Tales of the End

Book excerpt: The Book of Revelation presents the fascinating and terrifying story of what John reports happening to him while on the Mediterranean island of Patmos. It is a far more interesting story than the tired predictions of other would-be prophets whose many forecasts of the future have always failed to materialize. Tales of the End invites readers to hear John s story anew. Rather than forcing John s story into our time, it takes the reader back to the time of its original telling, exploring both what is told and how it is told examining its plot, characters, point of view, temporal perspective, narrator, listener, author and audience. Only then can we ask how this story bears on the modern world and how it addresses enduring human concerns. David Barr s narrative analysis uncovers a complex and compelling story addressed to the communities of Jesus followers in first-century Asia Minor, a story told vividly so that the audience can participate in John s extraordinary experience and so be transformed, adopting new values, new perspectives; indeed, a new understanding of what the world is really like.