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. Visions, prophecy, and politics in the book of revelation by elaine pagels. The beast, the false prophet, who has the number 666, the antichrist, is. The bible s scariest book elaine pagels explains that the book of revelation has always been more politics than prophecy. The first one, riding on a white horse, wielding a sword. Visions, prophecy and politics the book of revelation, the final book of the new testament, has some of the most dramatic and frightening language in the bible. A profound exploration of the bibles most controversial book from the author of beyond belief and the gnostic gospels. A profound exploration of the bibles most controversial bookfrom the author of beyond belief and the gnostic gospels. Its as though you take all of your nightmares about plague or destruction or war or torture or natural catastrophe, and you just wrap it into a. Elaine pagels on the book of revelation february 24, 2012. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. The book is also written to all believers everywhere. Elaine pagels on the book of revelation february 24.
The book of revelation is one of the most poorly understood in the bible. It was a controversial book from the beginning, and even after it was written many readers didnt understand it. 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. Those churches were in ephesus, smyrna, pergamum, thyatira, sardis, philadephia, and laodicea. The book of revelation is addressed to believers, his servants, of the churches in seven cities of the roman province of asia. Through the bestselling books of elaine pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the gnostic. Visions, prophecy, and politics in the book of revelation by elaine pagels viking her central point is that this most famous story about the end is a window on the beginnings. Princeton religious scholar elaine pagels puts the new testaments last book in historical context. As pagels makes clear, it wasnt necessarily a shooin for inclusion. In her new book, revelations, elaine pagels surveys this most savage and peculiar book of the new testament with unruffled authority. Visions, prophecy, and politics in the book of revelation by elaine pagels online at alibris. Whether or not america is the modern babylon the great described in revelation 18, this nation certainly seems to be headed in the direction of fulfilling the jeremiah 51 prophecy.