Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
pages 101-176
Summary
This part of the book is about the problems of the book of Revelation. The person who translated the Revelation into Latin during the 4th century is known as Jerome. Jerome faced a great challenge when he translated the Revelation, because it is hard to actually understand the significance of John´s words and symbolism. Jerome also had to face contradictions, since John shows a vengeful Jesus but Jesus "says to love your enemies first". Kirsch also says that John thinks that 144,000 men will be saved ; Only those who have done merits and "have not defiled themselves with women" (Kirsch 102). Then saints and martyrs will be raised from dead during the first resurrection. After that Jesus is king of Earth for a millennium and then Satan is released from the bottomless pit and he is defeated. The rest of the dead are judged based on what they have done and those that have been bad go to hell for eternity.
Some Christian authorities regard the Revelation as a dangerous book that can stir up emotions of its readers and can even make one go crazy. Including the Revelation in the Bible was a controversy, because John was basically implying that Christians emperors were sitting in "Satan's throne". Another huge problem is that John's prophecy did not occur and it has been centuries after he wrote his book. According to some people Jesus also said in the Gospels that some of his contemporaries would witness the end, but the did not know the day or hour. The world still exists today. Another problem is that some people tend to read it literally. A group called me Montanus read the Revelation as "absolute and literal truth.", even though John say the Revelation's text must be read "spiritually". Another reason why including the Revelation in the bible was such a big debate is that some argue only an author who was an apostle/disciple of Jesus could have their writing in the Bible. For Christians it made no sense include the Revelation book in the New Testament after Constantine became emperor. Constantine supported Christianity, so Christians were not forced to abandon their faith.
The Revelation book did not make the first cut in early version of the Bible, but it began to appear in the 10th century. The Revelation was eventually added to the New Testament many European countries and even America. Initially it was tolerated but put off by most preachers and religious teachers. They argued that it did not offer any moral instruction on how to live a decent life in the "here and now". For example, reformer Martin Luther argued that the book of Revelation be excluded from the Bible. The book is also bloody and contains a lot of "violent persecutions and sexual excess". In the 4th century a rule stating that the Revelation must be read spiritually was passed by Christian authorities that stated the book had to be read spiritually. For instance, John wrote that there will a seven headed beast. The seven headed beast represents 7 kings. People are also obsessed over trying to find out who 666 (the Antichrist). John also predicts that Jesus will be king of Earth in Jerusalem for 1000 years and then earth will be replaced by a heaven for saints and martyrs.
In chapter 5 Kirsch discusses how many people thought the world would end in the year of 1000, because they thought it was the anniversary of Jesus's death that year. However the book does not regard the birth-death of Jesus as a significant time. Then people started believing clerical marriage was a crime because a bishop with kids would probably give his property and money to his family. As time passed some people started claiming they had visions. Hildegard, a female visionary, claimed she had a vision of a beautiful women giving worth to a beast. The women represented the church and beast represented the Antichrist. Women became big fans of the Revelation book. Protestants also used the Revelation to fight for their cause. They made it seem like the Roman Catholic Church was the Antichrist.
Quote "Indeed, an obsessive concern with when and how and why the world will come to an end can be seen as a dominant habit of the Western mind, no less in the third millennium than in the first, and no less in popular culture of the twenty-first century than in the religious art and letter of medieval Europe. And the obsession begins here and now."
Reactions The quote above depicts how the book of Revelation has impacted the mentalities of so many people in the West. People obsess over the end of the world coming and there is groups of people that actually move in mountains to stay safe. It is funny how the Revelation has made people over analyze things for so many years. It is true that the Revelation has influenced pop-culture. The Revelation has led to the creation of certain movies and it is also a big factor of some religions. There is even a movie called The Seventh Seal, which relates to the end as shown in the Revelation. There is also a book called Carmina Burana, which is a collection of songs, religious poetry, and satires that make reference to the Revelation.
This book made me think about who really John is and more about his life. I can also understand why Christian authorities had a hard time accepting the Revelation. Just by reading quotes from the Revelation I can see the disturbing images used by John. It is also true that there are times where people truly believe the world is going to end. For example, there are groups of people who are waiting for 2012 in fear. I agree with Jesus's statement about how people should not try to find the exact date of the end of the world. Sometimes it is just better not to know stuff that may one go crazy. I also agree with Kirsch´s statement about how the Revelation allowed people to come up with their own visions, since people came up with their own interpretations.
