Revelation — Norman Maclean

Written in the first person: the narrator and protagonist, a Hellenised Jew who eventually finds himself exiled then confined to the Aegean island of Patmos where he encounters one, Yohanan, (John) another imperial exile. Yohanan is the antagonist; he is penning a lengthy letter in code to seven urban communities of Asia Minor. Less Set in the Mediterranean of the first century A.D. the book takes as its theme the production of Revelation â€" last book of the Bible but in a manner that dismisses the conventional view of this document as mystical prophecy. Rather, it reflects the chaotic disruption of its era, particularly the devastation of Judaea under Rome and the behaviour of early Christian communities enduring persecution towards the end of the first century. The novel is written in the first person: the narrator and protagonist, a Hellenised Jew who eventually finds himself exiled then confined to the Aegean island of Patmos where he encounters one, Yohanan, (John) another imperial exile. Yohanan is the antagonist; he is penning a lengthy letter in code to seven urban communities of Asia Minor.