
The Walls of Babylon
An Alternative Reading of the Revelation to John
David Arthur(Author)
Lexington Books/Fortress Academic (Publisher)
Published on 22. August 2019
Book
Hardback
260 pages
978-1-9787-0249-3 (ISBN)
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Description
Through a daringly revisionist reading of the Revelation to John, The Walls of Babylon overthrows conventional assumptions, liberal and conservative alike, regarding Gnosticism and apocalyptic eschatology, and dismantles and reconstructs a received narrative of early Christian history. Scholars have long assumed that Revelation arose in response to a perceived crisis prompted by conflict between the emerging church and the Roman Empire, or more broadly, between the competing claims of religious allegiance and political authority. David Arthur's careful analysis of the text shows, however, that the motivating circumstance was provided not by external oppression but by a fierce internal dispute between gnostic and proto-orthodox groups. In the ensuing controversy, John took up the cause of the persecuted outcasts. Following the precedent of the classical prophets, he speaks not on behalf of the dominant ecclesiastical hierarchy, but as a spokesperson for the downtrodden, defamed, and dispossessed. The message he has left us offers a fiery symbolic rebuke of proto-orthodox Christianity--and by extension, challenges and controverts normative religious paradigms at every level of belief and praxis.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
5 Tables
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
751 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-9787-0249-3 (9781978702493)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2019
1st Edition
Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
€38.99
Available for download
Person
David Arthur is an independent scholar specializing in religion, philosophy, and the history of ideas.
Content
Introduction: The Beating Heart Within
Part I: Origins
1. The Clash and Fusion of Empires
2. Diversity and Conflict in the Early Church
3. Schism and Heresy
4. The Immediate Historical Context
Part II: A Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
5. In the Throne Room of the Great King
6. The Seven Seals
7. The Seven Trumpets
8. The Rise of the Beast
9. The Seven Bowls
10. The New Jerusalem
11. The Great City Babylon
12. The Celestial Woman
13. Conclusion: Excelsior Revelation Reconsidered
Epilogue: The Mark of Cain
Part I: Origins
1. The Clash and Fusion of Empires
2. Diversity and Conflict in the Early Church
3. Schism and Heresy
4. The Immediate Historical Context
Part II: A Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
5. In the Throne Room of the Great King
6. The Seven Seals
7. The Seven Trumpets
8. The Rise of the Beast
9. The Seven Bowls
10. The New Jerusalem
11. The Great City Babylon
12. The Celestial Woman
13. Conclusion: Excelsior Revelation Reconsidered
Epilogue: The Mark of Cain