Nicholas M. Railton Gog and Magog: the History of a Symbol
EQ 75:1 (2003),23-43 Nicholas M. Railton Gog and Magog: the History of a Symbol Dr Nicholas Railton is lecturer in German at the University of Ulster. He has published books on the history of the Evangelical Alliance (The German Evangelical Alliance and the Third Reich, 1998; No North Sea. The Anglo-German Evangelical Network in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century, 2000) and articles on Christian responses to the Third Reich. Key words: Bible; Gog; Magog; symbolism. World politics, like the history of Gog and Magog, are very confused and much disputed. (Winston Churchill, 9 November 1951). Introduction Gog from the land of Magog, one of the great enemies of the people of God to appear at the end of the historical process, has vexed and bewildered exegetes for centuries. The prophet Ezekiel seems to speak of an unrepentant nation and its head and communicates God's impending judgement (Ezekiel 38:1-3, New American Stan- dard Bible) : .. And the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal and prophesy against him and say, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I am against you, 0 Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.'"' An examination of the historical development of this eschatologi cal idea, this Feindbild, will introduce us to the never-ending attempts to decipher these millennial foes inhabiting the areas to the far north of Palestine. This brief survey shows how the desire to interpret the signs of the times and understand the period in which one is living can, and usually has entrenched religious believers in an inflexible, nationalistic and self-righteous mind-set.
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