the genre definition. In traditional apocalypses, the author controls the work to a high degree.53 In Revelation, John presents himself as essentially passive.54 He is an agent rather than a self-directed actor. The level of activity or passivity exercised by the author is not a tangential issue. It has a direct bearing on the authorial intent for and perspective of his own work. The fact that God, Christ, and angels give explicit instructions and declarations to a passively receptive agent enhances