Summary
This part of the book is about the problems of the book of Revelation. The person who translated the Revelation into Latin during the 4th century is known as Jerome. Jerome faced a great challenge when he translated the Revelation, because it is hard to actually understand the significance of John´s words and symbolism. Jerome also had to face contradictions, since John shows a vengeful Jesus but Jesus "says to love your enemies first". Kirsch also says that John thinks that 144,000 men will be saved ; Only those who have done merits and "have not defiled themselves with women" (Kirsch 102). Then saints and martyrs will be raised from dead during the first resurrection. After that Jesus is king of Earth for a millennium and then Satan is released from the bottomless pit and he is defeated. The rest of the dead are judged based on what they have done and those that have been bad go to hell for eternity.
Some Christian authorities regard the Revelation as a dangerous book that can stir up emotions of its readers and can even make one go crazy. Including the Revelation in the Bible was a controversy, because John was basically implying that Christians emperors were sitting in "Satan's throne". Another huge problem is that John's prophecy did not occur and it has been centuries after he wrote his book. According to some people Jesus also said in the Gospels that some of his contemporaries would witness the end, but the did not know the day or hour. The world still exists today. Another problem is that some people tend to read it literally. A group called me Montanus read the Revelation as "absolute and literal truth.", even though John say the Revelation's text must be read "spiritually". Another reason why including the Revelation in the bible was such a big debate is that some argue only an author who was an apostle/disciple of Jesus could have their writing in the Bible. For Christians it made no sense include the Revelation book in the New Testament after Constantine became emperor. Constantine supported Christianity, so Christians were not forced to abandon their faith.
The Revelation book did not make the first cut in early version of the Bible, but it began to appear in the 10th century. The Revelation was eventually added to the New Testament many European countries and even America. Initially it was tolerated but put off by most preachers and religious teachers. They argued that it did not offer any moral instruction on how to live a decent life in the "here and now". For example, reformer Martin Luther argued that the book of Revelation be excluded from the Bible. The book is also bloody and contains a lot of "violent persecutions and sexual excess". In the 4th century a rule stating that the Revelation must be read spiritually was passed by Christian authorities that stated the book had to be read spiritually. For instance, John wrote that there will a seven headed beast. The seven headed beast represents 7 kings. People are also obsessed over trying to find out who 666 (the Antichrist). John also predicts that Jesus will be king of Earth in Jerusalem for 1000 years and then earth will be replaced by a heaven for saints and martyrs.
In chapter 5 Kirsch discusses how many people thought the world would end in the year of 1000, because they thought it was the anniversary of Jesus's death that year. However the book does not regard the birth-death of Jesus as a significant time. Then people started believing clerical marriage was a crime because a bishop with kids would probably give his property and money to his family. As time passed some people started claiming they had visions. Hildegard, a female visionary, claimed she had a vision of a beautiful women giving worth to a beast. The women represented the church and beast represented the Antichrist. Women became big fans of the Revelation book. Protestants also used the Revelation to fight for their cause. They made it seem like the Roman Catholic Church was the Antichrist.
Quote "Indeed, an obsessive concern with when and how and why the world will come to an end can be seen as a dominant habit of the Western mind, no less in the third millennium than in the first, and no less in popular culture of the twenty-first century than in the religious art and letter of medieval Europe. And the obsession begins here and now."
Reactions The quote above depicts how the book of Revelation has impacted the mentalities of so many people in the West. People obsess over the end of the world coming and there is groups of people that actually move in mountains to stay safe. It is funny how the Revelation has made people over analyze things for so many years. It is true that the Revelation has influenced pop-culture. The Revelation has led to the creation of certain movies and it is also a big factor of some religions. There is even a movie called The Seventh Seal, which relates to the end as shown in the Revelation. There is also a book called Carmina Burana, which is a collection of songs, religious poetry, and satires that make reference to the Revelation.
