The Book of Revelation presents the reader with a frightening narrative world in which the people of God are tormented, threatened, and sometimes killed by various agents of Satan. Scholars have traditionally thought that it was written in order to encourage believers to stand fast in the face of the Roman persecution of the early Church. More recently, however, it has been argued that no such crisis existed at the time the book was written. Here Paul Duff offers a different viewpoint on the origin of the Book of Revelation, resulting in a work which substantially advances the implication of the current consensus and sheds new light on this influential yet enigmatic text.

"Duff has done NT scholars a considerable service by penetrating deeply into the Sitz im Leben of the Apocalypse, while moving forward the discussion of the setting that gave rise to this enigmatic text."

"This book is a substantial contribution to scholarship on Revelation. It is elegant in that it manages to do much in little space. Its methodology and arguments are powerful, since they bring together considerations of history, culture, conflict theory, literature, and rhetoric. The result is compelling and a pleasure to read."

Paul B. Duff, Associate Professor of Religion, George Washington University