"Apocalypse. To most, the word signifies destruction, death, the end of the world. But the literal definition is "revelation" or "unveiling," the basis from which renowned theologian Rene Girard builds his own view of Biblical apocalypse. Properly understood, Girard explains, Biblical apocalypse has nothing to do with a wrathful or vengeful God punishing his unworthy children, and everything to do with a foretelling of what future humans are making for themselves now that they have devised the instruments of global self-destruction. In this volume, some of the major thinkers about the interpenetration of politics and religion - including Eric Voegelin, Leo Strauss, and Carl Schmitt - are scrutinized by some of todays most qualified scholars, all of whom are thoroughly versed in Girard's work."--book jacket.