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Brief History of the End of the World (06) by Pearson, Simon [Paperback (2006)]
Brief History of the End of the World (06) by Pearson, Simon [Paperback (2006)]
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First published August 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 8, 2018
A very enjoyable overview of apocalyptic beliefs and ideas from Zoroastrianism through the Abrahamic faiths to the present day. It is, of course, a 'Brief History', not a 'Comprehensive History': it covers topics quickly, and is very pleasantly easy to read, but it is easy to be critical of the omissions and the author's glaring biases.
Islam, whose sacred text is soaked in apocalyptic imagery, is only given a cursory glance focusing on the jihadist extremists of the modern world. Over a thousand years of Islamic history is skipped over. Part of me wants to think this is due to limited sources on Islamic eschatology available in English. Most of the book is concerned with various Christian expectations and predictions of the End. The Norse Ragnarok myth is given 3 pages. Apocalyptic religious belief, this book leads us to think, is confined to Zoroastrianism, the Abrahamic faiths, and Norse pagans.
Science fiction literature has a vast corpus of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories. But this is completely ignored by Pearson, whose only mentions of SF are H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds and The Shape of Things to Come, and blockbuster Hollywood movies. To mention Wells but not The Time Machine, with its far-future end of the world, is a grievous omission. To ignore the rest of science fiction, with its myriad apocalypses and post-apocalypses reflecting the anxieties of the times they were written in, just seems stupid. I expect Pearson is one of those types who look down on genre fiction. There are at least 6 pages on apocalyptic imagery in the works of D.H. Lawrence (in the author bio we learn that Pearson has an M.Litt on D.H. Lawrence) - more space than is devoted to Ragnarok.
(Full disclosure: the pages on D.H. Lawrence are very good and did make me want read more of his novels.)
Overall, despite the slightly disappointing omissions, I did very much enjoy reading this history, and learnt a lot. It is brief, engaging, informative easy-reading.
Islam, whose sacred text is soaked in apocalyptic imagery, is only given a cursory glance focusing on the jihadist extremists of the modern world. Over a thousand years of Islamic history is skipped over. Part of me wants to think this is due to limited sources on Islamic eschatology available in English. Most of the book is concerned with various Christian expectations and predictions of the End. The Norse Ragnarok myth is given 3 pages. Apocalyptic religious belief, this book leads us to think, is confined to Zoroastrianism, the Abrahamic faiths, and Norse pagans.
Science fiction literature has a vast corpus of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories. But this is completely ignored by Pearson, whose only mentions of SF are H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds and The Shape of Things to Come, and blockbuster Hollywood movies. To mention Wells but not The Time Machine, with its far-future end of the world, is a grievous omission. To ignore the rest of science fiction, with its myriad apocalypses and post-apocalypses reflecting the anxieties of the times they were written in, just seems stupid. I expect Pearson is one of those types who look down on genre fiction. There are at least 6 pages on apocalyptic imagery in the works of D.H. Lawrence (in the author bio we learn that Pearson has an M.Litt on D.H. Lawrence) - more space than is devoted to Ragnarok.
(Full disclosure: the pages on D.H. Lawrence are very good and did make me want read more of his novels.)
Overall, despite the slightly disappointing omissions, I did very much enjoy reading this history, and learnt a lot. It is brief, engaging, informative easy-reading.
November 5, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. The introduction gave me some misgivings because it was so general, but as soon as I got into the first chapter ("The Origins of Apocalyptic Faith") I was learning something new on every page. Pearson traces apocalyptic belief from Zoroastrianism to Judaism to Christianity to Islam. His focus on the Abrahamic religions, especially Christianity, in the Middle East, Europe, and the Unite States means that you don't hear much about other religions' ideas on the end of the world, and can even leave you with the impression that apocalyptic ideas are more or less completely unique to Abrahamic religions. That shortcoming aside, this book really helped me better understand the Book of Revelation, the Book of Daniel, and the legacy of both. For people who have never been able to get through either (like me), Pearson helpfully summarizes their events, authorship, and interpretation.
Pearson's book is brimming with fascinating and grotesque stories about fringe apocalyptic communities, but the really important things I took away from it were a better understanding of how influential Abrahamic ideas of the end of the world have been, how mainstream apolcalyptic thought has been at various time periods and continues to be, and how consistently apocalypticism and racism, prejudice, and violence have supported one another in various ways and settings over thousands of years.
