Apocalypse

Beschreibung

Winner of the American Sociological Association's 'Distinguished Book Award' in the Religion category. For most of us, "Apocalypse" suggests the cataclysmic end of the world. Yet in Greek "apocalypse" means "revelation," and the real subject of the Book of Revelation is how the sacred arises in history at a moment of crisis and destiny. With origins in ancient religions, the apocalyptic has been a transformative force from the time of the Crusades, through the Reformation, the French Revolution and modern communism, all the way to the present day "Islamic Jihad" and "War on Terror." In Apocalypse, John R. Hall explores the significance of apocalyptic movements and the role they have played in the rise of the West and "The Empire of Modernity." This brilliant cross-disciplinary study offers a novel basis for rethinking our social order and its ambivalent relations to sacred history. Apocalypse will attract general readers seeking new understandings of the world in challenging times. Scholars and students will find a compelling synthesis that draws them into conversation with others interested in religion, theology, culture, philosophy, and phenomenology, as well as sociology, social theory, western civilization, and world history.

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John R. Hall

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Political Sociology Politische Soziologie Sociology Soziologie

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ASA 2010 DistinguishedBook Award - Religion Section "This learned and provocative study will long remain central in thediscussions to follow." Contemporary Sociology "Hall's mastery of this literature enables him to construct of anew theory of modernity that has an explanatory power that is clearand compelling. Apocalypse is a dense work, rich in detail andinformation, that is well worth reading." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion "A masterly account of a phenomenon that, far from passing outwith the coming of modernity,seems intent on re-charging it withits own turbulent passions." European Journal of Social Theory "An extraordinarily erudite and readable book about theapocalyptic imaginary and its range over three millenia." Review of Politics "In this brilliantly conceived study, Hall not only presents afascinating array of images about the end of time from antiquity tothe present, but also forces us to rethink the role of apocalypticthinking in the human imagination. This mind-bending study shows usthat there is an apocalyptic strand to modernity and history, andwill affect our own way of thinking about the global future." Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, SantaBarbara "This is a necessary book. Theoretically sophisticated,historically erudite, Hall explains the contemporary crisis in anew way. Conflicts between the religious and the secular have givenway to confrontations between sacred and profane. Apocalypse hasentered fully into modern history, and it may be here tostay." Jeffrey C. Alexander, Yale University "The apocalyptic imagination, the idea that historical timecould come to an end is indeed a fascinating one. Moreover, as welearn from John R. Hall's impressive study, this idea itself has ahistory which he traces across the centuries from Ancient Babyloniato contemporary America and Islamic radicalism. The book representsa highly illuminating analysis of the reality and power of socialimaginations of time and the end of times." Martin Riesebrodt, University of Chicago "Anyone who has ever wondered 'What on earth is the world comingto?' should read Apocalypse. Few will fail to learn muchfrom this masterly tour de force as John Hall takes us on asometimes astonishing, occasionally chilling, and always grippingjourney through history, explaining how alternative visions of timecan herald alternative versions of The End." Eileen Barker, London School of Economics
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