![]({"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515wfI7GKiL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg":[333,499],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515wfI7GKiL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg":[231,346]})
The most mysterious, controversial and disturbing of all of the books of the New Testament portion of the Christian Bible is the Book of Revelation. While most Christians are led to believe that all books of the Bible were compiled by some sort of divine mandate, the Book of Revelation was not an inevitable addition to the Canon. Elaine Pagels recounts what scholars know about the Book of Revelation in terms of its composition, how it was viewed by contemporaries and its eventual inclusion into the New Testament. Pagels began her career studying and writing about the so-called Nag Hammadi Library, previously unknown and/or lost Christian texts which were discovered in the 1940's in Egypt which forever altered scholars' views of Early Christianity.
The Book of Revelation was written by a figure which has come down to us as John of Patmos. Much of Christian tradition has believed John of Patmos and John the Evangelist, writer of the Gospel According to John, are the same person. According to Pagels, not only is there widespread scholarly consensus that John of Patmos and John the Gospel writer are two different figures, this assertion was made during the earliest centuries of the church. Scholars have determined that the writing styles of John of Patmos and John the Gospel writer are distinctive enough in Greek to conclude that these people were separate writers whose literary goals were quite disparate, and these distinctions were recognized during Christianity's formative years. John the Evangelist was writing a mystical/spiritual account of the life of Jesus, dissimilar from the synoptic gospels. By contrast, John of Patmos wrote a war-time revelation which as Pagels points out became a popular literary genre for a time, from about the late first century and into the third century.
Pagels makes other assertions about the Book of Revelation which challenges Christian tradition. In addition to her assertion that John of Patmos is not John the Evangelist, Pagels also contends John of Patmos is not a Christian in our modern sense of the term. He is a Jew who is also a follower of Jesus, similar to Franciscan monks being followers of St. Francis of Assisi while also being Christians. Christians and Jews were not quite separate groups yet; followers of Jesus of the First Century were largely Jews. What would become "Christianity" as a distinctive religion from Judaism probably doesn't occur until the 2nd century when Gentiles took the reigns of the leadership.
Another surprising item which Pagels details is the Book of Revelation's controversy from very shortly after its composition, which Pagels dates circa 80-90 CE. While most Christians believe the Book of Revelation details future events which will occur in the far future, Pagels asserts that John of Patmos is describing very vividly conflicts during his own time. Today the word "Apocalypse" has come to mean "End Time" or "worldly destruction through divine intervention", but in fact, the term simply means an "unveiling" or a "revealing", hence "revelation". Over time, probably since no earlier than the inception of Protestantism, perhaps even more recent, the term "apocalypse" has the meaning used by people today as referring to a coming cataclysm.
If the dating is correct, John of Patmos wrote very shortly after the Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem during the Wars of the Jews and Romans, circa 66-70. The conflicts described by John of Patmos made the book very volatile during its own time. Many so-called Christian fathers condemned the book, stating it was heretical. There do exist some Christian denominations which do not accept John of Patmos' Revelation as a legitimately divine text and hence do not include it in their Bible. Again, despite what is taught in Christian churches, the Book of Revelation did not have a clear path to canonization.
According to Pagels, from circa 100 to 300, John of Patmos' Revelation was not considered to be a divine text, but the opposite, a devil-inspired heretical text. Primary sources from the 2nd through the 3rd centuries CE survive in which early church fathers such as Origen, credited with being the first chronicler of the history of Christianity, condemned the book. The Book of Revelation's hero (or villain depending upon your point of view) was Athanasius of Alexandria according to Pagels. Athanasius declared John of Patmos' Revelation was divinely inspired and sought hard for its inclusion in the shaping of what would become the 27 books of the New Testament. In addition, Athanasius also condemned other books, such as the Gospel of Thomas, a copy of which was found among other lost Christian texts at Nag Hammadi.
Pagels then shows how John of Patmos' Revelation was used throughout history. The Book of Revelation has become more than just a symbolic text but a metaphor for conflicting factions. Some of these factions have even believed they were experiencing the prophecies of John of Patmos. She uses examples from the Reformation, from the American Civil War, and even from the recent Iraq War in which the rhetoric of Revelation is used to prove one side is on the side of God and the other is on the side of evil. At the very end of the book, Pagels introduces some personal views in which she cautions people in interpreting this text as a literal revelation of events in their own time. She argues it can be very dangerous for humanity to take a text written nearly 2000 years ago and try to apply it literally to our times to decide who is on the side of good and who is on the side of evil.
A fascinating description, history and account of perhaps the most fascinating book of the New Testament. Pagels book reads like a novelistic documentary in which the history of the book and how it was both influenced by Judeo-Christian thought and later influenced Christian belief. While I would certainly never wish to put into question anyone's religious beliefs, Pagel's book challenges many assertions about how John of Patmos' text came about and how it became part of the Canon. I would hope Christians would find interest in this book as it details much of how and why Christian thought and belief was shaped.
- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Viking; 1 edition (March 6, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0670023345
- ISBN-13: 978-0670023349
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 198 customer reviews
-
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#196,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #303 in Christian Eschatology
- #326 in New Testament Criticism & Interpretation
- #1073 in New Testament Bible Study (Books)
Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?
