Of beasts and bees: The view of the natural world in Virgil's 'Georgics' and John's 'Apocalypse'

The article proposes a dialogue between Virgil's Georgics and John's Apocal ypse as a means of illuminating Revelation's view of the natural world. A c omparison of the two works reveals a common understanding of the natural or der as at once beautiful and terrifying, majestic and vulnerable. While irr econcilable religious differences remain (particularly concerning the figur e of Augustus), the two works can still be read in a complementary way. Vir gil's lyrical evocations of the Italian countryside give a new depth to the tragedy of the destruction of the natural order in Revelation, while John' s theology of hope supplies a theological focus lacking in the Latin poet.