Few biblical books have been as revered and reviled as Revelation. Providing a concise cultural history of Revelation, Timothy Beal begins with its composition amid the Christian persecutions of first-century Rome, and traces its enduring influence today in popular culture and visual art. Noting how such figures as Augustine and Hildegard of Bingen made Revelation central to their own mystical worldviews, Beal also demonstrates how the book's stories and images have changed over time, being reinvented in the hearts and minds of each new generation.