(DOWNLOAD) "Sexually Explicit? Re-Reading Revelation's 144,000 Virgins As a Response to Roman Discourses" by Masculinities and Spirituality Journal of Men * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Sexually Explicit? Re-Reading Revelation's 144,000 Virgins As a Response to Roman Discourses
- Author : Masculinities and Spirituality Journal of Men
- Release Date : January 01, 2008
- Genre: Religion & Spirituality,Books,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 272 KB
Description
The Book of Revelation is arguably one of the most influential and yet puzzling books in Christian history. Among the images of Revelation which modern biblical scholars have labeled as the "most puzzling" is that of a multitude of 144,000 male virgins. This article examines this metaphorical representation of faithful followers of the Lamb in relation to the constructions of masculinity in the first-century Roman Empire. In so doing, it becomes evident that this imagery functions as part of Revelation's rejection of Roman discourse, including the pro-family rhetoric of the Empire and popular depictions of the hyper-masculine male. In contrast, Revelation imagines a community defined in ambiguous gender terms that will take on a feminine gender role in relation to the Lamb or the risen Christ. This reading of the 144,000 virgins deepens our understanding of Revelation, especially as it contributes to the construction of early Christian gender ideologies. **********