Abstract
The theological axiom that holds that “Revelation was closed with the death of the last apostle”, despite popular perception, is never used by the Church in its official documents. This article attempts to account for the gap between perception and reality through a chronological study of this axiom, starting with its precursors in the Nineteenth Century, its putative formulation in the decree Lamentabili sane exitu (1907), and the debates about the nature and concept of revelation before, during and after the Second Vatican Council. The historical reconstruction aims at identifying the speculative issues that lead theologians to embrace, reject or reinterpret the axiom in its popular forms.