A History of the End of the World

A History of the End of the World

Honed into a weapon in the ongoing culture wars between states, religions, and citizenry, the Book of Revelation has significantly altered the course of Western civilization. Call it instead the Apocalypse if you will, but by any name it has gone straight to the heart of our fear of death ever since it was first preached—and assumed to predict imminent disaster. Now, in A History at the End of the World, nationally bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch (The Harlot by the Side of the Road) delivers a far-ranging history of the enigmatic closing book of the New Testament.

“[E]ssential reading in our torn, conflicted world….”—Karen Armstrong (A History of God)

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 dark concepts found in Revelation that have burned their way into our culture. Kirsch, whom the Washington Post calls “a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences,” vividly demonstrates what those who would manipulate these familiar visions have learned—and how the rest of us have succumbed through time.

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.

Softcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Harper San Francisco ( September 01, 2006 )

Item #: 00-7927

ISBN: 9780739481318

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.813 inches

Product Weight: 14.0 ounces