In ordinary usage the word “apocalypse” often means catastrophes and fi nal perdition. Frequently readers understand this way also the last book of the Holy Scripture. Such a view of it is an embarrassing mistake. The greek word “apokalypsis” means “revelation” and does not hold any negative sense. A revelation can concern the most favorable things. This is completely true relating to the Book of Revelation. This book tells about the people of God in communion with its Saviour whatever happens around. The positive values, one of which is the beauty, are here necessarily in the foreground. The beauty is present both in the imagery of the book and in its well proportioned literary structure. First, in the Apocalypse the beauty marks the realm of holiness — here belong the images of God, Christ and heavenly beings. But faithful human beings as well can partake of this beauty by virtue of their unity with Christ realized in martyrdom or in liturgical worship of Him. The beauty, however, characterizes also the ungodly powers (the great whore Babylon), but only in the sense of usurpation of the creative ability, which is given by God to the intelligent creatures, and using it in their own sinful interests. To break with the world of this ungodly beauty is an absolute demand of the Apocalypse of John.
Apocalypse, Book of Revelation, beauty, literary structure of the Apocalypse, dualism, imagery of the Apocalypse, light, martyrdom, worship of God and the Lamb, abuse of beauty, luxury.
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Nyebolszin Antal