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A History of the End of the World: How the…
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A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization (origineel 2007; editie 2006)

door Jonathan Kirsch

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"[The Book of] Revelation has served as a "language arsenal" in a great many of the social, cultural, and political conflicts in Western history. Again and again, Revelation has stirred some dangerous men and women to act out their own private apocalypses. Above all, the moral calculus of Revelation—the demonization of one's enemies, the sanctification of revenge taking, and the notion that history must end in catastrophe—can be detected in some of the worst atrocities and excesses of every age, including our own. For all of these reasons, the rest of us ignore the book of Revelation only at our impoverishment and, more to the point, at our own peril." The mysterious author of the Book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse, as the last book of the New Testament is also known) never considered that his sermon on the impending end times would last beyond his own life. In fact, he predicted that the destruction of the earth would be witnessed by his contemporaries. Yet Revelation not only outlived its creat∨ this vivid and violent revenge fantasy has played a significant role in the march of Western civilization. Ever since Revelation was first preached as the revealed word of Jesus Christ, it has haunted and inspired hearers and readers alike. The mark of the beast, the Antichrist, 666, the Whore of Babylon, Armageddon, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are just a few of the images, phrases, and codes that have burned their way into the fabric of our culture. The questions raised go straight to the heart of the human fear of death and obsession with the afterlife. Will we, individually or collectively, ride off to glory, or will we drown in hellfire for all eternity? As those who best manipulate this dark vision learned, which side we fall on is often a matter of life or death. Honed into a weapon in the ongoing culture wars between states, religions, and citizenry, Revelation has significantly altered the course of history. Kirsch, whom the Washington Post calls "a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences," delivers a far-ranging, entertaining, and shocking history of this scandalous book, which was nearly cut from the New Testament. From the fall of the Roman Empire to the Black Death, the Inquisition to the Protestant Reformation, the New World to the rise of the Religious Right, this chronicle of the use and abuse of the Book of Revelation tells the tale of the unfolding of history and the hopes, fears, dreams, and nightmares of all humanity.… (meer)
Lid:RoyGrahamVolkwyn
Titel:A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization
Auteurs:Jonathan Kirsch
Info:HarperOne (2006), Edition: 1st ptg., Hardcover, 352 pages
Verzamelingen:Jouw bibliotheek
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A History of the End of the World door Jonathan Kirsch (2007)

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1-5 van 10 worden getoond (volgende | toon alle)
Interesting topic, poor treatment. ( )
  AldusManutius | Jul 5, 2020 |
After vexillology (the study of flags and their designs) and ichthyology (the study of fishes), my third favorite “ology” is eschatology: the study of the end of times. It is simultaneously incredibly easy and infinitely impossible to posit what the future will hold, and even more so when talking about the end of the future. How will humanity live out its final days? Will we relocate to a new planet? Will we succumb to our own destructive forces? Or will a grand creator revisit their creation and judge those left on the last day? Jonathan Kirsch’s A History of the End of the World looks at the Biblical writing concerning the end of days and finds that a lot of the prophecies influenced culture, history, and even civilization itself.

