--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Revelation is a literary work composed…" description: "\"“Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing care and skill. We should certainly not doubt that John had remarkable visionary experiences, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg" --- # Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing… ![“Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing care and skill. We should certainly not doubt that John had remarkable visionary experiences, but he has transmuted them through what must have been a lengthy process of reflection and writing into a thoroughly literary creation which is…” quote by Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg) > ““Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing care and skill. We should certainly not doubt that John had remarkable visionary experiences, but he has transmuted them through what must have been a lengthy process of reflection and writing into a thoroughly literary creation which is designed not to reproduce the experience so much as to communicate the meaning of the revelation that had been given him. Certainly Revelation is a literary work designed for oral performance (1:3), but as a complex literary creation, dense with meaning and allusion, it must be qualitatively different from the spontaneous orality of most early Christian prophecy.”” [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Revelation is a carefully crafted literary work, transformed from prophetic visions into a complex text meant to convey meaning, not just reproduce the experience. **In simple terms:** Revelation is a crafted literary text. Key Takeaway Study its literary depth. Themes theology literature interpretation prophecy Mood analytical reflective Type academic theological When to use this quote - Bible study - academic courses - sermon preparation Key Concepts symbolism historical context authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - What does the text aim to convey? - How does literary form affect understanding? A Different Perspective Its dense symbolism can be difficult for lay readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Literary Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-creation-264729/) [Meaning Revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-revelation-902206/) [Revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelation/) [Revelation Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelation-given-1091006/) [Revelation Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelation-literary-4035505/) ## Related quotes > [Why is the truth, it would seem, revealed to some and not to others? Is there a special organ for receiving revelation from God?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seraphim-rose/why-is-the-truth-it-would-seem-revealed-to-some-and-not-to-others-is/) [Seraphim Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seraphim-rose/) > [If God did not want us to understand the book of Revelation, He would not have given it to us at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/if-god-did-not-want-us-to-understand-the-book-of-revelation-he-would/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [The revelations which Joseph Smith has given to this people were given to him by Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world; and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-c-kimball/the-revelations-which-joseph-smith-has-given-to-this-people-were/) [Heber C. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-c-kimball/) > [“We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is revelation given by God. We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/we-affirm-that-the-written-word-in-its-entirety-is-revelation-given/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [“Idealism is not a reliable guide to the meaning of Revelation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hitchcock/idealism-is-not-a-reliable-guide-to-the-meaning-of-revelation/) [Mark Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hitchcock/) > [When language was not transcendental enough to complete the meaning of a revelation, symbols were relied upon for heavenly teaching, and familiar images, chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-hunt/when-language-was-not-transcendental-enough-to-complete-the-meaning/) [William H. Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-hunt/) > [The Lord will grant to any honest person who earnestly seeks to know the truth one manifestation by the Holy Ghost; but he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fielding-smith/the-lord-will-grant-to-any-honest-person-who-earnestly-seeks-to-know/) [Joseph Fielding Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fielding-smith/) > [“If God did not wish us to understand the book of Revelation, He would not have given it to us at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-lyman-moody/if-god-did-not-wish-us-to-understand-the-book-of-revelation-he-would/) [Dwight Lyman Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-lyman-moody/) > [The New Testament is a commentary on the Old Testament, in the light of the new revelation given by Christ and the Holy Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-north/the-new-testament-is-a-commentary-on-the-old-testament-in-the-light/) [Gary North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-north/) > [“The revelation of God is a determinate revelation, given at a particular epoch: God revealed himself once and for all in the year so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/the-revelation-of-god-is-a-determinate-revelation-given-at-a/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [Holy men of old were moved upon by the Holy Spirit and the revelation given to them is God's Word in the Holy Scriptures.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-paulk/holy-men-of-old-were-moved-upon-by-the-holy-spirit-and-the-revelation/) [Earl Paulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-paulk/) > [A literary creation can appeal to us in all sorts of ways-by its theme, subject, situations, characters. But above all it appeals to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/a-literary-creation-can-appeal-to-us-in-all-sorts-of-ways-by-its/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [There's literary creation and literary business. When I first got something accepted, it gave my life a validation it didn't otherwise have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/there-s-literary-creation-and-literary-business-when-i-first-got/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [“Indeed, the Bible has been cast adrift from its moorings and left to float on a sea of modern relativity. The “play” of meanings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-r-osborne/indeed-the-bible-has-been-cast-adrift-from-its-moorings-and-left-to/) [Grant R. Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-r-osborne/) > [ “It was only much later that he was made flesh and blood \[in the Gospels\] on paper. Thus Christ was created as a literary… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-louis-couchoud/it-was-only-much-later-that-he-was-made-flesh-and-blood-in-the/) [Paul Louis Couchoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-louis-couchoud/) ## More by Richard Bauckham > [“Theological meaning is thus written into the detail of John’s meticulous literary composition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/theological-meaning-is-thus-written-into-the-detail-of-john-s/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“Thus Revelation seems to be an apocalyptic prophecy in the form of a circular letter to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/thus-revelation-seems-to-be-an-apocalyptic-prophecy-in-the-form-of-a/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“A second important sense in which Revelation stands in the tradition of the Jewish apocalypses is that it shares the question which concerned so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/a-second-important-sense-in-which-revelation-stands-in-the-tradition/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“Misinterpretations of Revelation often begin by misconceiving the kind of book it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/misinterpretations-of-revelation-often-begin-by-misconceiving-the/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“Perhaps enough has been said to indicate that the imagery of Revelation requires close and appropriate study if modern readers are to grasp much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/perhaps-enough-has-been-said-to-indicate-that-the-imagery-of/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“The Old Testament allusions frequently presuppose their Old Testament context and a range of connexions between Old Testament texts which are not made explicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/the-old-testament-allusions-frequently-presuppose-their-old-testament/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“The