Revelation Comes to the U of Chicago
By Melissa Feldsher in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 22, 2009 6:20PM
Image courtesy of Thomas Hawk
More specifically, Pagels will discuss “The Cultural Impact of the Book of Revelation.” As the author of The Gnostic Gospels, which was named one of the top 100 nonfiction books of the twentieth century by the Modern Library. Pagels deftly teases meaning from religious symbolism and intricate literary devices. This Thursday, she will explore who wrote the Book of Revelation, why it was written, and how that choice impacted our culture. For those who subscribe to the church of free food, the lecture is open to the public and will be followed by a reception.
Our intellectually reductive minds would like to think of Pagels as the female Indiana Jones without “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” While studying for her PhD at Harvard, Pagels was part of a team studying the Nag Hammadi scrolls, documents found in 1945 that shed light on early Christian debates on theology and practice. Today, her research continues to explore the fragmented viewpoints of Christianity from the beginning to the end of days.
“The Cultural Impact of the Book of Revelation,” April 23, 4:30 p.m., the University of Chicago, 1010 E. 59th Street, Room 110, Free.