I don’t always hold the most mainstream views when it comes to religion. In fact, it gets to the point sometimes where I wonder: Am I just making shit up? Whether or not I am making stuff up, or if that’s a valid approach, it’s nice to find things which (occasionally) lend some support to the point of view I subscribe to.

Both Jeremy and I have written about prophecy before, but I’ve never actually seen anyone else say what we say - until today.

For prophecy in ancient Israel, even down to the period of the Babylonian exile, had little to do with predicting the future or forecasting historical events. The great prophets of Israel, such as Isaiah or Jeremiah, were primarily concerned with delivering the “word of the Lord,” meaning oracles calling on the people to respond to divine direction.

That comes from a PBS site for something they did about the Apocalypse, and is written by Michael White, a Professor of Classics and Christian Origins. Ordinarily, I don’t give a rat’s tushy about what this or that Professor has to say; they don’t have a monopoly on the truth. But in this case, I’d just like to issue a formal: “I told you so!”

From that same series, this is also a decent bit on the Apocalyptic Old Testament Book of Daniel:

Is apocalyptic writing always a response with concrete [circumstances], or is it more mystical?

Really, all apocalyptic literature is much more a response to a concrete set of circumstances, often political circumstances that drive this sense that we have to look for a mode of deliverance from God. And Daniel was, as a book, really responding to the political crisis of Antiochus Epiphanes and the political forces of war that are all about. … For the people of this period there’s really no difference between religion and politics. We can’t simply look at this work as if its symbolism of good and truth and beauty are divorced from the political reality that’s all around them. …

Just a note: I’m currently doing a ton of research into prophecy and the Apocalypse for my book proposal. So bear with me as I sift out the most interesting and useful bits. I’ll try to break up the monotony of this topic with my usual melange of various subjects.

Some other items:

1. Here’s also a decent look at the Book of Revelation in light of the Jewish tradition of Apocalyptic literature.
2. Also, here’s a look at the importance of the Book of Revelations to the neocon geo-political agenda.
3. This Timeline of Unfulfilled Christian Prophecy is also awesome.
4. Seems that Pope Benedict XVI (while still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger) wrote a book called Eschatology, which looks at the end times.
5. A webpage on Y2K from Senator John Kerry