A Feminist Companion to the Apocalypse of John

Amy-Jill Levine, Maria Mayo Robbins, Maria Mayo Robbins

• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9780567590992
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

The thirteenth volume in this landmark series examines the Revelation of John through the categories of post-colonial thought, deconstruction, ethics, Roman social discourse, masculinization, virginity, and violence. The reach of this volume therefore goes beyond that of most feminist studies of Revelation, which frequently focus on the female imagery: the Thyatiran prophet called 'Jezebel', the 'Woman Clothed with the Sun', the 'Whore of Babylon', and the 'Bride'/the 'Heavenly Jerusalem'. The symbols of Revelation remain open and interpetations continue. Some readers will refuse to rejoice at the dismemberment of the Woman-who-is-Babylon; they will resist the (masochistic? infantile?) self-abasement before this imperial Deity who rules by patriarchal domination. Others will conclude that these descriptions are 'only' metaphors, separate form from substance, and worship the transcendent to which the metaphors imperfectly point. Some readers will understand, if not fully condone, John's rhetoric by seeking his political and social location; others will condone, if not fully understand, how the Apocalypse can provide comfort to those undergoing persecution or deprivation. Some readers may reject the coercive aspects of a choice between spending eternity in praise of the divine or being 'tortured' with fire and sulfer; others may rejoice in their own salvation while believing that those being tortured deserve every pain inflicting upon them; still others may use mimicry or parody or anachronistic analogy to challenge, defang, or replace John's message. What we find behind the veil may be beautiful, or terrifying, or both, but we cannot avert our eyes: John's vision is too influential today, in our own political climate, not to look for ourselves. The Feminist Companion to the Apocalypse of John includes contributions by David L. Barr, Mary Ann Beavis, Greg Carey, Adela Yarbro Collins, Lynn R. Huber, Catherine Keller, John Marshall, Stephen Moore, Jorunn Økland, Hanna Stenström, Pamela Thimmes, and Carolyn Vander Stichele. There is an introduction by Amy-Jill Levine and a comprehensive bibliography.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• List of Contributors
• Introduction
• Gender and Empire: Sexualized Violence in John’s Anti-Imperial Apocalypse
• ‘They Have Not Defiled Themselves With Women . . . ’: Christian Identity According to the Book of Revelation
• Women in Myth and History: Deconstructing John’s Characterizations
• ‘Teaching and Beguiling My Servants’: The Letter to Thyatira (Rev. 2.18–29)
• Why Can’t the Heavenly Miss Jerusalem Just Shut Up?
• Re-membering the Whore: The Fate of Babylon According to Revelation 17.16
• Feminine Symbolism in the Book of Revelation
• Jezebel Speaks: Naming the Goddesses in the Book of Revelation
• A Man’s Choice: Wealth Imagery and the Two Cities of the Book of Revelation
• Unveiling the Bride: Revelation 19.1–8 and Roman Social Discourse
• Hypermasculinity and Divinity
• Ms.Calculating the Endtimes: Additions and Conversation
• Bibliography
• Bibliography of Primary Sources
• Index of Biblical References
• Index of Authors