The Metaphor of the City in the Apocalypse of John / Edition 1

by Eva Maria Räpple, Hemchand Gossai

Overview

Throughout history, the vision of a new city - the heavenly Jerusalem coming down from heaven - has inspired human beings to dream about community, society, and the world. Acting as an incentive to turn unsatisfied longing into utopian ideas and, ultimately, action, the language of the Apocalypse of John has long inspired human imagination in a highly effective manner. This fact has contributed to its controversial role in the history of New Testament interpretation; its bizarre, often paradoxical language seems to veil, rather than reveal, its message. Interestingly, the Apocalypse has never ceased to be an inspiration for artists: unlike conceptual language, art does not restrict interpretation, but has the power to incite the reader or audience to imagine. Using artistic expression as paradigm, this book examines a central image - the city - as metaphorical material, investigating the dynamic, interpretive process from text to imagination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820470832
Publisher:	Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
Publication date:	02/26/2004
Series:	Studies in Biblical Literature , #67
Pages:	279
Product dimensions:	60.00(w) x 90.00(h) x 7.50(d)

About the Author

The Author: Eva Maria Räpple is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the College of DuPage/Illinois. Her fields of specialization include the philosophy of language, as well as art, literature, and religion in a global environment. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, an M.A. in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, Illinois, and M.A. equivalents in Latin and Theology from the University of Frankfurt, Germany. Dr. Räpple has published various articles in professional journals.

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations	ix
	Editor's Preface	xi
	Preface and Acknowledgments	xiii
	List of Abbreviations	xv
	Introduction	1
Part 1	Interpreting the Apocalypse	11
Part 2	Methodology	29
Part 3	Composition	65
Part 4	Referential Dimensions	107
Part 5	City Images	139
Part 6	Rhetoric	179
Part 7	Metaphor and Imagination	211
	Epilogue	227
	Notes	231
	Bibliography	263
	Index	275