"A Roman historian records that in about AD 49 Jews were expelled from Rome for "rioting at the instigation of Chrestus".  Christians with an outlook like that of John of Zebedee, as illustrated in his book of Revelation,  were capable of fervent action in expectation of heavenly support.  But Roman authority would not tolerate further trouble from the Jews.  They were driven out, going back to Greece, which in their world scheme was the eastern limit of the province of Rome."

"At first, John of Zebedee came with Jesus to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia Minor.  There he wrote the first part of the book of Revelation, with letters to the seven churches of the province of Asia, conveying the will of Jesus concerning the different problems, moral and doctrinal, that were besetting them.  The letter to Thyratira, in which the teaching of "Jezebel" was condemned, may have brought about the change of doctrine by Lydia that led to her rebaptism at the time of her remarriage the following year."

"John wrote that he was on the island of Patmos "on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus".   He was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day", that is, acting as a presbyter on the Sunday service, when he heard behind him a loud voice telling him to write what he saw, in a book. "       "John was facing the congregation, and Jesus was behind him in the position of priest.  He turned, and saw "in the midst  of the [seven] lamp stands one like the Son of Man".  There were candles on the holy table, in the formation still used by the Roman church: three on either side running from the centre, with the Pope in the position of the central light."           "From Patmos they moved to Philippi, where Jesus' marriage to Lydia took place in March AD 50.  For Paul, who crossed to Europe at this time and renewed his fellowship with Jesus, the year AD 50 was "the beginning of the gospel" from which he counted the true form of Christianity."      COMMENT by Dr. Bob Holt, MD.       Dr. Thiering's research has here provided a proper beginning for our study on the "Apocalypse", the New Testament Book of Revelation.   But to assume that Aquila the Roman Essene (John of Zebedee) wrote the whole book, or even wrote what he wrote entirely on the Isle of Patmos, is far too simplistic an explanation.  A beginning was made at turning pre-existing parts into a book, and indeed the "Letters to the Seven Churches (2 chapters) may have been written entirely in one sitting here on Patmos in 49 AD, but the book was periodically added to from time to time, and I will conclusively show that part of it was written at Masada about 70 to 74 AD, over 20 years later.   And part of the book was written in India!  Perhaps as late as 95 AD!        Besides Aquila and Jesus, there can be little doubt that other authors had a part in writing parts of Revelation, including the unknown authors who wrote the little "play" of Revelation chapter 12 that was used to celebrate Jesus' Bar Mizveh on Monday, March 1, 6 AD --- over 43 years before Jesus and Aquila set pen to parchment on the Isle of Patmos.