The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

A companion to Jesus and the Gospels, Blomberg's ECPA Gold Medallion winner, From Pentecost to Patmos introduces serious Bible students to the depths of information found in Acts through Revelation.

2019 Biblical Foundations Book Award Finalist in Biblical Theology Walking in the footsteps of the Apostles. The Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation puts readers in the sandals of the Apostles as they travel throughout the Mediterranean, explaining the geographical setting for the spread of Christianity in the first century. Geography is a central concern throughout the writings of Paul and the Apostles, but the full significance of its geographical context is easily overlooked without a familiarity with the places, the types of transportation, the relative distances, and the travel conditions around the ancient Mediterranean. Luke's account mentions places from all over the known world, and Paul's missionary travels covered an estimated 15,000 miles by land and sea. The Lexham Geographic Commentary gives you insight into the importance of all of these locations--both culturally and spatially--and provides a deeper understanding of the spread of early Christianity.

A startling exploration of the history of the most controversial book of the Bible, by the bestselling author of Beyond Belief. Through the bestselling books of Elaine Pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one of the world's foremost religion scholars, she has been a pioneer in interpreting these books and illuminating their place in the early history of Christianity. Her new book, however, tackles a text that is firmly, dramatically within the New Testament canon: The Book of Revelation, the surreal apocalyptic vision of the end of the world . . . or is it? In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as "the Jewish War," in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome's occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels persuasively interprets Revelation as a scathing attack on the decadence of Rome. Soon after, however, a new sect known as "Christians" seized on John's text as a weapon against heresy and infidels of all kinds-Jews, even Christians who dissented from their increasingly rigid doctrines and hierarchies. In a time when global religious violence surges, Revelations explores how often those in power throughout history have sought to force "God's enemies" to submit or be killed. It is sure to appeal to Pagels's committed readers and bring her a whole new audience who want to understand the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions, and to appreciate the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.

One of the most prized Bible translations, the Confraternity edition of Challoner-Rheims, is presented here as a “Reader’s Bible,” offering the sacred words of Scripture in the form in which they were originally written – without all the verse numbers, section heads, comments, references, and footnotes that, although valuable to scholars, clutter up most Bibles today, drawing attention away from the meaning of the Sacred Text itself. The early Christians read “the inspired Word of God” without all those academic distractions. Now, with this Catholic Reader’s Bible, you finally can too. Instead of double columns that squeeze short lines of text up against each other, here you’ll find generous, single-column pages graced with handsome, readable type. For navigation purposes, the top of each page lists the range of verses on that page. Plus, this venerable eighteenth-century translation by Richard Challoner, Roman Catholic bishop of England, relies on the long-revered Douay-Rheims Bible and employs language that is more intelligible and familiar today – which is certainly a boon for those of us who open our Bibles not as scholars but as seekers yearning simply to come to know and to love God. If you’ve never read God’s Word in this way – as it was written – then you are in for an exciting and inspiring experience. The Catholic Reader’s Bible is perfect for brief devotional moments as well as for long, delightful hours of extended reading.

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today. With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.