A film adaption, city of ember 2008, stars bill murray and saoirse ronan. Nov 02, 1971 there is a certain amount of apocalyptic literature in the o. The origins of jewish apocalyptic literature usf scholar commons. Introduction to the old testament hebrew bible rlst 145 with christine hayes the book of ruth, in which a foreign woman enters the. But in the very same book, hellholm rejects there was any consensus on this at all. But just as the distinctive themes of apocalyptic appear throughout the scriptures, so we find that its literary forms have walkon parts in many other books eze. The merriamwebster dictionary defines the english word apocalyptic as. Collins examines the main characteristics and discusses the setting and intention of apocalyptic literature. Daniel reached syriac literature quite early, most probably in the second century, along with the translation. Many jewish books written between 300 bce and 200 ce can be classified as apocalyptical because of their similarity and focus on the heavenly visions and secret revelations. And by the turn of the century, boussett was considering the importance of folk traditions on apocalyptic literature. The bible contains several important segments of apocalyptic literature that include isaiah 5666 and ezekiel 3748 both referred to as proto apocalyptic, daniel 712, and revelation 422. Apocalyptic literature was much concerned about sources of information about the heavenly world and about the places of the damned and saved souls.
Apr 28, 2017 apocalyptic literature refers to the ancient jewish and christian documents that share common concerns, themes, and literary devices with the books of daniel and revelation and other literary apocalypses. Type of biblical literature that emphasizes the lifting of the veil between heaven and earth and the revelation of god and his plan for the world. He addresses both the bestknown examples the biblical books of daniel and revelation and other important but lesser known examples zechariah and some words of jesus and paul. All are agreed, however, that it bears many of the essential marks of apocalyptic. Extrabiblical apocalyptic works like 1 enoch first century b. An introduction to the interpretation of apocalyptic literature.
This is the greek name of the book of revelation, and the book is known as the apocalypse in older english bibles. It argues that early christian authors drew upon apocalyptic topics to address an impressive array of situations and concerns, and it demonstrates example after example how apocalyptic discourse contributed to their ongoing work of contextual theology. Interpreting apocalyptic literature and the book of revelation fall 2006 3 1 annotated bibliographies. Further, in one of these books 4 esdras we find a story which affords an explanation of the existence of these books. The earliest apocalypses are jewish works that date from about 200 bce to about 165 bce. Thus taylor seeks to identify the features and major themes of apocalyptic literature. Taylor university college edmonton, alberta, canada rel 358. Even new testament writers made use of them on oc casion.
The apocryphal writings are largely apocalyptic in nature. This idea aptly reflects both its origins out of the older prophetic tradition and its new elements. Apocalyptic literature encyclopedia of the bible bible. The book of revelation represents a type of literature and style unique among the books of the new testament. The first known record of apocalyptic literature is isaiah 24. May 31, 2017 apocalyptic literature is a distinct jewish literary genre. Book of daniel and the new testament apocalypse of. Bce the book of daniel contains many features and themes of apocalyptic literature, including an eschatology according to which god dramatically intervenes in human history, destroying the wicked understood as other nations and saving the righteous understood as israel. In later jewish and early christian apocalypses, in which the hero undertakes a heavenly trip and sees the secrets that are hidden from others, these sources of. Scripture includes sections of apocalyptic literature apart from revelation, as well as examples of people experiencing miniapocalypses, or individual divine revelations.
Oxford handbook of apocalyptic literature oxford handbooks. Its closest bible parallel is the old testament book of daniel. Yet many contemporary readers shy away from things apocalyptic, especially the book of revelation. The oxford handbook of apocalyptic literature logos bible. The use of daniel in jewish apocalyptic literature and in the revelation of st. A product of the judeochristian tradition, apocalyptic literature is characteristically. Revelation, apocalyptic writing and the old testament. This article is a short overview of these unique works of ancient literature. As a genre, apocalyptic literature details the authors visions of the end timesend of the age. The word apocalypse has been borrowed from the book of revelation and applied to these other writings. With an introduction to apocalyptic literature john. Biblical literature biblical literature apocalyptic and eschatological works. Stephen cooks book on apocalyptic literature is a new volume in the series interpreting biblical texts, edited by gene m. Written during a period of persecution in the 2 nd c.
