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A History of the End of the World
Jonathan Kirsch
How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization
HarperSanFrancisco
August 2006
On Sale: August 22, 2006
352 pages
ISBN: 0060816988
EAN: 9780060816988
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Religion
"[The Book of] Revelation has served as a "language
arsenal" in a great many of the social, cultural, and
political conflicts in Western history. Again and again,
Revelation has stirred some dangerous men and women to act
out their own private apocalypses. Above all, the moral
calculus of Revelation-the demonization of one's enemies,
the sanctification of revenge taking, and the notion that
history must end in catastrophe-can be detected in some of
the worst atrocities and excesses of every age, including
our own. For all of these reasons, the rest of us ignore the
book of Revelation only at our impoverishment and, more to
the point, at our own peril."
The mysterious author of the Book of Revelation (or the
Apocalypse, as the last book of the New Testament is also
known) never considered that his sermon on the impending end
times would last beyond his own life. In fact, he predicted
that the destruction of the earth would be witnessed by his
contemporaries. Yet Revelation not only outlived its
creator; this vivid and violent revenge fantasy has played a
significant role in the march of Western civilization.
Ever since Revelation was first preached as the revealed
word of Jesus Christ, it has haunted and inspired hearers
and readers alike. The mark of the beast, the Antichrist,
666, the Whore of Babylon, Armageddon, and the Four Horsemen
of the Apocalypse are just a few of the images, phrases, and
codes that have burned their way into the fabric of our
culture. The questions raised go straight to the heart of
the human fear of death and obsession with the afterlife.
Will we, individually or collectively, ride off to glory, or
will we drown in hellfire for all eternity? As those who
best manipulate this dark vision learned, which side we fall
on is often a matter of life or death. Honed into a weapon
in the ongoing culture wars between states, religions, and
citizenry, Revelation has significantly altered the course
of history. Kirsch, whom the Washington Post
calls "a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient
tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences," delivers
a far-ranging, entertaining, and shocking history of this
scandalous book, which was nearly cut from the New
Testament. From the fall of the Roman Empire to the Black
Death, the Inquisition to the Protestant Reformation, the
New World to the rise of the Religious Right, this chronicle
of the use and abuse of the Book of Revelation tells the
tale of the unfolding of history and the hopes, fears,
dreams, and nightmares of all humanity.
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