This book made me think about who really John is and more about his life. I can also understand why Christian authorities had a hard time accepting the Revelation. Just by reading quotes from the Revelation I can see the disturbing images used by John. It is also true that there are times where people truly believe the world is going to end. For example, there are groups of people who are waiting for 2012 in fear. I agree with Jesus's statement about how people should not try to find the exact date of the end of the world. Sometimes it is just better not to know stuff that may one go crazy. I also agree with Kirsch´s statement about how the Revelation allowed people to come up with their own visions, since people came up with their own interpretations.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
page 66-100
Summary This section focuses a lot on what the author of the Revelation probably thought and about his beliefs. John himself says in the Revelation that he got his visions on a isle called Patmos. There is speculation that John had been sentenced to hard labor on Patmos or that he was exiled for his preaching missions. Evangelical scholars have also added in the modern translation of the New Testament ,a phrase where John supposedly says "I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God...", which was not in the Greek Test of the New Testament (Kirsch 66). Kirsch discusses that John traveled around 7 cities of the Asian Minor to preach people about the end. One thing John did not like was that the 7 cities offered many opportunities for Christians to embrace the Roman lifestyle. He also says Rome was the "agent of Satan", so anyone who worshiped Satan (Roman emperor?) would be marked with a symbol and punished in the end of time. John also stated that "the beast" caused people from every social class to be marked, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark...". John is referring to how the image of the Roman emperor was on the coins and people who wanted wealth had to use the main coin of th empire. He thought of this as a violation of what the God of Israel declared the Ten Commandments (Kirsch 70). Kirsch then stated that John used the number 666 to refer to the Roman Emperor.
John was a pure prophet,he no official title, and he didn't have a home in Asia Minor. Some scholars believe John was rich and that he gave up his wealth to be a prophet. John hated those who aspired to be wealthy and did not like when people mixed religious beliefs-rituals. He also makes it clear in the Revelation that he all sorts of sexual conduct is wrong and dirty. Kirsch says this, because only virgins and martyrs play the good guys in the Revelation and the enemies are usually "whores and whoremongers". The idea of sex if also shown as a defilement in the Hebrew Bible, the book of Watchers, and other Jewish writings. Kirsch concludes that John is obsessed with the idea of everything being poor ; For instance, John did not like when people ate food that was sacrificed to an idol. Another thing John seems to be obsessed with is using the number 666 as a symbol for the beast. The beast is a Roman emperor, but no one knows who it is for sure. Some scholars assume that it is Caesar Nero (51 C.E-96 C.E). The reason why John hates ALL Roman emperors so much is that during John's time Christians were tortured and punished by Romans for their beliefs.
The Kirsch discusses that John insists that Christians will have to go through "Tribulation" before being entered into a new heaven/earth. John says Christians will have to go through horrible things. For instance, Kirsch says that John only knew one martyr called Antipas. Antipas suffered and was executed for sticking to his beliefs. John mention in the Revelation Christians who testified that they were Christians faced the death penalty. Some scholars find it hard to believe that this true. One reason for why some some scholars think that it was easy to run away from executions, because it easy for Christians to compromise with Roman authorities. John was mainly trying to teach his readers to keep their faith and not to compromise with the evil (Romans). He wanted his readers to be patient and passive even if it meant dying. Another thing that Kirsch stated is that John wrote that he was more Jewish than any one else and that "the Son of Men" told him to record his writings.
Quote "Only in John's visions of the end-times, and not in the historical record, do we find the worst excesses of Roman persecution. ...The book of Revelation `expresses the author's expectation of persecution.`" (Kirsch 87)
Reactions Reading that scholars had added a phrase in the New Testament mad me start thinking about what Kirsch said about misinterpretations. As the years pass by some things are translated and added, which can change the real meaning of the text. It is possible that what one person thinks is John's message is completely different from John's real message. Now I understand why there are people who go crazy over this. Another thing I found interesting was that John wanted everything to be pure. Kirsch makes it seem like one can learn about John's personality through his writing which is true for some authors.
The quote above lets the reader know what the author of this book thinks of John. Kirsch is saying that John may be exaggerating some of the things he says in the Book of Revelation. The way John describes how Romans treated Christian may be worse than the actual history. I also agree with the scholars that think it was easy for Christians to escape their fate. After all John is telling how Christians were persecuted from his point of view.
