Revelation: Book of Torment, Book of Bliss: An Introduction and Study Guide

Description

This study guide explores the origins and reception history of the Book of Revelation and its continuing fascination for readers from both religious and secular backgrounds. Stephen D. Moore examines the transcultural impact Revelation has had, both within and beyond Christianity, not only on imaginings of when and how the world will end, but also on imaginings of the risen Jesus, heaven and hell, Satan, the Antichrist, and even Mary the mother of Jesus. Moore traces Revelation’s remarkable reception through the ages, with special emphasis on its twentieth and twenty-first century appropriations, before resituating the book in its original context of production: Who wrote it, where, when, why, and modelled on what? The study guide culminates with a miniature commentary on the entire text of Revelation, weaving together liberationist, postcolonial, feminist, womanist, queer, and ecological approaches to the book in order to discern what it might mean for contemporary readers and communities concerned with issues of social justice. Cover Contents Acknowledgements 1 Why read Revelation? Revelation’s reverberations Revelation, liberation, subjugation 2 Revelation’s reception How to read an apocalypse apocalyptically From Revelation to revolution Revelation and Rapture Revelation in popular culture 3 Revelation’s production What is Revelation? What’s in a number? Who wrote Revelation? When was Revelation written? Why was Revelation written? 4 A micro-commentary on Revelation ‘I saw one like a genderqueer person of color’ Jezebel thrown on a bed A dead elephant in the divine throne room The Jewish apocalypse of John Just vengeance? An eclipse of the son Loathing (while loving) Babylon The book of blood The ecoapocalypse of John Works Cited Index of Biblical References Index of Authors