As a student that attended bi-weekly afterschool classes at a reform (progressive) Jewish synagogue from grades 1 -12, I learned to view the Old Testament, including segments of Daniel concerning the Moshiah, and its classical interpretatiations as metaphor. As someone who spent much of her remaining time using modern technology and interacting with other secular peers, I learned to see the bible as a period piece. It would be impossible for me, as it was for Kirsch, to read Revelation outside of a historical context, even with its fantastic imagery.  (I also understand those that accept much of the Christian faith but are dumbfounded by John’s visions. Oddly enough, it seemed that the more cross-cultural references and allusions described, the more the tone of Revelation fit with that of the rest of the scriptures. ) The reading and the accompanying commentary reminded me how difficult it is to separate the idea of “biblical allegory” from “allegory.”

I think this is true for most readers of the book of Revelation if not always from a scholarly perspective.  The religious gravity of countless environments feeds an acceptance of these images as a likely truth. When people relate to the teachings of Christianity, they are able to put themselves in the shoes of the sufferers and believers. Muhammad, Saladin, Napoleon, Martin Luther, Kissinger, Bin Laden and Hussein are cited as people believed to be the Anti-Christ. The ability to make any enemy “the enemy” is a marking of a strong extended metaphor. While the end of the world has yet to come, and does not approach with the urgency suggested in the Bible, it is impossible to disprove.

But it its very easy to place in the context of John or his scribe’s world. Symbols of guilds, other religious and then popular belief exist in great quantities in Revelation and described in detail in pages of the chapter of  A History of the End of the World titled “The History of Delusion.”

The idea of fact and fiction within the realm Revelation empathizes the blur between past, present and future within the stories. Amy mentions multiple comtempory “end times” where people might choose to take action in her discussion of righteous justice.  Revelation and other biblical works are unique in the way that society views them.  I look forward to seeing how the end of the world plays out removed from religious contexts and beliefs.  Do the symbols remain? Does salvation? Are more or less specific detail necessary when  a apocalplytic piece is presented as fiction? Is our end more believable with an exact date? Is it more viable in a godless earth? Is there such a thing as a godless earth? Will there be one after the end of time?