What do you think?
Rate this book
The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation
That the Apocalypse of John is a “Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1) is a fact too often overlooked by interpreters of this last book of the Bible. As Msgr. A. Robert Nusca’s The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation proposes, beyond predictions of earthquakes and falling stars, St. John articulates from start to finish a multifaceted and compelling portrait of Jesus Christ.
Nusca offers an exegetical reading of selected verses of the Book of Revelation, incorporating rich spiritual and pastoral reflections. The Christ of the Apocalypse above all affirms that St. John’s God- and Christ-centered, symbolic universe offers our contemporary world a spiritual place to stand amid the shifting sands of postmodernity.
As Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, writes in his Foreword, “Now, as in the first century, Christians face martyrdom, and those who are not called to die for Christ are called to live for Christ in a world which in many ways rejects the Gospel. More than ever, we need the apocalyptic vision, to have our own vision of reality clarified, and to be strengthened in our evangelical witness.”
Nusca offers an exegetical reading of selected verses of the Book of Revelation, incorporating rich spiritual and pastoral reflections. The Christ of the Apocalypse above all affirms that St. John’s God- and Christ-centered, symbolic universe offers our contemporary world a spiritual place to stand amid the shifting sands of postmodernity.
As Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, writes in his Foreword, “Now, as in the first century, Christians face martyrdom, and those who are not called to die for Christ are called to live for Christ in a world which in many ways rejects the Gospel. More than ever, we need the apocalyptic vision, to have our own vision of reality clarified, and to be strengthened in our evangelical witness.”
252 pages, Hardcover
Published February 19, 2018
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 3, 2018
To be honest, this book went from a 3, I was enjoying it, to a 4 and then even to a 5 by the end of the book. This book is so readable and it makes so much sense in the way it is organized. Not only that, but it applies the Book of Revelation to our current times...not only that, but it applies the general ideas to the personal in a very inspiring way....I am amazed at how much I 'get it'....Important stuff for our times... If you really understand Revelation well, maybe you won't get as much out of this book, but it was a really fresh original way of looking at it for me.
April 3, 2018
One of the most controversial and confusing books in the Bible is the Book of Revelation. There is symbolism and strange descriptions in it that can't be found in other books. Because of this, a lot of Protestants started viewing this as a book purely about the end times and the coming Armageddon. However, this is not the way that the early Church viewed this book, and it is not the way that Catholics or Orthodox view this book either. Recently a book was published by by Emmaus Road Publishing called The Christ of the Apocalypse. In this unique look at Revelation, Msgr. A. Robert Nusca sees Revelation as a portrait of Jesus. The books is divided into six chapters:
1. The Faces of Jesus in the New Testament
2. Jesus the Glorified Angel Walks amid the Churches
3. The Messianic Lion/Lamb of God
4. Jesus Christ the Divine Warrior
5. A Fourth Face: A Reflection
6. Christian Hope in an Era of Posts
The opening chapter begins by giving us brief portraits of Jesus in the Four Gospels and the Book of Revelation. The rest of the chapter then sets the stage for how the rest of the book is laid out, showing us Jesus as Glorified Angel, Messianic Lion/Lamb of God, Divine Warrior, and even seeing Jesus reflected in humanity. When looking at Jesus as the Glorified Angel, we see that the descriptions given to Jesus are the same descriptions given to God. "Revelation 1 through 3 calls us to be attentive to the various presences of Jesus Christ in the midst of the contemporary life of the Church and to heed his voice as it speaks to us in so many different ways at the heart of everyday life." A particularly interesting section occurs between the two descriptors of the Glorified Angel and the Messianic Lion/Lamb. It is here that Msgr. Nusca elaborates on the "Topography of John's Heaven," and how it is comprised on concentric circles around the Throne of God.
The book continues to walk you through specific chapters of Revelation, explaining each time how we can see the Face of Jesus in that specific section. The book closes by encouraging people to continue to look for God in an age when most people have forgotten or ignored God. Reading through this book was a welcome challenge and one that I would recommend to all Catholics. Too often, we ignore the book of Revelation because we are afraid of what it might say, but this book reveals the truth to us. In Revelation, we see the many faces of Christ that invite us to communion with Him and His Father. Highly recommended.