Summary This section focuses a lot on what the author of the Revelation probably thought and about his beliefs. John himself says in the Revelation that he got his visions on a isle called Patmos. There is speculation that John had been sentenced to hard labor on Patmos or that he was exiled for his preaching missions. Evangelical scholars have also added in the modern translation of the New Testament ,a phrase where John supposedly says "I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God...", which was not in the Greek Test of the New Testament (Kirsch 66). Kirsch discusses that John traveled around 7 cities of the Asian Minor to preach people about the end. One thing John did not like was that the 7 cities offered many opportunities for Christians to embrace the Roman lifestyle. He also says Rome was the "agent of Satan", so anyone who worshiped Satan (Roman emperor?) would be marked with a symbol and punished in the end of time. John also stated that "the beast" caused people from every social class to be marked, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark...". John is referring to how the image of the Roman emperor was on the coins and people who wanted wealth had to use the main coin of th empire. He thought of this as a violation of what the God of Israel declared the Ten Commandments (Kirsch 70). Kirsch then stated that John used the number 666 to refer to the Roman Emperor.
John was a pure prophet,he no official title, and he didn't have a home in Asia Minor. Some scholars believe John was rich and that he gave up his wealth to be a prophet. John hated those who aspired to be wealthy and did not like when people mixed religious beliefs-rituals. He also makes it clear in the Revelation that he all sorts of sexual conduct is wrong and dirty. Kirsch says this, because only virgins and martyrs play the good guys in the Revelation and the enemies are usually "whores and whoremongers". The idea of sex if also shown as a defilement in the Hebrew Bible, the book of Watchers, and other Jewish writings. Kirsch concludes that John is obsessed with the idea of everything being poor ; For instance, John did not like when people ate food that was sacrificed to an idol. Another thing John seems to be obsessed with is using the number 666 as a symbol for the beast. The beast is a Roman emperor, but no one knows who it is for sure. Some scholars assume that it is Caesar Nero (51 C.E-96 C.E). The reason why John hates ALL Roman emperors so much is that during John's time Christians were tortured and punished by Romans for their beliefs.
The Kirsch discusses that John insists that Christians will have to go through "Tribulation" before being entered into a new heaven/earth. John says Christians will have to go through horrible things. For instance, Kirsch says that John only knew one martyr called Antipas. Antipas suffered and was executed for sticking to his beliefs. John mention in the Revelation Christians who testified that they were Christians faced the death penalty. Some scholars find it hard to believe that this true. One reason for why some some scholars think that it was easy to run away from executions, because it easy for Christians to compromise with Roman authorities. John was mainly trying to teach his readers to keep their faith and not to compromise with the evil (Romans). He wanted his readers to be patient and passive even if it meant dying. Another thing that Kirsch stated is that John wrote that he was more Jewish than any one else and that "the Son of Men" told him to record his writings.
Quote "Only in John's visions of the end-times, and not in the historical record, do we find the worst excesses of Roman persecution. ...The book of Revelation `expresses the author's expectation of persecution.`" (Kirsch 87)
Reactions Reading that scholars had added a phrase in the New Testament mad me start thinking about what Kirsch said about misinterpretations. As the years pass by some things are translated and added, which can change the real meaning of the text. It is possible that what one person thinks is John's message is completely different from John's real message. Now I understand why there are people who go crazy over this. Another thing I found interesting was that John wanted everything to be pure. Kirsch makes it seem like one can learn about John's personality through his writing which is true for some authors.
The quote above lets the reader know what the author of this book thinks of John. Kirsch is saying that John may be exaggerating some of the things he says in the Book of Revelation. The way John describes how Romans treated Christian may be worse than the actual history. I also agree with the scholars that think it was easy for Christians to escape their fate. After all John is telling how Christians were persecuted from his point of view.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
page 41-65
Summary This part of the book is about. Kirsch states that the "messiah" is used differently in Judaism and Christianity. In the Hebrew bible messiah is just another word for someone who holds some high office or who has been assigned "a special duty" (Skirch 43). In the book of Daniel the messiah is seen as the "son of man" and "savior". Another main character in apocalyptic writings is Satan, who is the demonic figure that the Messiah would fight and defeat in the end. Kirsch also argues that the authors of apocalyptic writings meant for the audience to be inspired. For example, Jews were suppose to resist their Roman persecutors. A group of people mentioned by jew, Josephus, are the essenes who are Jews that moved into the wilderness to wait for the end of the world. Overall apocalyptic writings were addressed to individuals who saw themselves as outsiders and victims suffering from oppression or persecution in any setting.
