By ELYSE HAYES
elyse@du2.byu.edu
Another book to add to the list of great Christmas gift ideas this year is 'From Eden to Armageddon,' selected and edited by Denny L. Brown.
'From Eden to Armageddon' is a compilation of art, photography and illustrations that chronicles the history of the world as recorded in the Bible.
The book begins with the creation of the world and goes through the past, present and future, including significant Biblical events, accompanied primarily by passages from the Old and New Testaments.
The text is carefully chosen and goes well with each of the scenes depicted. It is quite powerful to read the text that the artists based their subjects on and to see how the painting describes the verse.
Brown includes several works from the 'masters,' using Michelangelo's 'The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Earth,' with the first verses from the book of Genesis: 'In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.'
The majority of the book is devoted to the first section, 'The Past,' with a small section on 'The Future' and an even smaller section on 'The Present.'
'The Present' depicts scenes from Nebuchadnezzar's dream, including artist's representations of several nations. Also in 'The Present' are photographs of the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument, accompanied by powerful passages from Isaiah.
'The Future' is the best part of the book. It is enlightening and educational, especially for those who have a hard time picturing events yet to come. The imagination and creativity of the artists is astounding.
Brown has captured some of the most powerful connections between art and scripture. The text and the pictures have been well-chosen and have been organized in an appealing and easy-to-read format.
This is a perfect book for anyone interested in art or religion.