Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation Audiobook

" It was a really good read, but I also felt like she just blew through a lot of stuff. It was fairly short and just went by too fast. I couldn't tell if she was trying to just write for other religious scholars who she assumed already knew most of it or was oversimplifying it for everyone. I still really enjoyed it - but it definitely could be another hundred pages or so. I really enjoyed how she gave tons of historical details to the time period when the books were written. She just seemed to skip over a lot of what would be awesome controversies and stories if only she fleshed them out a bit more. "

" Important book for the layperson trying to understand eithef the construction of the Bible or that part of our religious and daily culture that focused on images and concepts from Revelations. I found Pagels' interpretation compelling and convincing. "

" This work is interesting and stimulating. I have no expertise to check Pagels' facts, but she writes clearly and convincingly. Theology always has many viewpoints. Other writers probably would interpret the evidence differently, but Pagels view adds a great deal to my understanding of the early development of Christianity. "

" I guess I expected more in depth analysis of previous apocalypses and then a comparison with the book of revelation. But it was interesting to find out how it was used by the church "fathers" to demonize others that don't agree with your viewpoint and plans of conquest. "

" I expected this to be more about the actual Revelations. It was actually about how the book ended up as part of the New Testament, which was interesting enough. Pagels presents the history without apparent bias, but I couldn't help but wish there was some way to know which of the historical figures was actually a representative of Christ's true church. I believe that sometime before the formation of the Catholic Church there was a general apostasy, but when you look at all the sources it can be difficult to say where the falling away actually occurred. This is not Pagels' fault; she is a faithful historian, and there's really no way other than prophetic revelation to know this information. Pagels also addresses what revelation is and how it was taught by various figures, which is interesting but pretty academic until the very end of the conclusion. I was interested by the new knowledge to be gained by the findings at Nag Hammadi, but there's no way to know which of these writings was actually authorized by God. Again, it requires prophetic revelation by one in authority. I do believe in modern prophets and ongoing revelation, but I believe it is perhaps best that they are silent on these writings. What Pagels presents is interesting, and knowledge is always good, but I did have a hard time getting into it. Fortunately the book is only half as long as it looks, unless you choose to read the extensive notes that took up about half the page count. "

" Pagels sections which dealt with the ways church leaders have used the Book of Revelation for political gain were my favorites. I found her discourse on Athanasius to be very interesting. It was a good review of Church History! "

" Literalists be crazy. How on earth can you believe that any of this is going to happen? Oy... I need to stop reading books about the bible - they just get my dander up. I did enjoy this book, in the same way that I enjoy watching hoarders. Crazy people are fascinating. "

" Interesting. Much more about the history surrounding Revelations than the book of Revelations itself. "

" Excellent book, which analyzes not only the Apocalypse of John but others as well, and gives background and history. "

" Very, very interesting and informative. A must read for any professed Christian. Even though they won't read it, because it might make them think for themselves. Should be read along with "The Origin of Satan", by the same author. "

" Pagels is a first-rate scholar but this felt like a book rushed together for a deadline (the Easter season) and was not up to her usual excellence. "

" While it is a concise overview of the history of the Church's love/hate relationship with Revelation, Pagels doesn't really bring anything new to the table. "

" I really enjoyed "The Gnostic Gospels" by the same author, and there is some interesting history in this volume. But it was a bit of a dry read. "

" I was looking for a non-biased academic type approach. This one isn't it. "

" I found her take on the Jewish Christian origin of Revelation to be fascinating but the sections on the Nag Hammadi manuscripts to be unnecessary and repetitive of her earlier work. "

" even though i'm an atheist i love reading about the bible "

" This author isn't what she's cracked up to be. Other reviewers gush about her scholarship, but she ignores obvious stuff and capitalizes on obscure stuff. She loves baloney. C'mon, before you buy her baloney, read some stuff that she doesn't agree with. "