Revelations

Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation

By: Elaine Pagels

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged an all-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewish prophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people. Soon after, Christians fearing arrest and execution championed John’s prophecies as offering hope for deliverance from evil. Others seized on the Book of Revelation as a weapon against heretics and infidels of all kinds.

Even after John’s prophecies seemed disproven - instead of being destroyed, Rome became a Christian empire - those who loved John’s visions refused to discard them and instead reinterpreted them - as Christians have done for 2,000 years. Brilliantly weaving scholarship with a deep understanding of the human needs to which religion speaks, Pagels has written what may be the masterwork in her unique career.

©2012 Elaine Pagels (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Revelations is a slim book that packs in dense layers of scholarship and meaning . . . One of [Elaine Pagels's] great gifts is much in abundance: her ability to ask, and answer, the plainest questions about her material without speaking down to her audience . . . She must be a fiendishly good lecturer." (The New York Times)

"One of the significant benefits of Pagels's book is its demonstration of the unpredictability of apocalyptic politics . . . The meaning of the Apocalypse is ever malleable and ready to hand for whatever crisis one confronts. That is one lesson of Pagels's book. Another is that we all should be vigilant to keep some of us from using the vision for violence against others." (The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice)

"Pagels is an absorbing, intelligent, and eye-opening companion. Calming and broad-minded here, as in her earlier works, she applies a sympathetic and humane eye to texts that are neither subtle nor sympathetically humane but lit instead by fury." (Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker)

good intel

I enjoyed the broader view and historical account of the book of Revelation. Understanding the origins of the modern Bible is something all Christians should pursue as part of developing their relationship with Christ.

The best text Elaine Pagels has ever written

I have read several of Elaine Pagels' books, but only listened to one other audio version, "The Gnostic Gospels." I have always loved religious history, but Ms. Pagels' ability to weave theology, politics, and history so seamlessly is what originally drew me to her work. Of all her books I've read, this is a personal favorite. Lorna Raver's reading of it brings it brilliantly to life.

An inspiring study made vivid

Would you listen to Revelations again? Why?

I would listen to Revelations again because there are references to gnostic materials that I want to hear again.

What other book might you compare Revelations to and why?

I would compare it to Stranger Magic by Marina Warner. Primarily because they approach the material of myth in a broad, carefully considered manner.

Well researched!

The book is well researched and posits interesting ideas about the inclusion of the Book of Revelation in the canon.

Too Much

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Revelation is not an easy book to write about, but it is not boring. I was bored.

Elaine Pagels knowledge of the early Christian Church and the formation of the New Testament is Astounding

I have been reading Elaine Pagel’s books for the past 5 years and I am astounded by her knowledge of early Church history and how the early church formed. She is a Harvard Divinity School PhD and one of the team of religious scholars who helped to decipher the Nag Hamadi scriptures which were hidden in a cave for 1500 years. They had been ordered to be burned by the Roman Empire. There were many other apocryphal texts that were hidden. This one was included and subsequently used as doctrinal tool to suppress any questioning thought and create a tool to divide, control and enslave other men. I only hope that this truth is spread as fast as possible so that this Revelation is not used as an excuse for ongoing genocide in Palestine.

Research, research, research!

This volume provides necessary historical backgound, or else leads one to imortant sources. "Revelations" represents the kind of material I longed for when preparing my dissertation a few years ago. Pagels helped to guide my inquiry.

Pagel Expands Our Understanding of Revelation

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in commentaries of the Bible. Pagel's generally broadens our understanding of the way the Bible was put together--how decisions were made and why.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Revelations?

The conclusions near the end, emphasizing why Revelation was chosen over other visionary writings of the time--and what these other writings have to teach us---was enlightening.

What about Lorna Raver’s performance did you like?

Her reading was clear, her pronunciations very good, and in general she seemed to understand the material she was handling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it in about three sittings, and I would not recommend stretching out the listening process. Too much would be lost between sessions. One needs to stay in the "flow" of the book.

Any additional comments?

I think religious fundamentalists would not like this book, but then it was not written for them. Pagels writes in terms that any interested person can comprehend. I think her popularity has been her ability to avoid strictly "theological" terminology and language.

Less about the book of Revelations, more about time period politics

I was looking for a book that could potentially explain Revelations, so I was a little disappointed, yet curious, when I realized this book was more about the political context related to the writing and inclusion of Revelations in the bible. Still, it is very interesting stuff, especially the part about "secret books" of the bible. Will certainly be looking up the gnostic gospels in the future. Worth a listen for context sake.

A Fuller View of early Christianity

Dr. Pagels gives a much fuller view of the historical setting of the book of Revelation in the Christian Bible than I received in a Christian seminary and years of church history courses and study. (Why this occurred, I can't say but it does make me wonder what else was left out.)

Dr. Pagels gives an excellent summary of the biblical book of Revelation (IMHO) and she also gives the historic interpretation of the book (which I agree with). Her picture of the writer of the book of Revelation and how it came to be included in the Christian Canon was also enlightening. She also dealt with other book of "Revelation" that were floating around the Christian communities and that is very helpful in placing the biblical book of Revelation in the historical context. Since there were scores of books of revelation and since she writes about more than the biblical book of Revelation, her book is quite aptly entitled "Revelations".

Dr. Pagels has given a fuller picture of the historic setting and I greatly appreciate it. Knowing the path of how the biblical book of Revelation came to be included in the Christian Canon makes me, I believe, better educated on the subject. One of the issues of biblical translation is how to translate poor quality Greek original into English. (Revelation is not the only biblical book to have these issues; 2nd Peter is another.) English translators tend to homogenize fluent and poor Greek into a readable and seamless whole which makes it harder for the individual reader to understand that different people wrote the New Testament books and, sometimes, the titled writer did not actually write a particular book. While this does not necessarily create a problem, it does unnecessarily and regrettably isolate the reader from the text.

As someone with 12 years of formal theological education in Christian institutions, I heartily recommend "Revelations" and Dr. Pagels' other books. I thank her for her dedication to the important subject of Christian origins and beginnings.