The traditional theory holds that John the Apostle — considered to have written the Gospel and the epistles of John — was exiled on Patmos in the Aegean archipelago during the reign of Domitian, and there wrote Revelation.

Domitian was assassinated in September 96.

Irenaeus mentions that the Apocalypse was seen " no very long time ago almost in our own age, toward the end of the reign of Domitian ".

Domitian (; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96 ) was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96.

Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.

While Titus held a great many offices under the rule of his father, Domitian was left with honours but no responsibilities.

The following day Domitian was declared Emperor by the Praetorian Guard, commencing a reign which lasted fifteen years – longer than any man who had ruled since Tiberius.

Significant wars were fought in Britain, where his general Agricola attempted to conquer Caledonia ( Scotland ), and in Dacia, where Domitian was unable to procure a decisive victory against king Decebalus.

As a consequence, Domitian was popular with the people and army but considered a tyrant by members of the Roman Senate.

After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Roman Senate, while senatorial authors such as Tacitus, Pliny the Younger and Suetonius published histories propagating the view of Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant.

Domitian was born in Rome on 24 October 51, the youngest son of Titus Flavius Vespasianus — commonly known as Vespasian — and Flavia Domitilla Major.

For Domitian, this meant that a significant part of his adolescence was spent in the absence of his near relatives.

During the Jewish-Roman wars, he was likely taken under the care of his uncle Titus Flavius Sabinus II, at the time serving as city prefect of Rome ; or possibly even Marcus Cocceius Nerva, a loyal friend of the Flavians and the future successor to Domitian.

Unlike his brother Titus, Domitian was not educated at court.

Domitian was allegedly extremely sensitive regarding his baldness, which he disguised in later life by wearing wigs.

In Rome meanwhile, Domitian was placed under house arrest by Vitellius, as a safeguard against future Flavian aggression.

During the night, he was joined by his relatives, including Domitian.

With nothing more to be feared from the enemy, Domitian came forward to meet the invading forces ; he was universally saluted by the title of Caesar, and the mass of troops conducted him to his father's house.

During the Batavian rebellion, Domitian eagerly sought the opportunity to attain military glory, but was denied command of a legion by superior officers.

By all accounts, Mucianus held the real power in Vespasian's absence and he was careful to ensure that Domitian, still only eighteen years old, did not overstep the boundaries of his function.

According to Tacitus, Mucianus was not keen on this prospect but since he considered Domitian a liability in any capacity that was entrusted to him, he preferred to keep him close at hand rather than in Rome.

Domitian then wrote to Cerialis personally, suggesting he hand over command of his army but, once again, he was snubbed.

With the return of Vespasian in late September, his political role was rendered all but obsolete and Domitian withdrew from government devoting his time to arts and literature.

Vespasian attempted to arrange a dynastic marriage between his youngest son and the daughter of Titus, Julia Flavia, but Domitian was adamant in his love for Domitia Longina, going so far as to persuade her husband, Lucius Aelius Lamia, to divorce her so that Domitian could marry her himself.

When Domitian found out, he allegedly murdered Paris in the street and promptly divorced his wife, with Suetonius further adding that once Domitia was exiled, Domitian took Julia as his mistress, who later died during a failed abortion.

These were Domitian whose violent death in 96 ended the Flavian Dynasty, the co-emperor Publius Septimius Geta, whose memory was publicly expunged by his co-emperor brother Caracalla after he murdered him in 211, and in 311 Maximian, who was captured by Constantine the Great and then encouraged to commit suicide.

When emperor Domitian was murdered on September 18, 96 AD, Apollonius was said to have witnessed the event in Ephesus " about midday " on the day it happened in Rome, and told those present " Take heart, gentlemen, for the tyrant has been slain this day ...".

He was a friend of Nerva, and when Domitian was murdered in 96 AD, Dio used his influence with the army stationed on the frontier in favour of Nerva.

When Domitian found out, he allegedly murdered Paris in the street, and promptly divorced his wife.

While some recent scholars have questioned the existence of a large-scale Domitian persecution, others believe that Domitian's insistence on being treated as a god may have been a source of friction between the Church and Rome.

Edward Bishop Elliott, in the Horae Apocalypticae ( 1862 ), argues that John wrote the book in exile on Patmos " at the close of the reign of Domitian ; that is near the end of the year 95 or beginning of 96 ".

Shortly following his accession as Emperor, Domitian bestowed the honorific title of Augusta upon Domitia, while their son was deified, appearing as such on the reverse of coin types from this period.

For reasons unknown, Domitian briefly exiled Domitia, and then soon recalled her, either out of love or due to rumours that he was carrying on a relationship with his niece Julia Flavia.

Domitian toured the European provinces extensively, and spent at least three years of his reign in Germania and Illyricum, conducting military campaigns on the frontiers of the Empire.

The most important building Domitian restored was the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill, said to have been covered with a gilded roof.

Domitian is also credited on the easternmost Roman evidence known, the rock inscription near Boyukdash mountain, in present-day Azerbaijan.

Nevertheless, Domitian appears to have been very popular amongst the soldiers, spending an estimated three years of his reign among the army on campaigns — more than any emperor since Augustus — and raising their pay by one-third.

In order to avert having to conduct a war on two fronts, Domitian agreed to terms of peace with Decebalus, negotiating free access of Roman troops through the Dacian region while granting Decebalus an annual subsidy of 8 million sesterces.

In order to justify the divine nature of the Flavian rule, Domitian emphasized connections with the chief deity Jupiter, perhaps most significantly through the impressive restoration of the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill.

A small chapel dedicated to Jupiter Conservator was also constructed near the house where Domitian had fled to safety on 20 December, 69.

Under the rulers of the Nervan-Antonian dynasty, senatorial authors published histories which elaborated on the view of Domitian as a tyrant.

According to Suetonius, some were convicted for corruption or treason, others on trivial charges, which Domitian justified through his suspicion:

Domitian and Stephanus wrestled on the ground for some time, until the Emperor was finally overpowered and fatally stabbed by the conspirators.

The Senate nonetheless rejoiced at the death of Domitian, and immediately following Nerva's accession as Emperor, passed damnatio memoriae on his memory: his coins and statues were melted, his arches were torn down and his name was erased from all public records.

In many instances, existing portraits of Domitian, such as those found on the Cancelleria Reliefs, were simply recarved to fit the likeness of Nerva, which allowed quick production of new images and recycling of previous material.

Although Tacitus is usually considered to be the most reliable author of this era, his views on Domitian are complicated by the fact that his father-in-law, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, may have been a personal enemy of the Emperor.

His views on Domitian survive through brief comments in its first five books, and the short but highly negative characterisation in Agricola in which he severely criticises Domitian's military endeavours.

* Domitia and Domitian ( 2000 ), a historical novel by David Corson based on the works of Brian Jones and Pat Southern, revolving around the titular characters.

The Tridentine Calendar also had on 6 May a feast of " St John before the Latin Gate ", associated with a tradition recounted by Saint Jerome that St John was brought to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, and was thrown in a vat of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously preserved unharmed.

Until 1960, another feast day which appeared in the General Roman Calendar is that of " St John Before the Latin Gate " on May 6, celebrating a tradition recounted by Jerome that St John was brought to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, and was thrown in a vat of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously preserved unharmed.