Although daniel and revelation are sometimes designated as prophecy, the two books are more accurately labeled apocalyptic literature, a specific type of prophetic writing. These two bible books generally are classified as apocalyptic prophecy, in contrast to classical prophecy sometimes called general prophecy, the latter being. Apr 23, 2016 apocalyptic literatureapocalyptic literature rev 1. First of all, because of the conviction that canonical litera ture has to be. Reading the non canonical apocalyptic literature which collins guided me through with. This article is excerpted from symposium on revelation, book 1, silver spring, md. The four visions of chapters seven to twelve are an early example of apocalyptic literature and, in contrast to the earlier chapters, are introduced in the first person. Daniel, with an introduction to apocalyptic literture is volume xx of the forms of the old testament literature, a series that aims to present a formcritical analysis of every book and each unit in the hebrew bible. Apocalyptic literature the blackwell companion to the. Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in postexilic jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early christians. The series aims to help serious readers in their experience of reading and interpreting biblical texts and to provide guides for their journeys into textual worlds. Y nearly all recent writers on the book of ezekiel have expressed the view that there is a great deal of material in. The book of daniel offers a fully matured and classic example of this genre of literature. The book of ruth, in which a foreign woman enters the community of israel and.
This book is a thorough introduction to literature such as daniel, 1 and 2 enoch, and 3 baruch, 4 ezra, revelation, the sibylline oracles, the apocalypse of abraham, and the testament of abraham. Biblical research institute, 1992, chapter i, foundation principles of interpretation, pp. Revelation, apocalyptic writing and the old testament grace. Book 2 in the 3 book historical christian fiction series by the new york times bestselling author of redeeming love and a voice in the wind. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change. Another example is preserved in the hebrew scriptures as the book of daniel. The misunderstanding of the context and form of apocalyptic literature has led to much misinterpretation and doctrinal conflict over the years. Apocalypses are revelation and the non canonical apocalypse of peter. According to kvanvig, early scholars used the canonical writings, the old testament. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors picks, and more. Some issues in apocalyptic in the exegetical literature of. The first known record of apocalyptic literature is. Collins begins his discussion of daniel with a survey of the books anomalies and an examination of the bearing of form criticism on them.
One feature of this section is daniels reliance on. Apocalyptic and post apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction, science fantasy, dystopia or horror in which the earths or another planets civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. Apocalyptic literature takes its name from the apocalypse, or book of revelation, the last book of the new testament. It should be noted here that this paper focuses more on the canonical book of revelation than on other ancient apocalyptic literature because. The other jewish apocalypsesthe first book of enoch c. Although these books are not part of gods word, some of them such as 1 maccabees provide interesting historical details. Apocalyptic literature encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Apocalyptic writings are marked by distinctive literary features, particularly prediction of future events and accounts of visionary experiences or journeys to heaven, often involving.
The cambridge companion to apocalyptic literature brings together a field of leading experts to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject. The apocalyptic imagination is absolutely essential for anyone interested in early apocalyptic literature. In his introduction to jewish apocalyptic literature, john j. The second chapter is meant to provide an overview of the biblical books that belong to the genre, providing their purpose, message and primary themes. This is a survey of how apocalyptic literature is laid out and applied in various contexts of both the hebrew bible and new testament. A product of the judeochristian tradition, apocalyptic literature is characteristically pseudonymous. An introduction to the interpretation of apocalyptic. Jan 02, 2020 apocalyptic literature involves descriptions of the end of the world and typically depicts grandiose, cataclysmic events. Feb 26, 2017 apocalyptic is derived from the greek verb apokaluptein, that is, to reveal, disclose, uncover and bandstra defines apocalypse, a literary genre found in apocalyptic literature, as a revelation of future events initiated by god and delivered through a mediator typically an angel to a holy person. The word means simply revelation, but it has come to be used for a specific kind of revelation, which is concerned either with heavenly mysteries or with eschatological events. Apocalypticism first appears in judaism in the hellenistic period in the books of daniel and enoch. Revelation, apocalyptic writing and the old testament the book of revelation belongs to a class of chiefly jewish and later christian literature called apocalyptic.
Apr 01, 2021 the oxford handbook of apocalyptic is a thematic examination of ancient apocalyptic literature and its analogues in modern times. The prophet zechariahs vision of four chariots, anticipating the. This type of writing appeared before jesus was born eg. The book of revelation is not apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature regularly employed all of these features, and a few others, within the same pages. The use of daniel in jewish apocalyptic literature and in the. Apocalyptic literature in the new testament 9781426771958 by greg carey. Apocalyptic comes from the greek word apokalupsis, meaning disclosure or revelation revelation 1. Outside the canonical books of the bible there are many other extant apocalyptic works. One well known example is the war scroll found among the dead sea scrolls and probably written by the essenes. It is a good resource to use when preachingteaching on apocalyptic texts, be they located within the traditional prophets such as ezekiel or isaiah, as well as the synoptic gospels, pauline epistles and book of revelation. Taylor university college edmonton, alberta, canada. Nt apocryphal apocalyptic literature includes apocalypse of peter ca.
