Why is the Book of Revelation in the Bible?

Bart has written a new book on Revelation, titled "Armageddon - What the Bible Really Says about the End". In it, he examines the least-read and most-misunderstood book of the Bible. It will be out in late March, but you can pre-order here: https://bit.ly/armgddn. Pre-orders really help drive publicity, so if you're interested in the subject (and why wouldn't you be? It's The. End. Of. The. World!), get it now while it's hot!

Visit https://www.bartehrman.com/courses/ to shop from Bart Ehrman’s online courses and get a special discount by using code: MJPODCAST on all courses
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Revelation is the least read and most misunderstood book of the New Testament. Many readers wonder why it is in there at all. In this episode we consider the debates about Revelation in the early Church, seeing why numerous church leaders found it offensive (for reasons modern readers would not expect) and why eventually it came to be included in the canon anyway.

-Martin Luther had difficulty understanding Revelation as part of the NT - he certainly wasn’t the first person to have that struggle. How was the book received among early Christians?

Megan asks Bart:

-Do we have records of what people thought about it before the canon was finalized?

-Were early Christians more concerned about the graphic violence in the book, or about the heavily materialistic nature of the kingdom of heaven?

-Revelation was ultimately accepted as scripture. What was it that led Christian leaders to overlook its challenges and include it in the NT?

-Revelation seems to have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent decades, with the rise of prophecy writers and popular media like the Left Behind books and movies. Has Revelation always been this popular, or is it a peculiarity of modern times?