It sounds a note of caution to me that Pearson doesn't appear to have written any other books, doesn't name the college he teaches at in London, and, judging by Amazon and Goodreads reviews, doesn't appear to be very well read. However, PBS has an incredible website on the apocalypse, and its series of articles on the topic seem to cover much of the same ground that Pearson does in his book (see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontli... and click on "apocalypticism" for articles).
(Note on edition: I somehow wound up with the British version of this book--titled "A Brief History of the End of the World: From Revelation to Eco-Disaster" instead of "UFO Cults"--so for a while I was tripping over phrases like "on sea" and "bog standard." Otherwise, I think it probably corresponds to the American version listed here on Goodreads.)
Pearson's book is brimming with fascinating and grotesque stories about fringe apocalyptic communities, but the really important things I took away from it were a better understanding of how influential Abrahamic ideas of the end of the world have been, how mainstream apolcalyptic thought has been at various time periods and continues to be, and how consistently apocalypticism and racism, prejudice, and violence have supported one another in various ways and settings over thousands of years.
It sounds a note of caution to me that Pearson doesn't appear to have written any other books, doesn't name the college he teaches at in London, and, judging by Amazon and Goodreads reviews, doesn't appear to be very well read. However, PBS has an incredible website on the apocalypse, and its series of articles on the topic seem to cover much of the same ground that Pearson does in his book (see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontli... and click on "apocalypticism" for articles).
(Note on edition: I somehow wound up with the British version of this book--titled "A Brief History of the End of the World: From Revelation to Eco-Disaster" instead of "UFO Cults"--so for a while I was tripping over phrases like "on sea" and "bog standard." Otherwise, I think it probably corresponds to the American version listed here on Goodreads.)
March 26, 2022
I was a little surprised by this one. It was definitely a very informative read, I learned a lot of things that I wasn’t aware of and wouldn’t normally read; the shared beliefs among (both current and ancient) religions of the world meeting an apocalyptic end.
I found that it drew a close parallel on how similar some of these religions or sects are to cults.
I found that it drew a close parallel on how similar some of these religions or sects are to cults.
June 17, 2020
Very readable overview of the concept of apocalypse through the centuries, it was well organized and seemed well researched. Although a few times more time could have been spent on various topics, it is an overview and the author was covering a lot of territory. Certainly plenty of springboards for deep dives into various aspects of the concept for interested readers were offered.
The introduction was a bit on the general side but still worthwhile, author Simon Pearson writing about among other things the origin of the word apocalypse:
“derived from the Greek apokalypsis, from the verb ‘to life the lid off something’, whence comes its secondary, more poetic meaning ‘the lifting of a veil, a sudden revelation’. This what the author of the Book of Revelation underwent on the Greek island of Patmos when he was exiled there sometime between AD 65 and 100. In one sudden instance, God lifted the lid to reveal the ultimately metaphysical reality…”
There were two concepts that the author went to again and again in the book, one that though in popular usage “apocalypse is now a catchall word used to describe a particularly destructive event or process,” historically and certainly Biblically it was used to denote “some divinely inspired revelatory experience,” in which yes indeed destruction was part and parcel of it but also there was an after, a better world after the apocalypse, something more recent and popular uses of the word apocalypse often lack. Far from being a horrible event in and of itself, historically “apocalyptic texts fortify the oppressed and the downtrodden with reassurances that their trials and tribulations will eventually be rewarded in a glorious consummation,” that though the world will undeniably be destroyed as they know it, they will be rewarded with survival or rebirth in a better world, a concept seen in Zoroastrian, Jewish, Islamic, and Christian beliefs, even in Marxist beliefs.
The other concept that the author tackled again and again was that repeatedly various apocalyptic “figures have set dates for the End of the World only to see them pass without any eventuality” (as obviously we are still here), looking at the cognitive dissonance, the “gap between what is expected to happen and what in actual fact happens,” how apocalyptic groups or figures deal with “discomfirmation,” often through setting new dates or altering their beliefs or providing explanations as to why prophecies of apocalypse failed to come true.
