PROFESSOR EXAMINES THE APOCALYPSE

Benjamin Reynolds, a professor of religion at Millsap College in Jackson, Mississippi, has penned an academic book – Between Symbolism and Realism: The Use of Symbolic and Non-Symbolic Language in Ancient Jewish Apocalypses 333-53 B.C.E. – that directly confronts the Bible’s alleged apocalyptic messages.

“Often when people argue about the Bible, they accuse each other of taking this or that passage out of context,” he explained. “My book is all about providing that context. It examines the language of ancient Jewish apocalypses like Daniel and Revelation in painstaking detail.”

While contemporary evangelical Christians believe the apocalypse and Second Coming would take place in their lifetimes, Reynolds points out that Christians such as the apostle Paul to Martin Luther also believed that to be the case.

"But what is unique in modern America is the persistence of this thought in the face of several high-profile failed prophecies of the end over the last 100 years or so," he said. "For a lot of people, I think the idea that the end times are near allows people to live with a sense of urgency and vitality."

Reynolds said that such a belief in ancient times assisted people who had been marginalized and were suffering, while today, people believe the Apocalypse is right around the corner as a diversion from “boredom and meaningless consumption.”

Having used the Dead Sea Scrolls extensively in his analysis, Reynolds explained that “because these texts contain eccentric, symbolic language that is, at times, bizarre and otherworldly…people often look for otherworldly explanations of the texts.

“But by examining parallels from the very same time period, my book shows that in its own time, the language was not bizarre at all. Once we overcome our modern confusion and discomfort with the language of apocalypses, we are able to use that language to reconstruct the religion, politics and history of the time periods in which they were actually produced.

"The biblical apocalypses do not reveal how the world will end in our lifetimes. We find in them compelling stories of faith in the face of terrible persecution and demoralizing occupation.”

Wow, is that refreshing!