A History of the End of the World (56 page)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kirsch, Jonathan.
A history of the end of the world: how the most controversial book in the Bible changed the course of Western civilization / Jonathan Kirsch.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“The text of the book of Revelation”: P.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 323) and index.
Contents: Something rich and strange—Spooky knowledge and last things—History of a delusion—The Apocalyptic invasion—“Your own days, few and evil”—To begin the world over again—The godless Apocalypse.
ISBN
-13: 978–0–06–081698–8
ISBN
-10: 0–06–081698–8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)

Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia

http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900

Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada

http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca

New Zealand

HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand

http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

77-85 Fulham Palace Road

London, W6 8JB, UK

http://www.uk.harpercollinsebooks.com

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

10 East 53rd Street

New York, NY 10022

http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com

* For the convenience of the reader, the text of the book of Revelation in English translation as it appears in the King James Version is reproduced in its entirety in the Appendix, along with headings that identify key characters, events, and themes.

* “Apocalypticism” is a term used by scholars to identify various ideas and texts, including the book of Revelation, that focus on beliefs about how the world will end. For a brief discussion of apocalypticism and other specialized terms used throughout this book, see the Glossary.

* The abbreviation
B.C.E.
(Before the Common Era) is the equivalent of
B.C.
(Before Christ), and
C.E.
(Common Era) is the equivalent of
A.D.
(
Anno Domini,
or “In the Year of Our Lord”). The abbreviations
B.C.E.
and
C.E.
are used by scholars to avoid the theological implications of
B.C.
and
A.D.
, and I have used them here for the same reason.

* See the Glossary for a brief explanation of these terms.