PROPHETS OF THE APOCALYPSE
The Bible's ultimate revelations for the end of time
By David Haggith. HarperCollins. 546 pages. £9.99
ISBN 0 00 711130 4
In spite of the statement on the back cover that it simply 'explores the bizarre images of the book of Revelation', Prophets of the Apocalypse does not focus solely on the last book of the Bible. Rather, though much of the book indeed concerns Revelation, David Haggith has gathered together a wide variety of 'end-time prophecies' from across Scipture. These are printed in full in a text which seeks to bring out both how they relate to one another and what they might predict about the end of the world.
The result is perhaps unique, but ultimately doesn't quite work for this reviewer. Haggith's work is not 'scholarly' in the sense that he compares and contrasts the many interpretations on offer. Rather, given the already significant size of the book, he can do little more than present his own case. Haggith has a definite idea of the framework within which Apocalyptic should be interpreted, mixing literalism with more figurative understanding, but seems to lack a fully-developed biblical theology which would have helped control his interpretation. Again, Haggith has (probably!) opted for a too-specific final fulfilment of Scripture-that the earth will ultimately be struck by a comet-which excludes other possible considerations.
