Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John

The earliest surviving commentary on the Book of Revelation, composed around 260 AD by a bishop who would die as a martyr. St. Victorinus of Pettau wrote in the shadow of imperial persecution, and his interpretation crackles with that urgency. Rather than verse-by-verse systematic analysis, he offers allegorical readings of key passages, revealing how second-century Christians wrestled with John's visions of beasts, trumpets, and the final judgment. Victorinus perceives the Apocalypse as a complex tapestry of parallel visions, all converging on the Second Coming of Christ. His work shows us not just how early Christians read apocalyptic literature, but how they found hope amid suffering: the conviction that Rome's power, however brutal, remains temporary, and that divine judgment will ultimately prevail. For anyone curious about the roots of Christian eschatology, or the intellectual world of the underground church before Constantine, this text is irreplaceable.