Probably the most consequential vision of the future ever written is the Bible's "Book of Revelation". If God didn't write it (through the sainted instrument of someone named John), then who did, and why?Elaine Pagels has a persuasive answer, spectacularly illustrated. The author of "The Gnostic Gospels"; "Beyond Belief"; and "Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation", Pagels analyzes other revelations of the time (they were common) and examines how John's particular version of apocalypse made it into the world's most popular book. John had his own agenda. It wasn't Christian.
"The Truth About the Book of Revelations" was given on August 20, 02012 as part of Long Now's Seminar series. The series was started in 02003 to build a compelling body of ideas about long-term thinking from some of the world's leading thinkers. The Seminars take place in San Francisco and are curated and hosted by Stewart Brand.