An Exotic Apocalypse: Revelation and the Appropriation of Judaism in the Roman Empire

The book of Revelation has long fascinated readers with its strange symbols, dramatic visions, and apocalyptic warnings. Yet debates about whether it is fundamentally a Christian or Jewish text obscure the political world that gave rise to it. An Exotic Apocalypse offers a new way of understanding Revelation by situating it within the vibrant and experimental religious culture of Roman Asia Minor.

Daniel Charles Smith argues that the question of Christian versus Jewish origins rests on disti...