Chapter one talked about the evolution of apocalyptic texts in the Jewish and Christian traditions and was one of the best chapters of the book, opening with a great line; “Known as the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Christian Bible has probably had more influence on history and human behavior generally than any other single piece of writing….[s]o protean are its images and symbols that each age, in its own unique way, has been able to recast them to suit own particular needs, hopes and fears.” A good chapter, Pearson discussed quite a bit, from the apocalyptic beliefs of the Zoroastrian faith to the advent of concepts of linear rather than cyclical time, as well as the influence of the Babylonian captivity on Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts, the apocalyptic aspect of the books Daniel, Isiah, and Ezekiel, Hellenic influences (particularly on the book of Enoch), with the author again stressing that “apocalyptic literature generally is a very effective way of consoling and fortifying an oppressed and suffering people…it enables us to accept suffering, carry on and look to the future.”
Chapter two was similarly also very educational and again was thematic, Pearson writing about “the centrality of suffering in the lives of the righteous” in apocalyptic texts. Topics discussed included the Dead Sea Scrolls, the “oldest Gospel, Mark, [which] portrays a Jesus who is obsessed by the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God,” and at length the Book of Revelation, in which no attempt is “ever tried to disguise the apocalyptic flavor…many have found it too flavorsome by half,” that after some debate whether or not it was canonical “it established itself as the apocalyptic text par excellence – the ultimate end-time vision.” Chapter two also had discussions of the second century figure known as Montanus (who preached about an imminent end-times) and of apocalyptic beliefs in Islam.
Chapter three looked at late Antiquity and early Medieval beliefs and debates about the Apocalypse, including the conflict between roosters and owls (roosters “crow about the imminent dawn” as medieval historian Richard Landes is quoted as saying, that the apocalypse is coming soon, while owls “want to hush the roosters, insisting that it is still night, that the dawn is far away”), the writings of Augustine (who “came on to the scene at the end of the fourth century”), the differences between amillennialism (“the millennium is present now in a spiritual form rather than being held out as a future earthly state”) and premillennialism (“holds that any time now a future golden age will be ushered in”), Viking thoughts on end-times including of course Ragnarok (an all too brief discussion), how the Crusades fit into apocalyptic discussions and concepts, further discussion of Muslim beliefs regarding end-times, and the importance of Joachim of Fiore (c.1132-1202) in the history of apocalyptic thought.
Chapter four was even closer to the present, discussing among other things the apocalyptic musings of Thomas Muntzer (“a useful paradigm of what can happen when apocalyptic faith and radical politics coalesce”), the advent of the Anabaptists and their views on the apocalypse (with a perhaps unnecessary comparison to the Nazis; “Like the Nazis, the Anabaptists liked to think of themselves as ‘primitive’ in the sense that they had not been corrupted by too much book learning”), interactions of apocalyptic thought with the Age of Reason, end-times utopian scenarios as imagined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Marxist views on history (including Marx’s theory of history, which posited four great periods) and Karl Marx’s “quasi-apocalyptic” view point.
Chapter five looked at European and Western apocalyptic thoughts in the twentieth century, a time that started with a “double whammy of apocalyptic proportions” with the First World War and the 1918 influenza pandemic, covering among other things the apocalyptic thoughts of D.H. Lawrence (spending quite a bit of time on Lawrence), quite a lot of time on the apocalyptic themes and motifs of the writings of Hitler and the Nazis (noting among other things the term Third Reich was “heavily inscribed with apocalyptic meaning…recalling as it does the Joachite concept of the Third Age…[though Hitler] believed he could save the world only by destroying a significant proportion of it” and the “Nazis’ idea of Rassenkampf, or ‘race war’, is heavily infused with…apocalyptic notion”). Also discussed is “one of the great ironies of history…[i]n attempting to eradicate European Jewry, Hitler had helped to create a Jewish homeland,” Israel. Lots of art and literature are discussed as well, such as the writings of H.G. Wells and Picasso’s Guernica, though just in passing.
Chapter six looked at apocalyptic thought in America, including the views of Cotton Mather (of Salem witch trials fame), Puritan thought in general on the apocalypse, William Miller and the Millerite Movement (“one of the most famous millenarian movements to come out of the revivalist spirit of the Second Great Awakening,” interestingly he “was a case of the apocalyptist as number-cruncher,” using “colored charts, he would take his audience through the calculations lecture-style”), the Great Disappointment when Miller’s prophecy of the Second Coming of Christ in 1844 failed to come true, an interesting discussion of Mormon beliefs about the End of the World, Jehovah’s Witnesses and their views, Native American apocalyptic thoughts (such as story of the Ghost Dance ritual and the Battle of Wounded Knee, though the section in my opinion was much too brief), and the enormous influence of the apocalyptic writings of British theologian John Nelson Darby (and his belief in seven dispensations).
