Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation

Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible.In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged anall-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecrationof the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewishprophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgmenton the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people. Soon after, Christians fearingarrest and execution championed John’s prophecies as offering hope for deliverance fromevil. Others seized on the Book of Revelation as a weapon against heretics and infidelsof all kinds. Even after John’s prophecies seemed disproven—instead of being destroyed, Romebecame a Christian empire—those who loved John’s visions refused to discard them andinstead reinterpreted them—as Christians have done for two thousand years. Brilliantlyweaving scholarship with a deep understanding of the human needs to which religion speaks,Pagels has written what may be the masterwork in her unique career. Read more