range of different situations in these seven churches is sufficient for any Christian church in the late first century to find analogies to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/the-range-of-different-situations-in-these-seven-churches-is/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [ “\[Jesus'\] resurrection is therefore God's promise of new creation for the whole of the godforsaken reality which the crucified Jesus represents. It is therefore… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/jesus-resurrection-is-therefore-god-s-promise-of-new-creation-for-the/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“It seems that John not only writes in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets, but understands himself to be writing at the climax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/it-seems-that-john-not-only-writes-in-the-tradition-of-the-old/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“False worship, such as John portrays in the worship of the beast, is false precisely because its object is not the transcendent mystery, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/false-worship-such-as-john-portrays-in-the-worship-of-the-beast-is/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“The point is not to predict a sequence of events. The point is to evoke and to explore the meaning of the divine judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/the-point-is-not-to-predict-a-sequence-of-events-the-point-is-to/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“The whole of Revelation could be regarded as a vision of the fulfilment of the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Your name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/the-whole-of-revelation-could-be-regarded-as-a-vision-of-the/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“The method and conceptuality of the theology of Revelation are relatively different from the rest of the New Testament, but once they are appreciated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/the-method-and-conceptuality-of-the-theology-of-revelation-are/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“It is clear that John saw himself, not only as one of the Christian prophets, but also as standing in the tradition of Old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/it-is-clear-that-john-saw-himself-not-only-as-one-of-the-christian/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) > [“Secondly, as we have already noticed, Revelation is saturated with verbal allusions to the Old Testament. These are not incidental but essential to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/secondly-as-we-have-already-noticed-revelation-is-saturated-with/) [Richard Bauckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) [Explore all 34 Richard Bauckham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/) ## More Revelation quotes > [Therefore, brethren, pray until God gives us revelation so that "knowing this" in our spirit we may truly confess "that our old man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/therefore-brethren-pray-until-god-gives-us-revelation-so-that-knowing/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [Mine would be, "We will stand together, he and I. One in victory, one in shame. Only then can I truly own the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mine-would-be-we-will-stand-together-he-and-i-one-in-victory-one-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don’t waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you. Instead, commit your time to explaining who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-waste-your-time-trying-to-explain-yourself-to-people-that-are/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“No revelation can be other than partial. If for true revelation a man must be told all the truth, then farewell to revelation; yea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/no-revelation-can-be-other-than-partial-if-for-true-revelation-a-man/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Don't live by my words, don't die by them, chew them slowly digest them, and smile if they give nourishment to your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/don-t-live-by-my-words-don-t-die-by-them-chew-them-slowly-digest-them/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. – Revelation 21:23”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-morgan/the-city-had-no-need-of-the-sun-or-of-the-moon-to-shine-in-it-for-the/) [Robert J. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-morgan/) > [“God reserves the right to say what gets to enter the gates and what does not. Revelation 21 concludes with these words: “Nothing impure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/god-reserves-the-right-to-say-what-gets-to-enter-the-gates-and-what/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [No man can come to God but by an extraordinary revelation of the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/no-man-can-come-to-god-but-by-an-extraordinary-revelation-of-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“And we cannot keep our balance. Myth gives way to Reason. Revelation to Orthodoxy. We must dance or go mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cheetham/and-we-cannot-keep-our-balance-myth-gives-way-to-reason-revelation-to/) [Tom Cheetham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cheetham/) > [“Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself. Revelation 19:7”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/let-us-be-glad-rejoice-and-give-him-glory-because-the-marriage-of-the/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [“I have scarcely heard of a truer sacrament, that is, as the dictionary defines it, "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-have-scarcely-heard-of-a-truer-sacrament-that-is-as-the-dictionary/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > ['Tryin' to Get the Feeling' has been a revelation. I'd forgotten how powerful that was. I'd forgotten how deep I can crawl into that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-manilow/tryin-to-get-the-feeling-has-been-a-revelation-i-d-forgotten-how/) [Barry Manilow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-manilow/) > [If we have to sum up the Book of Revelation in one phrase, it would be, 'Jesus wins.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jud-wilhite/if-we-have-to-sum-up-the-book-of-revelation-in-one-phrase-it-would-be/) [Jud Wilhite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jud-wilhite/) > [“Selah Moments: those times we lean into God's presence, hear His voice, and willingly receive the golden nuggets of truth-revelation He gifts us with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-fore/selah-moments-those-times-we-lean-into-god-s-presence-hear-his-voice/) [Jo Ann Fore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-ann-fore/) > [The Antichrist is often identified with the second beast in the Book of Revelation that arises from the land, the beast that tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-antichrist-is-often-identified-with-the-second-beast-in-the-book/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) [Browse all 781 Revelation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revelation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing care and skill. We should certainly not doubt that John had remarkable visionary experiences, but he has transmuted them through what must have been a lengthy process of reflection and writing into a thoroughly literary creation which is designed not to reproduce the experience so much as to communicate the meaning of the revelation that had been given him. Certainly Revelation is a literary work designed for oral performance (1:3), but as a complex literary creation, dense with meaning and allusion, it must be qualitatively different from the spontaneous orality of most early Christian prophecy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Bauckham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-with-astonishing-care-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Revelation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-with-astonishing-care-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/493/richard-bauckham-18561_quote_revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-w_1265042.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Revelation is a literary work composed with astonishing care and skill. We should certainly not doubt that…” — Richard Bauckham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Bauckham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bauckham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Revelation is a literary work composed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-with-astonishing-care-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bauckham/revelation-is-a-literary-work-composed-with-astonishing-care-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```