from a website
The question of how and when the world will end has captivated
thinkers for centuries. Wars, natural disasters, social upheaval
and personal suffering often send believers back to the writings of
their prophets and seers, whose gift is to bring satisfying answers
to such questions. The book most studied in the Western tradition
is Revelation, the last entry in the Christian canon. In this
lecture, entitled A History of the End of the World: How the Most
Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western
Civilization, Kirsch takes viewers on a delightful 2,000-year
journey and shows how churches, philosophers, clergy and armchair
interpreters have promoted their political, social and religious
agendas based on their belief that the end was imminent. Some of
this history can be quite sobering, as the powerful have waged wars
and built societies based on their varying perceptions of
Revelations message. However, consistent with Kirschs earlier
literary efforts, in particular The Harlot by the Side of the Road,
the author exercises great care while treating his material with
both sobriety and a healthy sense of the ironic. Jonathan Kirsch is
a book columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and the author of
numerous bestsellers about the Bible, including: God Against the
Gods, The Woman Who Laughed at God, King David, Moses, and The
Harlot by the Side of the Road.
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