During the Maccabean Revolt, Jerusalem was under the rule of Rome. People during this time longed for a Messiah that would liberate them from "evil forces".Simon Bar Kochba was hailed as the Messiah, because he was the leader of a war against Rome. He died in 135C.E. which showed that Bar Kochba wasn't the real messiah. Another "messiah" is Yeshua bar Yosef, who is also known as Jesus. Modern bible scholars regard Jesus as a moral teahcer who tries to teach his followers how to live a decent live, but some believe that Jesus was trying to people about the apocalypse. Hoewever Kirsch argues that the Gospels prove that Jesus believed and taught thought the world was going to end around the time he was on Earth. There is debate over whether Jesus was an apocalyptic phrophet since what he thought would happen did not happen.
Another controversy that was discussed by Kirsch is about who is the author of the book of Revelation. Many people think that the author is "John the Evangelist" or "Saint John". He also thought of himself as one God's favorites and that he was probably born in Judea. John probably was a Jew by birth. The author of the Revelation repeatedly uses the number 666, which he used as a symbol of a Roman emperor.
Quote- "As we move forward in history, we will see that Revelation has been reread and reinterpreted in startling and even shocking ways over centuries, and never more so than in our times. If the author of Revelation had been granted an accurate vision of the distant future, surely he would have been appalled not only by the plain fact that the end of the world was not near but also by what would become of is "little book"." (Kirsch 55)
Reactions- I chose the quote above, because it shows how controversial the book of Revelation is. Kirsch states that the Revelation has been interpreted in various ways over the centuries, especially now. This is true, because there are documentaries shown on T.V of different apocalyptic prophecies. The quote also says that the author of Revelation probably did not know that his book was going to be so popular and that it would be read by future popes and Kings. The Revelation is very old, but its message is still followed by certain people.It is funny how the Revelation is still read today and probably will be read in the next century.
Summary This part of the book is about. Kirsch states that the "messiah" is used differently in Judaism and Christianity. In the Hebrew bible messiah is just another word for someone who holds some high office or who has been assigned "a special duty" (Skirch 43). In the book of Daniel the messiah is seen as the "son of man" and "savior". Another main character in apocalyptic writings is Satan, who is the demonic figure that the Messiah would fight and defeat in the end. Kirsch also argues that the authors of apocalyptic writings meant for the audience to be inspired. For example, Jews were suppose to resist their Roman persecutors. A group of people mentioned by jew, Josephus, are the essenes who are Jews that moved into the wilderness to wait for the end of the world. Overall apocalyptic writings were addressed to individuals who saw themselves as outsiders and victims suffering from oppression or persecution in any setting.
During the Maccabean Revolt, Jerusalem was under the rule of Rome. People during this time longed for a Messiah that would liberate them from "evil forces".Simon Bar Kochba was hailed as the Messiah, because he was the leader of a war against Rome. He died in 135C.E. which showed that Bar Kochba wasn't the real messiah. Another "messiah" is Yeshua bar Yosef, who is also known as Jesus. Modern bible scholars regard Jesus as a moral teahcer who tries to teach his followers how to live a decent live, but some believe that Jesus was trying to people about the apocalypse. Hoewever Kirsch argues that the Gospels prove that Jesus believed and taught thought the world was going to end around the time he was on Earth. There is debate over whether Jesus was an apocalyptic phrophet since what he thought would happen did not happen.
Another controversy that was discussed by Kirsch is about who is the author of the book of Revelation. Many people think that the author is "John the Evangelist" or "Saint John". He also thought of himself as one God's favorites and that he was probably born in Judea. John probably was a Jew by birth. The author of the Revelation repeatedly uses the number 666, which he used as a symbol of a Roman emperor.
Quote- "As we move forward in history, we will see that Revelation has been reread and reinterpreted in startling and even shocking ways over centuries, and never more so than in our times. If the author of Revelation had been granted an accurate vision of the distant future, surely he would have been appalled not only by the plain fact that the end of the world was not near but also by what would become of is "little book"." (Kirsch 55)
Reactions- I chose the quote above, because it shows how controversial the book of Revelation is. Kirsch states that the Revelation has been interpreted in various ways over the centuries, especially now. This is true, because there are documentaries shown on T.V of different apocalyptic prophecies. The quote also says that the author of Revelation probably did not know that his book was going to be so popular and that it would be read by future popes and Kings. The Revelation is very old, but its message is still followed by certain people.It is funny how the Revelation is still read today and probably will be read in the next century.
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