Customer Reviews

Apocalypse - The Puzzle of Revelation (History Channel) (A&E DVD Archives)

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This History Channel documentary on the Biblical Book of Revelations is a decent introduction to this most puzzling and intriguing book of all the canonical writings. "The Apocalypse of John" has fascinated readers since ancient times and this short DVD highlights a number of topics that should prepare the interested viewer to dive in and do further research on this rather arcane subject.

The video begins by exploring the legendary site of the final battle between Good and Evil as fortold in the Bible, the ruins of Meggido, or as it is written in Hebrew, Armageddon. It then provides a cursory background to the reputed author of the Book of Revelations, St. John of Patmos and his place in history. It alludes to the large genre of ancient writings known as apocalyptic literature and how John's book was only one of many such prophetic tomes. It shows that John's book draws heavily on the much older biblical Book of Daniel and was the subject of much debate by early Christians who questioned whether it should be included in the Bible canon at all.

This video is a good introduction to the fascinating subject of Christian eschatology and would be good for anyone interested in Bible prophesy and the End Times.

_Apocalypse: The Puzzle of Revelation_ (1994) is a documentary in the _Mysteries of the Bible_ series featured on the History Channel. This documentary focuses on the Book of Apocalypse of Saint John otherwise known as Revelation. The documentary is fairly short (only approximately 45 min.) but it does include some pretty good footage, including both vivid images of the apocalypse from paintings and drawings done throughout the ages as well as footage showing the historical location of Meggido in Israel. The documentary also features the commentary of experts from various perspectives and tries to maintain a neutral viewpoint concerning biblical interpretation. The documentary is divided into acts showing in sequence the history of the Book of Apocalypse, the probable identity of St. John, and attempting to unravel some of the mysteries associated with this book of the Bible. The documentary also attempts to show the importance of this book for Christians, emphasizing for example such groups as the Millerites and other millenarians. The documentary also examines such figures as the Great Beast and the number "666", including the theory that this number should be attributed to Nero Caesar. The documentary also shows the conflicting interpretations of the Apocalypse and Armageddon amongst Christians (contrasting more literalist with more allegorical readings). Also, the documentary points out that many Christians de-emphasized this book because of its violent and vivid imagery, and some even argued that it should not be included in the canon. On the other hand, amongst many modern Christians the Apocalypse has come to take a place of prominence. The documentary also shows such figures as Zoroaster, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, the Essenes (relating them to the Dead Sea Scrolls), and others as they relate to the history of Apocalypse. Further, the documentary considers the Book of Daniel, noting the imagery of the "beast", and comparing this to imagery in the Apocalypse. Finally, the documentary considers the location of Meggido, where the final conflict is believed to ensue. Various theories concerning this final conflict are proposed and considered. Ultimately, the Apocalypse shows a vivid portrayal of the triumph of Good (and Christ) over Evil (and the Devil). As such, it remains an important part of the Christian Bible. This documentary provides a good discussion of some of the aspects of this text as well as possible interpretations. It is interesting and worth watching for those who want to understand the history and interpretation of the last book of the Bible.

It was interesting. It was not as in depth as the show i saw on the history channel.In that aspect, I was slightly disappointed.

I was disappointed with this film. I thought that since it came from the History Channel that it might perhaps go through the various viewpoints that have developed for interpretation of Revelation in the Bible. Unfortunately, most of the film was spent on really strange scary interpretations that miss the message of the Book. Additionally it seemed very jumbled in its presentation of the material.

I did not find this film helpful. It focused on the strange imagery of Revelation without giving much help in interpretation or understanding. The film very briefly touched on different theories of interpretation, but this section was so brief that most will probably miss it.

In this segment of the "Mysteries of the Bible" series I expected the film would "Unlock the Secrets behind the Bible's Most Elusive Book." In fact the presentation opened more questions than it answered. The various narrators represent various faiths, cultures, including theologians, historians, and archaeological findings. Subject matter was introduced but in this short segment could not be adequately developed. The strong point of the presentation is the resultant hunger created to learn more on this fascinating mystery.

I'm a great fan of the History Channel and have a strong interest in the Book of Revelations, yet I found this video to be nearly worthless primarily due to its lack of organization. Because it's a relatively short program (50 minutes), this results in its being lean on content.

On the positive side, I found the discussions with the various academic experts to be worthwhile, although they seemed to be uncomfortable in such an overly dramatic program.

Several years ago, I read that the Island of Patmos, where John is supposed to have written this Book of the Bible, is home to a special hallucinogenic mushroom, to which some people attribute his spectacular visions. Unfortunately, the program makes no mention of this theory.

I bought this thinking it would be a deep exploration of Revolations and its contents, it is moreless a brief overview of the concept and gives little else. It is very short.