A Feminist Companion to the Apocalypse of John

Description

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 Okland, Hanna Stenstroem, Pamela Thimmes, and Carolyn Vander Stichele. There is an introduction by Amy-Jill Levine and a comprehensive bibliography.

Maria Mayo Robbins is a doctoral candidate in religious studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Amy-Jill Levine is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion, and director of the Carpenter Program in religion, gender and sexuality in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

"Part of a series that offers feminist perspectives on various New Testament texts, this volume moves beyond the canonical materials to consider the apocrypha or extracanonical texts. Editor Levine's helpful introduction not only offers an annotated summary of each of the essays in the volume butt also situates the interest in the extracanonical materials within the ongoing development of feminist scholarship." - Dianne Bergant, The Bible Today, May/ June 2008 -- Dianne Bergant Book Note in Interpretation For anyone interested in gynocentric readings of the Revelation or the state of the feminist discourse as related to Revelation specifically and female imagery in texts in general, this volume is an indispensable companion. -- Review of Biblical Literature