Publisher's Synopsis
Although the Book of Revelation may seem to be a strange piece of writing to modern readers, it can be understood as a highly elaborate and in some respects unique ancient discourse of surprising literary quality and theological impact. The present volume discusses questions of the text's language, its style and poetic concept. It presents studies on the relation of time and space in the Book of Revelation and on the significance of books for its storyline and discusses the question as to whether Revelation could be labeled "fantastic literature." Several studies deal with the question of Revelation's intertextual relations: besides a focus on the text's relation to Old Testament and early Jewish literature, the question of the text's relation to the Fourth Gospel, to writings from the Hellenistic-Roman world and to important aspects of its reception history is discussed anew.