Chapter seven still looked at the United States, discussing the apocalyptic visions of the Pentecostal church (another too brief section), how 20th century events like Bolshevism and fears over nuclear war with the Soviet Union influenced apocalyptic writings and beliefs especially in America (and what these same thinkers and worshippers did once the Soviet threat vanished, though here Pearson gets a little political), white supremacist views on the apocalypse (such as the Church of Jesus Christ Christian and the views of Wesley Swift), a rather interesting section on Jim Jones, a fairly lengthy section on David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas (Pearson is rather critical of media and government treatment of the group), and a several page discussion of the Left Behind novel series by Timothy LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. With the sometimes graphic discussions of beliefs and actual events, this was an unsettling chapter.
Chapter eight was a rather wide ranging chapter of global events, movements, and ideas as viewed through an apocalyptic lens, contemporary for the time (though the book was published in 2006), it looked like the author tried his best to be very up to date but frequent references to the Bush administration and 9/11 and how it changed contemporary thought did date the chapter some. A fairly wide-ranging, sometimes even rambling chapter, topics covered included suicide bombers, Al-Qaeda, a tiny bit on Nostradamus, the role of the internet on apocalyptic thought, a few pages on the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide, how some on the Christian right saw the AIDS epidemic in apocalyptic terms, some environmentalist writers such as Gerald Durrell and how they viewed environmental catastrophe in apocalyptic terms, and a paragraph or so on the Raelian UFO cult and its apocalyptic beliefs. Too much of the chapter is spent on relating current events in the war on terror (current at the time) in my opinion and some aspects, such as the discussions of environmental threats as apocalyptic were a bit underdeveloped. I did like some of the pop culture discussion of various apocalypses, such as in the movies Executive Decision (a 1996 film), The Sum of All Fears (both the novel and the 2002 film), and The Day After Tomorrow (came out in 2004) though I would have liked more than the very quick passing reference to the Terminator movies.
A good very wide ranging overview, some chapters were better than others. There is a good end notes section for further reading and a thorough index. A few topics I would have liked more discussion of but again, a huge topic. I saw other reviewers wrote that the focus was primarily Judeo-Christian and it absolutely was. I would have loved a whole chapter on Norse beliefs for instance, though I believe the author said most other religions saw the universe as cyclical and not linear in terms of time, with apocalypses viewed in entirely different terms, so that may explain why the focus was mainly on Jewish and Christian beliefs and on Western society with some nods towards Norse and Zoroastrian beliefs.
The introduction was a bit on the general side but still worthwhile, author Simon Pearson writing about among other things the origin of the word apocalypse:
“derived from the Greek apokalypsis, from the verb ‘to life the lid off something’, whence comes its secondary, more poetic meaning ‘the lifting of a veil, a sudden revelation’. This what the author of the Book of Revelation underwent on the Greek island of Patmos when he was exiled there sometime between AD 65 and 100. In one sudden instance, God lifted the lid to reveal the ultimately metaphysical reality…”
There were two concepts that the author went to again and again in the book, one that though in popular usage “apocalypse is now a catchall word used to describe a particularly destructive event or process,” historically and certainly Biblically it was used to denote “some divinely inspired revelatory experience,” in which yes indeed destruction was part and parcel of it but also there was an after, a better world after the apocalypse, something more recent and popular uses of the word apocalypse often lack. Far from being a horrible event in and of itself, historically “apocalyptic texts fortify the oppressed and the downtrodden with reassurances that their trials and tribulations will eventually be rewarded in a glorious consummation,” that though the world will undeniably be destroyed as they know it, they will be rewarded with survival or rebirth in a better world, a concept seen in Zoroastrian, Jewish, Islamic, and Christian beliefs, even in Marxist beliefs.
The other concept that the author tackled again and again was that repeatedly various apocalyptic “figures have set dates for the End of the World only to see them pass without any eventuality” (as obviously we are still here), looking at the cognitive dissonance, the “gap between what is expected to happen and what in actual fact happens,” how apocalyptic groups or figures deal with “discomfirmation,” often through setting new dates or altering their beliefs or providing explanations as to why prophecies of apocalypse failed to come true.
