Review by Choice Review
In adopting a reading strategy that illuminates neglected nuances of the book of Revelation, Chevalier (sociology and anthropology, Carleton Univ.) chooses the author's use of astral symbols, which, he argues, are remarkable less for what they say than for what the revelator does not say about them. He does not use them as a medium for promoting the worship of astral deities, but for communicating truth about the Christian God in a well-known medium. One brief example must suffice. Revelation 12 portrays a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars (the Zodiac) as she gives birth to a male child (the Messiah) while being pursued by a dragon. The portrait is a modification of Egyptian and Canaanite symbols but teaches Christian theology. Chevalier's approach uncovers insights normally missed by more traditional scholarly methods. That is true, regardless of whether the author was as conscious of the background of his symbols as Chevalier thinks he was. His approach also allows him to recover a more consistent reading of Revelation than many poststructuralists might find within the text. Undergraduate through professional. P. L. Redditt; Georgetown College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
