Catalog Search Results
1) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: Issues Facing Revelation's First Readers
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 5
Language
English
Description
The first two chapters of Revelation discuss the issues facing the Christian communities that first received the book. Delve deeper into the experiences of the men and women addressed by John. What was the nature of the persecution and other problems they faced? Who was this book written for?
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
Turn to some of the most dramatic scenes in the Apocalypse, which deal with the problem of evil, personified by Satan, the great red dragon. John's account draws on an ancient fascination with stories of good battling evil, but he gives a bold new interpretation to the conflict.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 12
Language
English
Description
Conclude your close reading of the text of Revelation with John's vision of the new creation and the New Jerusalem. Professor Koester explores this triumphant ending, which is the source for the popular image of the pearly gates - along with so much more.
4) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: Revelation's Place in the Christian Bible
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 14
Language
English
Description
How did Revelation get into the Bible? Discover that, although it is unlike any other book in the New Testament, the Apocalypse met three broad criteria that early church leaders used to determine which books were authoritative and which were not.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 18
Language
English
Description
Move into the world of the Reformation, where a renegade monk named Martin Luther first rejected Revelation but later used its imagery in his controversy with the papacy. During this period, Catholics discovered much of their standard iconography for the Virgin Mary in John's text.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 19
Language
English
Description
Explore Revelation from a completely different perspective: its rich musical heritage. There are many songs within Revelation, and much music has been inspired by it. Examine Handel's Messiah, the hymns compiled by Charles Wesley, and gospel songs such as "Shall We Gather at the River?"
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 2
Language
English
Description
Investigate the world of the Hebrew prophets, whose writings deeply influenced the author of the Apocalypse. First, focus on the themes of evil and hope in such works as Ezekiel and Isaiah. Then, see how these themes are taken up in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the apocalyptic book of Daniel.
8) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: Revelation and the Apocalyptic Tradition
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
Professor Koester introduces one of the most discussed books of all time: the book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse. Learn the original meaning of "apocalypse" and the importance of the apocalyptic tradition. Also survey the three-part structure of the course.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 24
Language
English
Description
Finish the course by meeting some of the contemporary theologians who show how dynamic and engaging the study of Revelation continues to be. The book has an unparalleled ability to both challenge and encourage, proving that the Apocalypse is as powerful today as it was 1,900 years ago.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 23
Language
English
Description
Turn to today's most popular futuristic perspective on the end times, Dispensationalism, held by those who believe that all true Christians will be spirited up to heaven in an event called the Rapture. Examine the origins of this view, its connection to Revelation, and its mix of literal and symbolic interpretation.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 9
Language
English
Description
Trace John's depiction of evil through the images of the two beasts. The beast from the sea, whose name equals 666, works in the realm of politics. The beast from the land supports the beast from the sea through practices that serve worldly empire.
12) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: The Battle, the Kingdom, and Last Judgment
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 11
Language
English
Description
Revelation's final chapters feature scenes that have had a powerful effect on the modern imagination, ranging from the battle of Armageddon to the final defeat of Satan and the Last Judgment. Learn the ancient context for these images, which mark the climax of God's battle against the forces of evil.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 16
Language
English
Description
Trace medieval responses to Revelation through the ideas of several influential thinkers, including the controversial monk Joachim of Fiore, whose struggle with the Apocalypse led him to the mystical insight that it was the key to the meaning of history since the Creation.
14) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: Revelation in African American Culture
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 20
Language
English
Description
The Apocalypse has played a vital role in African American culture. Its visions of hope inspired the spirituals sung by slaves in the American South and the Dixieland favorite, "Oh when the saints go marching in." Scenes of New Jerusalem caught the imagination of Sojourner Truth and others who worked for social change.
15) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: Apocalyptic Fervor in the Late Middle Ages
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 17
Language
English
Description
See how certain followers of St. Francis of Assisi carried Joachim's ideas even further, styling themselves players in an apocalyptic drama and predicting that the present age would end in the 13th century.
16) Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History: Seven Trumpets, Temple, and Celebration
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 7
Language
English
Description
Analyze the middle section of the Apocalypse from two contrasting perspectives: first, from the futurist view that Revelation is a book of ominous predictions; then, from the literary perspective that seeks to understand how John organizes his details into a narrative that is surprisingly hopeful.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 10
Language
English
Description
Encounter Babylon the harlot, one of the most remarkable figures in the Apocalypse. She symbolizes the city of Rome in all its ancient opulence. Two literary forms useful for understanding John's metaphor are satire and the obituary. John is both satirizing Rome's decadence and sounding its death knell.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 6
Language
English
Description
John's distinctive images - his "word pictures" - have captured the imaginations of readers for centuries. Plunge into some of John's most vivid scenes, including the breaking of the seven seals, which unleashes the four horsemen and other startling visions.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Americans believed that Revelation outlined a progressive social destiny pointing to the great millennial age of peace on Earth. Meet leaders in this movement, including Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, and Julia Ward Howe, who wrote "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 3
Language
English
Description
Consider how the apocalyptic worldview, with its strong sense of conflicting powers, was taken up and transformed by Christian writers in the New Testament. Apocalyptic themes had an important place in the early church, creating the religious matrix out of which the book of Revelation arose.
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