Chapter one talked about the evolution of apocalyptic texts in the Jewish and Christian traditions and was one of the best chapters of the book, opening with a great line; “Known as the Book of Revelation, the final book of the Christian Bible has probably had more influence on history and human behavior generally than any other single piece of writing….[s]o protean are its images and symbols that each age, in its own unique way, has been able to recast them to suit own particular needs, hopes and fears.” A good chapter, Pearson discussed quite a bit, from the apocalyptic beliefs of the Zoroastrian faith to the advent of concepts of linear rather than cyclical time, as well as the influence of the Babylonian captivity on Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts, the apocalyptic aspect of the books Daniel, Isiah, and Ezekiel, Hellenic influences (particularly on the book of Enoch), with the author again stressing that “apocalyptic literature generally is a very effective way of consoling and fortifying an oppressed and suffering people…it enables us to accept suffering, carry on and look to the future.”
Chapter two was similarly also very educational and again was thematic, Pearson writing about “the centrality of suffering in the lives of the righteous” in apocalyptic texts. Topics discussed included the Dead Sea Scrolls, the “oldest Gospel, Mark, [which] portrays a Jesus who is obsessed by the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of God,” and at length the Book of Revelation, in which no attempt is “ever tried to disguise the apocalyptic flavor…many have found it too flavorsome by half,” that after some debate whether or not it was canonical “it established itself as the apocalyptic text par excellence – the ultimate end-time vision.” Chapter two also had discussions of the second century figure known as Montanus (who preached about an imminent end-times) and of apocalyptic beliefs in Islam.
Chapter three looked at late Antiquity and early Medieval beliefs and debates about the Apocalypse, including the conflict between roosters and owls (roosters “crow about the imminent dawn” as medieval historian Richard Landes is quoted as saying, that the apocalypse is coming soon, while owls “want to hush the roosters, insisting that it is still night, that the dawn is far away”), the writings of Augustine (who “came on to the scene at the end of the fourth century”), the differences between amillennialism (“the millennium is present now in a spiritual form rather than being held out as a future earthly state”) and premillennialism (“holds that any time now a future golden age will be ushered in”), Viking thoughts on end-times including of course Ragnarok (an all too brief discussion), how the Crusades fit into apocalyptic discussions and concepts, further discussion of Muslim beliefs regarding end-times, and the importance of Joachim of Fiore (c.1132-1202) in the history of apocalyptic thought.
Chapter four was even closer to the present, discussing among other things the apocalyptic musings of Thomas Muntzer (“a useful paradigm of what can happen when apocalyptic faith and radical politics coalesce”), the advent of the Anabaptists and their views on the apocalypse (with a perhaps unnecessary comparison to the Nazis; “Like the Nazis, the Anabaptists liked to think of themselves as ‘primitive’ in the sense that they had not been corrupted by too much book learning”), interactions of apocalyptic thought with the Age of Reason, end-times utopian scenarios as imagined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Marxist views on history (including Marx’s theory of history, which posited four great periods) and Karl Marx’s “quasi-apocalyptic” view point.
Chapter five looked at European and Western apocalyptic thoughts in the twentieth century, a time that started with a “double whammy of apocalyptic proportions” with the First World War and the 1918 influenza pandemic, covering among other things the apocalyptic thoughts of D.H. Lawrence (spending quite a bit of time on Lawrence), quite a lot of time on the apocalyptic themes and motifs of the writings of Hitler and the Nazis (noting among other things the term Third Reich was “heavily inscribed with apocalyptic meaning…recalling as it does the Joachite concept of the Third Age…[though Hitler] believed he could save the world only by destroying a significant proportion of it” and the “Nazis’ idea of Rassenkampf, or ‘race war’, is heavily infused with…apocalyptic notion”). Also discussed is “one of the great ironies of history…[i]n attempting to eradicate European Jewry, Hitler had helped to create a Jewish homeland,” Israel. Lots of art and literature are discussed as well, such as the writings of H.G. Wells and Picasso’s Guernica, though just in passing.
Chapter six looked at apocalyptic thought in America, including the views of Cotton Mather (of Salem witch trials fame), Puritan thought in general on the apocalypse, William Miller and the Millerite Movement (“one of the most famous millenarian movements to come out of the revivalist spirit of the Second Great Awakening,” interestingly he “was a case of the apocalyptist as number-cruncher,” using “colored charts, he would take his audience through the calculations lecture-style”), the Great Disappointment when Miller’s prophecy of the Second Coming of Christ in 1844 failed to come true, an interesting discussion of Mormon beliefs about the End of the World, Jehovah’s Witnesses and their views, Native American apocalyptic thoughts (such as story of the Ghost Dance ritual and the Battle of Wounded Knee, though the section in my opinion was much too brief), and the enormous influence of the apocalyptic writings of British theologian John Nelson Darby (and his belief in seven dispensations).
