jjares reviewed The Book of Revelation: The History and Legacy of the Apocalyptic Final Book of the Bible on + 3278 more book reviews
As Christianity was forming, they took inspiration from Jewish apocalyptic literature that promised, in the face of terrible injustice and suffering of his people, God would intervene, fix the world, and bring the story to a happy end. Jews wrote extensively about it but did not include it in the Bible directly, but apocalyptic literature was common during those times.
The early Church had an apocalyptic fervor and they expected the Second Coming to happen within their lifetimes. Thus, the writing of The Book of Revelation by John of Patmos (not John the Baptist), fits perfectly in with the beliefs of the time. Scholars think this book was completed in Turkey, in the last quarter of the 1st century CE.
The ideas of The Revelation have had a profound effect on the history of man. In Revelation, Christ is no longer the gentle teacher; he is powerful and righteous. This book makes an interesting observation, "All cultures believe that one day there will be a destructive transformation in history, after which there will be a lengthy utopia, and the prominent notion in the Western world comes from the Book of Revelation,...." (p. 28) Interestingly enough, Revelation states that God will rule the Earth, not bring everyone up to Heaven.
The Book of Revelation was not added to the canon of the Bible until the 5th century CE. This book continues for some time telling how the interpretation of the text was argued over extensively. I thought it was fascinating that leading up to the year 1000, people began to think about the 'end of times' coming during their lifetimes.
Finally, this book moves through the activities of the Europeans settling in the New World, the horrors of World War II, and even doomsday cults that are all seen through the lens of the Book of Revelation. The author offers a bibliography for further reading.
The early Church had an apocalyptic fervor and they expected the Second Coming to happen within their lifetimes. Thus, the writing of The Book of Revelation by John of Patmos (not John the Baptist), fits perfectly in with the beliefs of the time. Scholars think this book was completed in Turkey, in the last quarter of the 1st century CE.
The ideas of The Revelation have had a profound effect on the history of man. In Revelation, Christ is no longer the gentle teacher; he is powerful and righteous. This book makes an interesting observation, "All cultures believe that one day there will be a destructive transformation in history, after which there will be a lengthy utopia, and the prominent notion in the Western world comes from the Book of Revelation,...." (p. 28) Interestingly enough, Revelation states that God will rule the Earth, not bring everyone up to Heaven.
The Book of Revelation was not added to the canon of the Bible until the 5th century CE. This book continues for some time telling how the interpretation of the text was argued over extensively. I thought it was fascinating that leading up to the year 1000, people began to think about the 'end of times' coming during their lifetimes.
Finally, this book moves through the activities of the Europeans settling in the New World, the horrors of World War II, and even doomsday cults that are all seen through the lens of the Book of Revelation. The author offers a bibliography for further reading.