In the second major section of the book, cook guides the reader through specific examples of the bibles apocalyptic literature. He addresses both the bestknown examples the biblical books of daniel and revelation and other important but lesser known examples zechariah and. Orson scott cards post apocalyptic anthology the folk of the fringe 1989 deals with american mormons after a nuclear war. Apocalyptic literature, literary genre that foretells supernaturally inspired cataclysmic events that will transpire at the end of the world. Apocalyptic elements can be detected in the prophetical books of joel and zechariah, while isaiah chapters 2427 and 33 present welldeveloped apocalypses. The most important task of apocalyptic literature was to convince readers that god is more powerful than any forces of evil.
The epistle of jude, for example, is familiar with the socalled. In modern times, apocalyptic studies have fared rather badly. Apocalyptic literature, with its shocking imagery, paints verbal pictures to open the minds of readers to the structure of the cosmos, the true course of history, and the nature of the divine realm. Apocalyptic literature is a distinct jewish literary genre. Charlesworth, folk traditions in jewish apocalyptic literature.
The same is true of certain passages in the new testament, such as 2 thessalonians 2, mark, and matthew 24. Every significant layer of the new testament features the distinctive concerns of apocalyptic literature, including the expectation of a messiah, hope for a resurrection, expectation of a final judgment, and a spiritual world that includes angels and demons. Apocalyptic literature is an unveiling vision as a literary device 4. Jeanne dupraus childrens novel the city of ember 2003 was the first of four books in a post apocalyptic series for young adults. In the old testament, books such as ezekiel, daniel, and zechariah contain elements of apocalyptic literature.
The apocalyptic literature of the old testament jstor. In the case of apocalyptic, however, only daniel qualifies. The early chapters of daniel are historical, and revelation includes letters to seven churches in asia minor. The elements of apocalyptic literature in daniel 712. The oxford handbook of apocalyptic literature logos. Many dozens of apocalyptic books appeared during the period 165 bce to the destruction of the jerusalem temple in 70 ce. The use of daniel in jewish apocalyptic literature and in.
Apocalyptic literature biblical studies oxford bibliographies. Your annotated bibliography should comprise at least seven sources of which one is a refereed journal article your research papers final bibliography must have at least ten sources but need not be annotated. Stewart 1949 another incredible apocalyptic novel without a film. Biblical literature apocalyptic and eschatological works. There is a distinctive genre apocalypse that describes the disclosure of a transcendent world, both spatial and temporal, to a human recipient, who is usually.
In this essay, we consider what is at stake in studying apocalyptic literature within. Aug 26, 2017 apocalyptic literature takes its name from the apocalypse, or book of revelation, the last book of the new testament. Biblical texts create worlds of meaning and invite reader. Apocalyptic literature introduction definition and meaning. The oxford handbook of apocalyptic is a thematic examination of ancient apocalyptic literature and its analogues in modern times. Even though the books of daniel and revelation are the only two clear examples of the apocalyptic genre in the canonical bible, there were. Fundamentally exegetical, the fotl volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. Thus taylor seeks to identify the features and major themes of apocalyptic literature more broadly. In its older version, the book apparently was written at the beginning of the maccabean revolt, some years before the book of daniel.
Any attempt at a correct understanding of these important passages necessitates some understanding of the nature of apocalyptic literature and how. Apocalyptic forms of writing gave encouragement and hope in times of crisis and danger. Apocalypse is a greek word meaning revelation, an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling. The merriamwebster dictionary defines the english word apocalyptic. Of its 12 chapters, only the latter six truly exemplify an apocalyptic style. Apocalyptic literature developed as a distinctly jewish genre. Again, these two books were not considered inspired scripture by the jews, and thus were not authoritative on matters of prophecy. With such vivid visions, it is no surprise that apocalyptic texts have been popular sources of inspiration for artists over the past two millennia. The book of revelation apocalypse euclid university.
Apocalyptic literature proper begins with the book of daniel, probably written during. Apocalyptic as a genre is described as characteristically pseudonymous. The books that form the apocrypha are included in some bibles between the old and new testaments. Isaiah 6 recounts an example of the latter when it describes the prophet isaiah seeing a heavenly vision of god seated on his throne. Apocryphal writings hugh nibley collection byu library. The apocalyptic literature interpreting biblical texts. The phrase apocalyptic literature is used to describe some of the noncanonical writings called the apocrypha. Apocalyptic literature refers to the ancient jewish and christian documents that. This has been due, in the first place, to the distorted interpretation of books like daniel and revelation which is prevalent among. Apocalyptic literature refers to the ancient jewish and christian documents that share common concerns, themes, and literary devices with the books of daniel and revelation and other literary apocalypses.
1050 1309 581 1679 1116 1095 1574 1597 168 288 557 1222 1734 91 1619 1435 449 1658 369 1598 1673 1172 26 1696 434 539 99 1172 1440 1592 1418 654 47 831 1268