1. The Faces of Jesus in the New Testament
2. Jesus the Glorified Angel Walks amid the Churches
3. The Messianic Lion/Lamb of God
4. Jesus Christ the Divine Warrior
5. A Fourth Face: A Reflection
6. Christian Hope in an Era of Posts
The opening chapter begins by giving us brief portraits of Jesus in the Four Gospels and the Book of Revelation. The rest of the chapter then sets the stage for how the rest of the book is laid out, showing us Jesus as Glorified Angel, Messianic Lion/Lamb of God, Divine Warrior, and even seeing Jesus reflected in humanity. When looking at Jesus as the Glorified Angel, we see that the descriptions given to Jesus are the same descriptions given to God. "Revelation 1 through 3 calls us to be attentive to the various presences of Jesus Christ in the midst of the contemporary life of the Church and to heed his voice as it speaks to us in so many different ways at the heart of everyday life." A particularly interesting section occurs between the two descriptors of the Glorified Angel and the Messianic Lion/Lamb. It is here that Msgr. Nusca elaborates on the "Topography of John's Heaven," and how it is comprised on concentric circles around the Throne of God.
The book continues to walk you through specific chapters of Revelation, explaining each time how we can see the Face of Jesus in that specific section. The book closes by encouraging people to continue to look for God in an age when most people have forgotten or ignored God. Reading through this book was a welcome challenge and one that I would recommend to all Catholics. Too often, we ignore the book of Revelation because we are afraid of what it might say, but this book reveals the truth to us. In Revelation, we see the many faces of Christ that invite us to communion with Him and His Father. Highly recommended.
February 8, 2021
A relevant breaking open of the Word, in the Book of Revelation
Reverend Monsignor A Robert Nusca has presented an easy to read writing on the Book of Revelation by John of Patmos.
Bringing forward an interdisciplinary understanding of the last book of our Bible, he reflects pastorally while being grounded on his brilliance as a theologian, renowned that he is known to be.
He has painstakingly detailed across the breath of the book quotations to 'reveal' the 3 images of Christ (be prepared to thumb through your Bible), inviting us to be the fourth person at the table.
Presenting an eagle's view of what it means to live in this 'city' on earth, we have the doorway that is opened to us for that city of 'heaven' as our panorama. Through out Reverend Monsignor's book he gently teaches but challenges us to be meditative of this revelation!
The last chapter delivers a pastor's gentle encouragement to be hopeful. Spend time on the last chapter, so as to become joyful in whatever circumstance of life one is in. Peace!
"Amid the sorrows and disorders of this passing life of shadows, St. John calls us to strive to become that well-ordered city whose temple is God Almighty and the Lamb (21:2). Here, amid the visions of the end of the world John opens for the Churches the door to the most profound mysticism in the eternal now of the worship life of a community of faith “poised on the boundary between earth and heaven.”
Reverend Monsignor A Robert Nusca has presented an easy to read writing on the Book of Revelation by John of Patmos.
Bringing forward an interdisciplinary understanding of the last book of our Bible, he reflects pastorally while being grounded on his brilliance as a theologian, renowned that he is known to be.
He has painstakingly detailed across the breath of the book quotations to 'reveal' the 3 images of Christ (be prepared to thumb through your Bible), inviting us to be the fourth person at the table.
Presenting an eagle's view of what it means to live in this 'city' on earth, we have the doorway that is opened to us for that city of 'heaven' as our panorama. Through out Reverend Monsignor's book he gently teaches but challenges us to be meditative of this revelation!
The last chapter delivers a pastor's gentle encouragement to be hopeful. Spend time on the last chapter, so as to become joyful in whatever circumstance of life one is in. Peace!
"Amid the sorrows and disorders of this passing life of shadows, St. John calls us to strive to become that well-ordered city whose temple is God Almighty and the Lamb (21:2). Here, amid the visions of the end of the world John opens for the Churches the door to the most profound mysticism in the eternal now of the worship life of a community of faith “poised on the boundary between earth and heaven.”
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews