What did the ancient Jewish and Christian seers imagine when they considered the end of the world? What do ancient apocalyptic texts really tell us about the nature of good and evil? The End of the World examines the social, historical, and theological nature of ancient apocalypses–such as 1 Enoch, the Apocalypse of John, and Daniel–and compares their vision of the apocalyptic end to that found in modern film and television. By examining films ranging from The Exorcist to Mad Max, from Bladerunner to End of Days, this book proposes that while apocalyptic films rely on these ancient apocalyptic texts, they alter them to give us a sense of our own fears and anxieties at the beginning of the twenty-first century
About the Author
John W. Martens is a professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, where he teaches early Christianity and Judaism. He also directs the Master of Arts in Theology program at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Martens was born in Vancouver, B.C. into a Mennonite family that had decided to confront modernity in an urban setting. His writing often explores the intersection of modernity and ancient religion, as in The End of the World: The Apocalyptic Imagination in Film and Television. Martens’ interests range from the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Timberwolves to his dog and 70s punk, pop and rock.
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