The Reversal of Time
John Reeve writes at a time when an interpretive understanding of the world as an order of Ideas and archetypes was giving way to something more analytical. Reeve has a foot in both old and new. But this tension is already present in the Jewish scriptures themselves. Mircea Eliade says "for the first time, the prophets placed a value on history, succeeded in transcending the traditional vision of the cycle (the conception that all things will be repeated forever) and discovered a one-way time.". All the pieces are falling into place for history's end-game. The chastisement of Adam is reversed by Christ, our second Adam. The defilement of Eve is reversed by the immaculate conception which restores purity.
For Reeve, God will surely make all things like new again. He will come as a thief in the night (47.7). And that time is now (22.12). The day of his appearing shall be like unto that of Noah (flood) and Lot (hail of fire and brimstone) (47.1). But why, if everything is to be made good again, has humanity's history of suffering been necessary? Because that is what creation means. A limitless deity creates limited creatures and knowledge is their limit. The apocalypse to come is when the awful truth to the phrase 'make the heart of this people fat' will have sunk in. Only faith saves. Following St Paul, Reeve says darkly, "who shall dare open his mouth on that day to say, Why hast thou made me thus?" (26.11)
Read more about this topic: A Divine Looking-Glass
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