John's Exile on Patmos and the Book of Revelation

The event

The apostle John - by this point the last living member of the original Twelve - identifies himself in Revelation as a partner "in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus," exiled to the small rocky island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea "on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9). There, on the Lord's Day, John received a sweeping vision of the risen and glorified Christ, who commissioned him to write to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia and to record everything he was shown of things soon to take place and things yet to come.

What follows is the most vivid and image-rich book in the New Testament: letters of commendation and rebuke to the seven churches, throne-room visions of heavenly worship, seals, trumpets, and bowls of judgment, the great cosmic conflict between the woman, the child, and the dragon, the fall of "Babylon," and finally the return of Christ, the final judgment, and the new heavens and new earth in which God dwells with His people forever. Written in symbol-laden apocalyptic language familiar to first-century readers even where it challenges modern ones, Revelation was above all a book of hope for a church facing real pressure, assuring believers that Christ reigns even when His enemies appear to.

The early church father Irenaeus, who had personal links back to John's own disciple Polycarp, dated John's vision to the end of the reign of the emperor Domitian, around AD 95 - the majority view among evangelical scholars today. A minority instead argue for a considerably earlier date, in the mid-to-late 60s under Nero; but Irenaeus's testimony is early, specific, and comes from someone with a credible chain of connection back to John himself, which is why most evangelicals continue to favor the traditional Domitianic date.

Dating

Irenaeus, an early witness with a credible chain of connection back to John, dates Revelation to the end of Domitian's reign, c. AD 95 - the majority evangelical view. A minority of evangelical scholars argue for a Neronian date in the mid-to-late 60s AD based on internal evidence; both views affirm the book's apostolic authorship and full reliability.

Scripture references

• Revelation 1:1-11

Other witnesses

• Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.3

Further reading

• Bible Odyssey (SBL): Patmos
• Bible Odyssey (SBL): The Seven Cities of Revelation
• Text & Canon Institute: The Fall and Rise of Revelation — how Revelation entered the canon