Chapter seven still looked at the United States, discussing the apocalyptic visions of the Pentecostal church (another too brief section), how 20th century events like Bolshevism and fears over nuclear war with the Soviet Union influenced apocalyptic writings and beliefs especially in America (and what these same thinkers and worshippers did once the Soviet threat vanished, though here Pearson gets a little political), white supremacist views on the apocalypse (such as the Church of Jesus Christ Christian and the views of Wesley Swift), a rather interesting section on Jim Jones, a fairly lengthy section on David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas (Pearson is rather critical of media and government treatment of the group), and a several page discussion of the Left Behind novel series by Timothy LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. With the sometimes graphic discussions of beliefs and actual events, this was an unsettling chapter.
Chapter eight was a rather wide ranging chapter of global events, movements, and ideas as viewed through an apocalyptic lens, contemporary for the time (though the book was published in 2006), it looked like the author tried his best to be very up to date but frequent references to the Bush administration and 9/11 and how it changed contemporary thought did date the chapter some. A fairly wide-ranging, sometimes even rambling chapter, topics covered included suicide bombers, Al-Qaeda, a tiny bit on Nostradamus, the role of the internet on apocalyptic thought, a few pages on the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide, how some on the Christian right saw the AIDS epidemic in apocalyptic terms, some environmentalist writers such as Gerald Durrell and how they viewed environmental catastrophe in apocalyptic terms, and a paragraph or so on the Raelian UFO cult and its apocalyptic beliefs. Too much of the chapter is spent on relating current events in the war on terror (current at the time) in my opinion and some aspects, such as the discussions of environmental threats as apocalyptic were a bit underdeveloped. I did like some of the pop culture discussion of various apocalypses, such as in the movies Executive Decision (a 1996 film), The Sum of All Fears (both the novel and the 2002 film), and The Day After Tomorrow (came out in 2004) though I would have liked more than the very quick passing reference to the Terminator movies.
A good very wide ranging overview, some chapters were better than others. There is a good end notes section for further reading and a thorough index. A few topics I would have liked more discussion of but again, a huge topic. I saw other reviewers wrote that the focus was primarily Judeo-Christian and it absolutely was. I would have loved a whole chapter on Norse beliefs for instance, though I believe the author said most other religions saw the universe as cyclical and not linear in terms of time, with apocalypses viewed in entirely different terms, so that may explain why the focus was mainly on Jewish and Christian beliefs and on Western society with some nods towards Norse and Zoroastrian beliefs.
December 3, 2012
Absorbing, and interesting, I found it easy to read and sped through it. Whilst fascinating, it is also rather depressing that humans have not learnt from all their many mistakes over the milennia and there are still a LOT of very VERY easily led people out there - and I don't understand it! Pearson's book is a magnum opus of his topic; brilliantly researched, it's exactly what it says in the title - an overview; a brief history of apocalyptic views and beliefs. Seeing it all written out in chronological order it's amazing how much repetition there is in human history, and Pearson does attempt to present it in an unbiased manner, although I'm not sure he's entirely successful. Most of his focus is on religious apocalyptic thoughts rather than the promised eco-disaster topics, although it is touched on mainly via the medium of reference to Gaia by James Lovelock (great book btw). It's a shame that I'm reading it now, as of course so much has happened since it was published - but it did mention the Mayan Calendar world end date for December 22nd this year (2012). Lets see how that one works out!
January 26, 2018
This book is an interesting read. It traces the history of apocalyptic stories and predictions from the time of the Persian prophet Zarathustra and its subsequent inclusion in Jewish history and the bible and Koran. The nature of these stories and the weird and dangerous interpretations grafted onto the Apocalypse and how it will arrive seem never ending. Its been a thread of religious thought through the middle-east and western thought for thousands of years.
Its abundantly clear from this that cults who preach the end of the world are nothing new and have been around since at least the era of the Byzantines. They aren't going away. What's really amazing is how consistently groups of people will fall for these stories with a charismatic leader to spin the tale. The book ends with an overview of how the apocalypse has spread into the secular community and politics in modern times with fears of environmental collapse and destruction by asteroid. This is one book where historical patterns are clearly repeated even when the details are different.
