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Apocalypse Illuminated: The Visual Exegesis of Revelation in Medieval Illustrated Manuscripts
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About Apocalypse Illuminated: The Visual Exegesis Of
Product Description With its rich symbolism, complex narrative, and stunning imagery, the Apocalypse, or Revelation of John, is arguably the most memorable book in the Christian Bible. In Apocalypse Illuminated, Richard Emmerson explores how this striking visionary text is represented across seven centuries of medieval illustrations. Focusing on twenty-five of the most renowned illustrated Apocalypse manuscripts, from the earliest extant Carolingian ones produced in the ninth century to the deluxe Apocalypse made for the dukes of Savoy and completed in 1490, Emmerson examines not only how they illustrate the biblical text, but also how they interpret it for specific and increasingly diverse audiences. He discusses what this imagery shows us about expectations for the Apocalypse as the year 1000 approached, its relationship to Spanish monasticism on the Christian-Muslim frontier and to thirteenth-century Joachimist prophetic beliefs, and the polemical reinterpretations of Revelation that arose at the end of the Middle Ages. The resulting study includes historical and stylistic comparisons, highlights innovative features, and traces iconographic continuities over time, including the recurring apocalyptic patterns, events, figures, and motifs that characterize Apocalypse illustrations throughout the Middle Ages. Gorgeously illustrated and written in lively and accessible prose, this is a masterful analysis of over seven hundred years of Apocalypse manuscripts by one of the most preeminent scholars of medieval apocalypticism. Review “Emmerson’s wide-reaching analysis of Apocalypse illuminations achieves a successful balance between focusing on individual books and situating them within their historical contexts. Handsomely produced, it will interest all who are drawn to these stunningly beautiful illuminated books of scripture.” ―Renana Bartal, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture “Lavishly adorned with photographs of noteworthy Apocalypses selected from the most important, interesting, and influential illustrative traditions, the book focuses on recurring apocalyptic patterns, events, figures, and motifs that characterize medieval Apocalypse illustrations, in order to substantiate historical and stylistic comparisons, trace iconographic continuities over time, and highlight innovative features.” ―New Testament Abstracts “In this graciously, colorfully illustrated book, Emmerson sums up decades of research on Revelation in medieval art to provide a sweeping overview of St. John’s Apocalypse manuscripts from the ninth-century Carolingian Renaissance to the cusp of the printing press.” ―Jonathan Homrighausen, Theological Studies “[I]t is his sympathetic grasp of how the images function, grounded in an extensive knowledge of the manuscripts and the subtle nuances of medieval exegetical traditions, which makes this book so compelling. Readers will find in Emmerson a trustworthy and illuminating guide, like the interpreting angel of John’s Apocalypse or the ever present figure of John himself.” ―Ian Boxall, Review of Biblical Literature “Just as Virgil led Dante through the underworld, so too Richard Emmerson guides his readers through the visionary landscape of medieval Apocalypse illustration from its early medieval origins right through to the Reformation. One could ask for no better guide. The culmination of a career dedicated to the expert examination of the Book of Revelation and its immeasurable impact on medieval culture, Emmerson’s book provides a confident overview peppered with penetrating insights.” ―Jeffrey F. Hamburger, author of St. John the Divine: The Deified Evangelist in Medieval Art and Theology. “A tour de force of scholarship that brings together manuscript studies, art history, literary studies, and the history of apocalyptic theology in a compelling and readable summary of the history of medieval illustrations of the Book of Revelation. This is a paradigmatic example of the inte
