The Walls of Babylon

An Alternative Reading of the Revelation to John

David Arthur

The Walls of Babylon is a radically revisionist reading of the Revelation to John, offering startling insights into the historical roots of Gnosticism, the social dynamics of early Christianity, and the shattering impact of apocalyptic eschatology. Based on a careful analysis of the text, David Arthur argues that the motivating circumstance for Revelation was provided not by external Roman oppression but by a fierce internal dispute between gnostic and proto-orthodox factions within the early church. In the ensuing controversy, John did not side with ecclesiastical officials, as might be expected, but instead took up the cause of the persecuted outcasts. Following the precedent of the classical prophets, he speaks as a champion for the downtrodden and dispossessed––represented, for him, by the gnostic heretics. The book he has left us presents a fiery symbolic rebuke of proto-orthodox Christianity, and by extension, challenges normative religious paradigms at every level of belief and praxis.

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic

Pages: 262 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-9787-0249-3 • Hardback • August 2019 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

978-1-9787-0251-6 • Paperback • July 2021 • $44.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-9787-0250-9 • eBook • August 2019 • $42.50 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / New Testament / Revelation

The Walls of Babylon

An Alternative Reading of the Revelation to John

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

The Walls of Babylon is a radically revisionist reading of the Revelation to John, offering startling insights into the historical roots of Gnosticism, the social dynamics of early Christianity, and the shattering impact of apocalyptic eschatology. Based on a careful analysis of the text, David Arthur argues that the motivating circumstance for Revelation was provided not by external Roman oppression but by a fierce internal dispute between gnostic and proto-orthodox factions within the early church. In the ensuing controversy, John did not side with ecclesiastical officials, as might be expected, but instead took up the cause of the persecuted outcasts. Following the precedent of the classical prophets, he speaks as a champion for the downtrodden and dispossessed––represented, for him, by the gnostic heretics. The book he has left us presents a fiery symbolic rebuke of proto-orthodox Christianity, and by extension, challenges normative religious paradigms at every level of belief and praxis.

Details

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic

Pages: 262 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9

978-1-9787-0249-3 • Hardback • August 2019 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

978-1-9787-0251-6 • Paperback • July 2021 • $44.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-9787-0250-9 • eBook • August 2019 • $42.50 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / New Testament / Revelation

Author

David Arthur is an independent scholar specializing in religion, philosophy, and the history of ideas. The Walls of Babylon is a companion to his first book, A Smooth Stone, which together comprise a historical chronicle tracing the radically iconoclastic arc of biblical prophecy.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Beating Heart Within

Part I: Origins

1. The Clash and Fusion of Empires

2. Diversity and Conflict in the Early Church

3. Schism and Heresy

4. The Immediate Historical Context

Part II: A Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

5. In the Throne Room of the Great King

6. The Seven Seals

7. The Seven Trumpets

8. The Rise of the Beast

9. The Seven Bowls

10. The New Jerusalem

11. The Great City Babylon

12. The Celestial Woman

13. Conclusion: Excelsior Revelation Reconsidered

Epilogue: The Mark of Cain

The Walls of Babylon

An Alternative Reading of the Revelation to John

David Arthur

The Walls of Babylon

An Alternative Reading of the Revelation to John

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