Subtitled “How the most controversial book in the Bible changed the course of Western civilization,” this book covers the origin, sources, themes, and historical influence of the Book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse. Revelation was a controversial book from its first appearance. It is radically different from the rest of the New Testament, and was held in skepticism by the early church fathers who mistrusted its Jewish roots and prophetic freedom.
Subtitled “The author’s fanatic opposition to Rome was highly problematic for the early church, especially after Constantine adopted Christianity as the official state religion. And as time ground on, Revelation became increasingly difficult to deal with as the world refused to end on time. Kirsch reports that when Augustine proposed a strictly spiritual and metaphoric reading of the book it “was embraced and enforced by church authorities, and thus served to discourage any open speculation on the colorful details of the Second Coming.”
And yet Revelation would not go away, as it was retrieved over and over again by zealots and martyrs who saw in its pages vindication for their persecution and
an all-purpose arsenal of excoriation by which one’s adversaries could be readily, thoroughly, and colorfully abused. The powerful inner logic of Revelation … abandons all effort at persuasion, erases all ambiguities and uncertainties, and threatens the gravest punishment for even the slightest deviation or difference of opinion. By the lights of Revelation, a human being is either right or wrong, good or evil, godly or satanic.
Which brings us to our present Manichaean age, when “otherwise comfortable and complacent Americans whose only afflictions are boredom and ennui are attracted to the chills and thrills of Revelation, and they find meaning in an otherwise meaningless world by embracing the old apocalyptic idea that ‘history is following a clear trajectory determined by God and that it is headed toward an ultimate, glorious consummation.’”
If every age gets the Apocalypse it deserves, then ours is characterized by Hal Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet Earth, and most spectacularly, the Left Behind franchise created by Jerry Jenkins and Timothy LaHaye. As the world continues to refuse to end on time, we resort to mining Revelation as a source of entertainment and revenue.
