The Book of Revelation and the Visual Culture of Asia Minor

Abstract

The images in the book of Revelation confound even the most seasoned of interpreters. In this book, Andrew R. Guffey argues that part of the confusion stems from the fact that the book of Revelation was first and foremost a work to be “seen,” but that few interpreters address the visuality of the book. The Book of Revelation and the Visual Culture of Asia Minor describes a connection between rhetorical discussions of ekphrasis, visual culture, and John’s images—a “concurrence of images”— using theory and thick historical description. Guffey’s analysis situates the text and its rhetorical performativity in the context of ancient visual and rhetorical culture, arguing that Revelation is not merely a work of literary craft, but also of visual culture.