Apocalypse: From Antiquity to the Empire of ModernityISBN: 978-0-7456-4508-7
Hardcover
296 pages
July 2009, Polity
Other Available Formats: Paperback
|
For most of us, “Apocalypse” suggests the
cataclysmic end of the world. Yet in Greek “apocalypse”
means “revelation,” and the real subject of the Book of
Revelation is how the sacred arises in history at a moment of
crisis and destiny. With origins in ancient religions, the
apocalyptic has been a transformative force from the time of the
Crusades, through the Reformation, the French Revolution and modern
communism, all the way to the present day “Islamic
Jihad” and “War on Terror.” In Apocalypse,
John R. Hall explores the significance of apocalyptic movements and
the role they have played in the rise of the West and “The
Empire of Modernity.”
This brilliant cross-disciplinary study offers a novel basis for
rethinking our social order and its ambivalent relations to sacred
history. Apocalypse will attract general readers seeking new
understandings of the world in challenging times. Scholars and
students will find a compelling synthesis that draws them into
conversation with others interested in religion, theology, culture,
philosophy, and phenomenology, as well as sociology, social theory,
western civilization, and world history.