A new exhibition at the Vatican aims to confound the traditional fire and brimstone image of the Apocalypse with a "positive view" of the end of the world.Apocalypse: The Final Revelation, in the Sistine Hall of the Vatican Museums, has grouped together 100 masterpieces that illustrate the Book of Revelation.
The final book of the Bible, usually attributed to St John the Evangelist, describes a series of mystical visions of the Apocalypse that came to him while he was in exile on the Greek island of Patmos.
In the ninth chapter, a swarm of locusts streams up from the abyss to torment mankind for five months.
"In those days, men shall seek death, and in no way shall find it," wrote St John, adding: "The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war...their faces were as men’s faces. And they had hair as the hair of women and their teeth were as teeth of lions...and they have tails like unto scorpions and stings".
Later, there are horses breathing fire and sulphur and a great Serpent, or Satan, who empowers the Beast to rule over man.
Nevertheless, the Vatican said the Apocalypse should be seen as the arrival of God and the conquest of the forces of evil.
Alessio Geretti, the curator, said "Apocalypse is not a book of catastrophes, but rather a book of hope".
Among the paintings, which have been taken from collections in Jerusalem, Berlin, Paris, New York and Manchester, are works by El Greco showing the Virgin Mary and by Guido Reni, showing St Michael slaying Satan.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, said: "These masterpieces will help visitors to reread the last book of the Holy Scripture. The Apocalypse is not the worrying announcement of a catastrophic end to humanity, but a great proclamation of the failure of the infernal evils and of the mystery of Christ."
He added: "In Greek, apokalupsis means 'revelation'. The prospect of a divine revelation, an Apocalypse of a living God, should be greeted.
"This vision of divine revelation reaches its climax in St John’s affirmation that 'God is Love'. It was not by chance that Pope Benedict XVI’s first encyclical started: 'God is love'."
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