Picturing the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Arts over Two Millennia

In a comprehensive study, broken into 10 chapters, the father-and-daughter team of O'Hear and O'Hear discuss the often confusing Book of Revelation and the various artistic interpretations that have sought to reify its famous scenes over 2000 years. It's no surprise, they suggest, that the dreamlike images of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the whore of Babylon, the woman clothed with the sun, the seven seals, and armageddon, among others, would lend themselves to artistic reimagining. Some 120 illustrations from around the world offer glimpses into different time periods. How was an image seen through medieval, Renaissance, Reformation, or turn-of-the-20th-century eyes? Modern cartoons prove that study of Revelation has contemporary significance as well. Packed with information and fresh insights%E2%80%94including a helpful chart to make sense of the end-times sequence of events and their results%E2%80%94the book is an invaluable tool for scholars as well as a handy reference for anyone who feels overwhelmed at the thought of a Bible study or sermon series on the topic. (Sept.)