Abstract:
The aim of the article is to investigate the function of the symbols and images in the Apocalypse
of John. Its aim is to focus on the ‘mental scenarios’ readers are bringing to the text, rather
than on John’s supposed lack of ability to convey his message. The article discusses both the
symbolic or iconographic and the evocative power within the historical situation which the
author of the Apocalypse addresses. The article’s intention is to show how John reveals an
alternative way of understanding history through the use of his particular imagery, aided by
film theory tools and based on previous work that had perceived the Apocalypse’s ‘theatrical’
nature, in order to discover John’s use of images, their function and the new world he aims
to portray.
