But, as we have seen (above, 26–27), this work is much more than a letter. So the apocalyptic and prophetic elements of the drama predominate in the body of Revelation (4–22:7), and they emerge already in this opening section. Revelation is rich in its use of symbols, and John draws heavily on this literary form to communicate his message. This need not surprise us, given that the seer is writing an apocalypse, and that symbolism was a normative part of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature.