"In this work, Robert Royalty convincingly challenges traditional views of the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse of John). First, Royalty contends that Revelation was written in response to a power struggle within the Christian community. This is diametric to the traditional notion that the Apocalypse was occasioned by persecution or at least by attempts to ostracize Christians from the cultural mainstream. Then, Royalty's conclusion that Revelation reflects the dominant ideology of wealth in first-century Greco-Roman society runs counter to the findings of much contemporary scholarship which routinely reads in the Apocalypse the judgment/justice of God over against the injustices of society."--BOOK JACKET
Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-269) and indexes