The Book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible, purportedly the product of the visions of John (either John the Apostle or John of Patmos) and written sometime between 60 and 95 CE. These visions are jam-packed with images, symbols, numbers, and scenes that are to occur as both a warning and a part of the end times. Kirsch’s history looks at how people at different times have interpreted these writings to structure their lives. People saw signs from the Book of Revelation in the Fall of Rome, the Black Death, the Inquisition, and every 20th century war. Like the visions of Nostradamus, the human imagination is capable of gleaning symbolism from almost any pattern of events. And much like those odd visions, the end times of Revelation fail to come to fruition (at least so far). Kirsch’s tone is equal parts scholarly, arrogant, and slightly condescending, and makes for a more interesting reading of both the Bible and Western history. All in all, a very intriguing book. ( )
2 stem NielsenGW | Jun 11, 2014 |
There where a lot of really fascinating ideas and arguments in this book, and I would say it changed the way I thought about some things. The problem with it is the huge amount of repetition and the rambling structure. Did this get snuck past the editor? I would have given it a higher rating if it weren't for that. ( )
  bongo_x | Apr 6, 2013 |
This book surveys how the Book of Revelation has influenced culture throughout time. It provides a basic idea of how apocalyptic rhetoric has been used and developed with time. However, I didn’t learn much history from this book. In fact, Kirsh mostly assumes that the reader is either familiar with the history or willing to look up the interesting bits elsewhere. It is also very dense, since much of the text is direct quotes or paraphrases from other writers. Kirsch has a strong bias against apocalyptic rhetoric, and his book implies a direct influence of Revelation on pretty much everything bad that has ever happened. Personally, I think the case is over-stated. Apocalyptic rhetoric certainly impacts everyone’s lives in the same way as Shakespearian rhetoric does, but Kirsh implies a more active influence. I had the uneasy feeling that Kirsh was quoting people out of context; and I noticed one time he left important facts out of a historical example, thus misleading the reader. Kirsh also has a distinctly un-Christian leaning (I’m GUESSING he’s a secular Jew), and his views might offend conservative or fundamentalist Christians. Overall, I’m happy I read the book because it provided a broad survey. But I’d like to read others to get a more in-depth look at specifics. ( )
  The_Hibernator | Mar 11, 2012 |
Truly an interesting addition to the portfolio of the author. He looks at the book of Revelation, tracing it through history from its initial meaning to all the meanings that have been put on it since its inception. This book has been responsible for a great many of our ideas about heaven and hell, as it is the book that spells out these ideas the most explicitly. Kirsch has a clear and lucid style of writing, and is able to bring a great deal of knowledge and wit to bear on the subject at hand. ( )
  Devil_llama | Dec 27, 2011 |
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Itself a cabalistic book, the night was crowded with sacred names and symbols - mystery upon mystery. The stars looked like letters of the alphabet, vowel points, notes of music. The world was a parchment scrawled with words and songs. He was surrounded by powers, some good, some evil, some cruel, some merciful, but each with its own nature and its own task to performance. -Isaac Beshevis Singer, The Slave
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"I know the ending," says the slogan on a license-plate frame that can be spotted here and there on the streets and highways of America. "God Wins." -Chapter 1, Something Rich and Strange
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"[The Book of] Revelation has served as a "language arsenal" in a great many of the social, cultural, and political conflicts in Western history. Again and again, Revelation has stirred some dangerous men and women to act out their own private apocalypses. Above all, the moral calculus of Revelation—the demonization of one's enemies, the sanctification of revenge taking, and the notion that history must end in catastrophe—can be detected in some of the worst atrocities and excesses of every age, including our own. For all of these reasons, the rest of us ignore the book of Revelation only at our impoverishment and, more to the point, at our own peril." The mysterious author of the Book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse, as the last book of the New Testament is also known) never considered that his sermon on the impending end times would last beyond his own life. In fact, he predicted that the destruction of the earth would be witnessed by his contemporaries. Yet Revelation not only outlived its creat∨ this vivid and violent revenge fantasy has played a significant role in the march of Western civilization. Ever since Revelation was first preached as the revealed word of Jesus Christ, it has haunted and inspired hearers and readers alike. The mark of the beast, the Antichrist, 666, the Whore of Babylon, Armageddon, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are just a few of the images, phrases, and codes that have burned their way into the fabric of our culture. The questions raised go straight to the heart of the human fear of death and obsession with the afterlife. Will we, individually or collectively, ride off to glory, or will we drown in hellfire for all eternity? As those who best manipulate this dark vision learned, which side we fall on is often a matter of life or death. Honed into a weapon in the ongoing culture wars between states, religions, and citizenry, Revelation has significantly altered the course of history. Kirsch, whom the Washington Post calls "a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences," delivers a far-ranging, entertaining, and shocking history of this scandalous book, which was nearly cut from the New Testament. From the fall of the Roman Empire to the Black Death, the Inquisition to the Protestant Reformation, the New World to the rise of the Religious Right, this chronicle of the use and abuse of the Book of Revelation tells the tale of the unfolding of history and the hopes, fears, dreams, and nightmares of all humanity.

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