Book Of Revelation: 'Visions, Prophecy And Politics'

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In her new book Revelations: Visions, Prophecy and Politics in the Book of Revelation, Princeton University religious professor Elaine Pagels places the Book of Revelation in its historical context and explores where the book's apocalyptic vision of the end of the world comes from.

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Fascinating interview. I was first introduced to Dr. Pagels’ work more than twenty years ago when I was studying religion and philosophy at WVU. One of my religious studies professors said that Pagels posed an important question to modern Christianity--is orthodox Christianity complete, or have significant, even crucial elements been forgotten? I was reminded of that as I listened to her speak of how virtually anyone who reads the Book of Revelation in a literal way can cast themselves as being one of the “good guys” and those who oppose them as demonic, and how this is a dangerous way of viewing human conflict. If both sides in a dispute view themselves as absolutely right, then there is little chance of peaceful resolution.

Toward the end of the interview, she went on to talk about how she outgrew her teenage flirtation with evangelical Christianity. She explained how there is a certain draw to seeing yourself as belonging to a group of “good people” and thinking that the nameless, faceless masses outside the gates represent dark forces, and how there’s a certain draw to thinking you have joined a group that has absolute answers to fundamental questions, but she realized that this way of thinking wasn’t for her when she was told that a Jewish friend was going to hell.

Finally, Dr. Pagels speaks of other books of revelation that are not included in the Christian cannon, that lie beyond orthodoxy, which do not present a good v. evil worldview that divides human beings and pushes us toward battle, but presents all of us, including beings that aren’t human, as part of a spiritual whole.