Unmasking Apocalyptic
Texts: A Guide to Preaching and Teaching
Dorothy Jonaitis, OP
The term
apocalypse—whether apocalyptic texts, homiletics or events—conjures
up an image of dread, dealing as it does with end times and God's
final judgment. Departing from traditional interpretation, this
work explicates biblical apocalyptic texts of the Old (Isaiah,
Ezekiel, Zechariah, Daniel) and New (Thessalonians 1 and 2, Synoptic
Gospels, Book of Revelation) Testaments as a literature of hope.
To this end, the central part of the book is given over to the
active and divinely implanted virtue of hope to show how it works,
together with the creative imagination, as the author affirms,
to evoke our action and resoluteness in critical times, and allow
us to live with the expectation that all can be well. The author
constructs a crisis model, applying it to understand crisis in
general as well as to the teaching and preaching of apocalyptic
literature, and the listening faith community.
The interrelationship
of apocalyptic and dramatic literature, with its strong emotional
content, is stressed. Thoughtful consideration is given to apocalyptic
readings of contemporary crises, such as 9/11, the Aids pandemic,
and environmental, political, social, and military abuses. With
glossary, appendix of apocalyptic readings, endnotes, and bibliography
at book's end, Unmasking Apocalyptic Texts should benefit general
readers, and particularly specialist readers, homilists, teachers
and students of homiletics and scripture, from adult religious
education, and upwards.Highlights:—timely, thought-provoking,
practical, and uplifting—a Christian way to live in hope
in critical times
Dorothy Jonaitis, OP, holds a DMin
in Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, MO.
She is assistant professor at the Institute of Religious and Pastoral
Studies at the University of Dallas, Irving, TX.
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