Preaching in the Last Days : The Theme of "Two Witnesses" in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
Title:
Preaching in the Last Days : The Theme of "Two Witnesses" in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
Author:
Petersen, Rodney L.
ISBN:
9780195360837
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (333 pages)
Contents:
Contents -- List of Illustrations -- 1. Adventual Prophets -- Introduction to an Idea -- Exegesis of the Text -- Revivified Prophets -- Symbolic Representation -- 2. Witnesses Through History -- Doorkeepers to the Future -- Disclosing Deception -- Orders for Church Renewal -- Members of Christ's Body -- Heralds of the Second Advent -- 3. The Dawn of Reformation Preaching -- Power to Prophesy -- The Spirit of Elijah -- The Sword of Gideon -- Prophets of a Last Chance -- 4. Identification or Representation -- Messianic Troubles -- Elijah and the Apostolic Messengers -- Luther the Prophet -- The Eternal Gospel -- 5. Bullinger and the Testimony of the Church -- Bullinger's Preachers -- The Prophet and the Promise -- A Veiled History -- Adventual Witnesses and the Growth of Evil -- 6. Rebuilding the Temple -- The Company of Prophets -- The Place of Prophecy -- A Visionary Mission -- A Perpetual Reformation -- 7. Self-Conscious Witnesses: John Foxe and the Martyrs -- John Foxe's Martyrs -- The Drama of History -- Tangible Goodness -- The Trope Becomes the Letter -- 8. Forerunners of the Kingdom -- From Prophets to Rulers -- The Triumph of the Saints -- The Mourning Prophets -- Locating the Restored Temple -- Political Spirituality -- 9. Witnesses in the Wilderness -- Faithful Church or Faithful Remnant? -- Heralds of the Seventh Trumpet -- Preachers of Glory in Days of Adversity -- Looking for the Witnesses-Finding the Kingdom -- Epilogue -- Abbreviations -- Selected Bibliography -- Name and Subject Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z -- Scripture Index.
Abstract:
Visionary strength was given to the piety, polity, and political activity of Protestantism in its formative periods through the way in which the Apocalypse was read. By identifying with the text depicting two witnesses, or prophets, who preach at the end of history, are slain by the beast fromthe abyss (understood to be Antichrist), and rise again victoriously, representatives of the Protestant movement found a measure of self-identity. This text, Revelation 11:3-13, became the lens through which many envisioned the movement of history from the first advent of Christ to his promisedreturn. It was used by earlier reform movements, but it lent special definition to the work of Protestant ministers through the nineteenth century, suggesting different approaches to social organization. Preaching in the Last Days is a study in the history of how the Apocalypse was read. It is alsoan examination of how social groups are formed through ideas occasioned by texts. It offers an account of the interplay between religious and social history during the time of the development of Protestantism. Petersen's study provides a fascinating look at the theological significance of how weread biblical texts and the insights this offers on the development of culture, the Christian movement, and its churches. The book is especially important for understanding the assumptions behind the ways in which the book of Revelation is being read and used in our own day.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
Genre:
Electronic Access:
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