Throughout this book, I have disassembled the book of Revelation line by line in search of the principles that underlie its organization. The Epilogue is the moment to reassemble it and verify the model of reading. The result is positive, and it is concluded that the narrative form of Rev 1.9–22.16 is analogous to the short story form as it has developed since the nineteenth century. The principal argument put forward in this book is that one of the singular characteristics of this form is its emphasis on the reader or listener. Revelation also coincides with the short story form in that it features a wide range of characters whose adventures are woven into a plot charged with successive waves of tension and relief that lead eventually to a happy ending. Lastly, there are similarities in the techniques employed: flexibility in the use of space–time coordinates and the intensive use of descriptive adjectives that simultaneously sway the emotions of the reader/listener and provide clues as to the goodness or wickedness of the characters portrayed.

If description facilitates the effect of ante oculos ponere, one can also state (echoing Cicero) that direct speech confers upon John the power ad aures ponere, allowing him simultaneously to appear as a mere spectator and aural witness to what he has heard. This explains the recurrent use of the lexeme ????sa throughout the entire account. As we know, direct speech facilitates the momentary concealment of the narrator. John deftly uses this device to shift the protagonist role to the voices that he hears. To recreate the dramatic action, the author of the book of Revelation borrows various techniques from tragedy: the chorus; a frequent recourse to deixis; the use of dialogue to indicate movement; and messenger speeches. As though these theatrical devices were not sufficient to express what the narrator heard, the author also makes use of the dramatized epistolary form. In addition, we must remember that John also witnessed an aural environment replete with celestial chanting, the sound of trumpets, etc. Through language, the audience is immersed in the revelation’s aural context. Finally, John is aware that his text will be read aloud; this explains the use of the oral style.