hearers or readers to find their way through his vision. This structure is intimately connected with the meaning his work conveys, but we must expect it to be signalled by linguistic markers. John, it is important to remember, was writing in the first place for hearers (1:3), even though he must also have expected some readers who would study his work at leisure. In a text intended for oral performance6 the structure must be indicated by clear linguistic markers. Revelation