Its abundantly clear from this that cults who preach the end of the world are nothing new and have been around since at least the era of the Byzantines. They aren't going away. What's really amazing is how consistently groups of people will fall for these stories with a charismatic leader to spin the tale. The book ends with an overview of how the apocalypse has spread into the secular community and politics in modern times with fears of environmental collapse and destruction by asteroid. This is one book where historical patterns are clearly repeated even when the details are different.
June 2, 2021
A brief overview of how humans have interpreted the existing world status/current events vis-a-vis the prophecies in the prominent religious books such as the book of Daniel in the old testament and the book of Revelation in the new. A bit dense at times but recommended for those who want to gain a basic understanding of how human thinking has evolved over the years concerning the end of the world.
April 5, 2022
Eschatology usually isn't my thing. I believe this book was a gift from someone, and I only just read it.
When I was younger, I was fascinated by the Book of Revelations. Then I grew up and stopped paying attention to the bible. That means this book was not written for me at all. While it is interesting to read about how eschatology shaped our history and culture, I couldn't get into it.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
When I was younger, I was fascinated by the Book of Revelations. Then I grew up and stopped paying attention to the bible. That means this book was not written for me at all. While it is interesting to read about how eschatology shaped our history and culture, I couldn't get into it.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
June 27, 2024
(12 May, 2011)
Revelation indeed, it was astonishing to read about all the 'prophecies' of the end of the world people will believe. It is a real challenge to decide if they are all born this stupid or if it takes real effort to achieve that level of mindlessness.
Well written and informative. Pearson tries to be non-judgmental about his subject matter but the sheer absurdity of it all (except for the eco-disaster part) makes this a seemingly unattainable goal. Also, it was interesting to read about the religious beliefs, from a eschatological perspective, of a few historical figures (Cromwell, Newton and a few others). One negative: it almost seems as if Pearson is defending David Koresh. How anyone could be even remotely close to defend a gun-toting maniac who sleeps with minors is beyond me.
Revelation indeed, it was astonishing to read about all the 'prophecies' of the end of the world people will believe. It is a real challenge to decide if they are all born this stupid or if it takes real effort to achieve that level of mindlessness.
Well written and informative. Pearson tries to be non-judgmental about his subject matter but the sheer absurdity of it all (except for the eco-disaster part) makes this a seemingly unattainable goal. Also, it was interesting to read about the religious beliefs, from a eschatological perspective, of a few historical figures (Cromwell, Newton and a few others). One negative: it almost seems as if Pearson is defending David Koresh. How anyone could be even remotely close to defend a gun-toting maniac who sleeps with minors is beyond me.
Read
February 7, 2012I have a scholarly interest in millennial movements, so I gravitate to books like this. In this case, there is no need for anyone else to do so. This is a rather slipshod survey, based on a handful of secondary sources, that rumbles through the centuries, like many surveys before it. Unfortunately, this history isn't so much brief as superficial, and riddled with errors and unsupported generalizations.
December 11, 2014
The first half held up alright, but was disappointing in its overwhelming focus on Abrahamic mythology. Assigning only three pages to Ragnarok and fully ignoring other end of the world scenarios from non-western or non-Abrahamic faith.
The second half pretty much reads like blame the Religious right, Blah blah blah Bush, Global warming is real guys... tune in to CNN for more of the same.
Also Pearson seriously needs to learn about the common courtesy of giving spoiler warnings.
The second half pretty much reads like blame the Religious right, Blah blah blah Bush, Global warming is real guys... tune in to CNN for more of the same.
Also Pearson seriously needs to learn about the common courtesy of giving spoiler warnings.
November 23, 2008
A decent-enough summary of various historical perspectives and beliefs concerning the end of the world.
A bit light on the details at times, perhaps, but a fairly satisfying overview of the basics.
A bit light on the details at times, perhaps, but a fairly satisfying overview of the basics.
July 23, 2011
Ploughing through the old testament with the author in the first half of the book took a bit of endurance but as he consolidated his story in the later chapters I found it interesting and in some cases I agreed
October 27, 2014
Nothing makes a silly idea more obvious than lining them all up together. Reading through a long list of the times people have been certain the world will end makes it a lot easier to shake off the next looney who thinks the end is nigh.
January 5, 2008
For the "End of the world" Class. I like how it sums up the Bible. So far it is a quick read.
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July 26, 2011a fun read on the dangers of linear history and a fear of mortality.
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