Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation

Q. Did you learn anything from this book? A. Yes. The book is relatively short, less than 200 pages, not including notes, but Elaine, as she always does, has brought together a vast specialized literature for the lay reader, like myself. I learned that the Book of Revelations included in the Bible of today was one of several such revelation books, others having been found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. Elaine makes it clear that political maneuvering had much to do with the inclusion of this book and the exclusion of others. She notes that since John of Patmos wrote the book, either around 68 CE or 90CE, many groups have found Revelations helpful to their particular causes, whether suppressing Christian dissidents or just warring against some other forces. Q. But this contradicts the viewpoint that the Bible is one whole book inspired by God and must be accepted entirely as such. A. Yes, it does. I have read many of these types of books by Biblical scholars and their main thrust is that the writers of Bible materials were humans just like us, with human sentiments, fears, likes, dislikes, and needs for higher answers. These scholars do not discuss whether any of the Bible writers actually heard or saw revelations. For example, John of Patmos supposedly talked with Jesus about the matters he wrote in the book. Biblical scholars such as Elaine assume, as a convention if nothing else, that everything came from the head or mind of John himself, not his channeling Jesus. Elaine must use this convention in order to make sense in the context of her scholarly work. Q. So John did not really talk to Jesus to hear these revelations? A. That is the impression I am left with from this book, but this is, of course, not the final answer. People are still even today channeling Jesus and will continue to do so as time goes on. For example, Helen Schucman said she was channeling Jesus when she wrote A Course in Miracles. Personally, I understood A Course in Miracles better than I did Revelations, probably because I am alive today and not in the time of John of Patmos. Q. Well be all that as it may, you seem to have enjoyed this book? A. Yes, and I recommend it for the general or lay reader. It is interesting, not too specialized, and easy to read.