephesians Philippians · Colossians 1 Thessalonians · 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy · 2 Timothy Titus · Philemon Hebrews · James 1 Peter · 2 Peter 1 John · 2 John · 3 John Jude
Apocalypse
Revelation
New Testament manuscripts
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Frontispiece, Book of Revelation, Bible of San Paolo fuori le Mura, 9th century.

The Book of Revelation, often known simply as Revelation or The Apocalypse is the final book of the New Testament and occupies a central place in Christian eschatology. Written in Koine Greek, its title is derived from the first word of the text, apokalypsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation." The Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic document in the New Testament canon, although there are short apocalyptic passages in various places in the Gospels and the Epistles.^[a] The author names himself in the text as "John", but his precise identity remains a point of academic debate. Evidence for identifying the author as John the Apostle comes from second-century writers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Melito the bishop of Sardis, and Clement of Alexandria and the Muratorian fragment.^[1] Other scholars oppose this view, ^[2] proposing that nothing can be known about the author except that he was a Jewish Christian prophet.^[3] The bulk of traditional sources date the book to the reign of the emperor Domitian (81-96 CE), and the external and internal evidence tends to confirm this.^[4]
The book spans three literary genres, the epistolary, the apocalyptic, and the prophetic.^[5] It begins with John, on the island of Patmos (an island in the Aegean) addressing a letter to the "seven churches of Asia" (meaning Asia Minor). He then describes a series of prophetic visions, including figures such as the Whore of Babylon and the Beast, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The obscure and extravagant imagery has led to a wide variety of interpretations: historicist interpretations see in Revelation a broad view of history; preterist interpretations treat Revelation as mostly referring to the events of the apostolic era (1st century), or, at the latest, the fall of the Roman Empire; futurists believe that Revelation describes future events; and idealist or symbolic interpretations consider that Revelation does not refer to actual people or events, but is an allegory of the spiritual path and the ongoing struggle between good and evil