Further Irony
• Christian Fundamentalism
Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-1778) early on gained a reputation as a work of scepticism and was attached form the start for its ironic treatment of Christianity. In the decades following its publication, however, Protestant exegetes began to recast The Decline and Fall as a chief source for the historical verification of the Apocalypse. ... Some even implied that Gibbon had been divinely raised up for the purpose of composing a history that would confirm the Book of Revelation.
Apocalyptic Readings Of Edward Gibbon's Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire