John, the writer of the Apocalypse (traditionally thought of as the Apostle John, this is hotly contested in liberal scholarship but seems well supported by the Johannine theology of the book and its internal witness), uses very little direct quotation but relies on heavy Semitic idiom (to the degree the Greek grammar has many solecisms resulting from the influence of Hebrew) and draws heavily on the Hebrew Prophets.  John’s use of the apocalyptic genre itself was remarkably bold and his saturation of the narrative with motifs drawn from the Hebrew scriptures, helped the book find it way into the canon of scripture rather than being dismissed as apocryphal and mystical Jewish literature.

This special essay I wrote as an additional piece of coursework as I was unable because of work commitments to attend the final exams at the University and Dr Katrin Williams, my tutor for the module, well-known as a New Testament scholar with particular expertise in Johannine studies, gave me this bespoke essay as an assessment.  It remains to this day one of the most interesting and well-taught modules I attended and this essay, I believe, reflects some of the enthusiasm and presence of God I experienced as it was taught (that it was so rare is ironic, considering I was studying Theology…).

A PDF is found here.