It is no doubt that there is a wide range of ancient jewish apocalyptic materials, but this paper will focus on just the development of apocalyptic literature during the intertestamental. The jewish people were not only a highly educated people, they were strongly devoted to their culture and the tenets of judaism. Intertestamental literature paperback december 1, 1983 by martin mcnamara author see all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. This new book, written with all the freshness that made his between the testaments a classic which is still widely read today, provides a short but comprehensive guide to the latest state. Explain how the book of revelation is similar to intertestamental apocalyptic, yet dissimilar. In addition, there has been fresh debate over the origins of apocalyptic and its relation to old testament prophecy, while in the wake of e. Many dozens of apocalyptic books appeared during the period 165 bce to the destruction of the jerusalem temple in 70 ce. A vast amount of jewish literature written in the intertestamental period. We may now be able to recognize the books dual affinities, with babylonian. Intertestamental and biblical apocalyptic literature. Thematically, the difference is that the two apocalyptic books in the jewish bible, daniel and ezekiel, tend to concern themselves with the political fortunes of the nation of israel, specifically the time from the persian liberation to the maccabean war. As i read this new book of his, i wondered whether i would discover a fresh approach, or a restating of the old position. How to read and teach the apocalyptic literature of the bible. What are the telltale traits of apocalyptic literature.
Apocalyptic literature biblical studies oxford bibliographies. A vast amount of jewish literature written in the intertestamental period mainly 2nd and 1st centuries bce and from the 1st and 2nd centuries ce was preserved, for the most part, through various christian churches. Formation of a tradition apocalyptic literature testament literature the literature of the qumran community prayer and prayers of the intertestamental period the literature of hellenistic judaism the literature of rabbinic judaism and pharisaism conclusions. I remember growing up thinking that the book of revelation was impossible to understand. Such apocalyptic writings include the book of enoch, apocalypse of baruch, book of jubilees, assumption of moses. The primary difference is that the biblical apocalyptic literature made it into the canon and the intertestamental didnt. Essay the rise of apocalyptic literature isaiah and also zechariah 914 has gained many scholarly acceptances as the beginning of apocalyptic literature. This introduction considers the influence of apocalyptic literature throughout. Why is some literature in this style included in the bible. Apocalyptic is currently a growth area in biblical studies. Try to read 1520 minutes before the move, and you will be amazed at how much your focus as soon as you read the book.
Many old testament prophets were given visions by god of what society would be like when israel and judah returned to god and the kingdom of god was established on earth. Apocalyptic literature encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. A part of this literature is today commonly called the apocrypha hidden. Fresh study, more reliable texts, new editions, even hitherto unpublished documents are enriching our understanding of the intertestamental apocalyptic literature. Intertestamental literature leslie hoppe making the. The study of apocalyptic has been david russells lifework, and over the years, with the discovery of new material and ongoing study, he has reassessed his earlier interpretation in a number of respects. Apocalyptic literature is a specific form of prophecy, largely involving symbols and imagery and predicting disaster and destruction. Biblical literature persian and hellenistic influences. It deals with definition and with both its distinctiveness and its problems with defining the word. The book of daniel and other old testament prophetic passages, while sharing many apocalyptic features, show significant differences from those books of the intertestamental period and are thus classified in a subcategory referred to as biblical apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature became predominant during the intertestamental period and continued to flourish during the time when the book of revelation was written. The first suggestions of an apocalypse within the hebrew scriptures old testament is found in the books of isaiah, jeremiah, amos, and micah. Preterism and the study of apocalyptic literature during.
Link to kregel this new contribution to kregels handbooks of old testament exegesis has a more narrow focus since apocalyptic literature only appears in parts daniel and a few other prophetic books. 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. Biblical literature biblical literature persian and hellenistic influences. Greg carey has taught at lancaster seminary since 1999, having previously taught at rhodes college and winthrop university. Apocalyptic themes competed for attention amidst a wide range of contrasting views on eschatological matters in rabbinic. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or. The book of enoch, however, was not considered inspired scripture by the jews, so that any failed prophecy in it is of no consequence to the jewish faith. His publications include numerous studies on the book of revelation and ancient apocalyptic literature, rhetorical analysis of the new testament, and investigations of early christian selfdefinition.
The pseudoprophecies contained in these books are often delivered or interpreted by an angel or a biblical patriarch seen in a vision by the author. The fifth section of the book contains, among other things, an apocalypse of. The intertestamental period, also called the second temple period, is the time between the writing of the last old testament book and the beginning of the events described in the new testament. Apocalyptic literature refers to the ancient jewish and christian. For more on the rise of intertestamental apocalyptic see james d. Only three of the sibylline oracles appear books 35, all complete, along with extracts from fourth ezra and the whole of 2 baruch. In this book, taylor provides an excellent summary of what apocalyptic literature is and why it is so difficult for modern readers to understand. One well known example is the war scroll found among the dead sea scrolls and probably. Josephus, the septuagint, the targums, and apocalyptic literature. A primer to the book of revelation this post originally appeared on westview christian fellowships blog and was adapted from a sermon. The book of joel has certain apocalyptic elements, even though that book as a whole is not what one would call apocalyptic literature.
In the first two apocalyptic visions of the second part of the book of daniel. I receive a percentage of revenue if you buy from amazon on my blog. At one time in the early church this was one of the terms for books not regarded by. Information is current and relevant for anyone that wants to study intertestamental literature and the new testament. This is a new and revised edition of the book first published 1980. Yet many contemporary readers shy away from things apocalyptic, especially the book of revelation. The first half of the book is concerned with apocalyptic worldviews and the second half with texts. What politicalreligious climate gave rise to jewish apocalyptic literature.
Apocalyptic literature encyclopedia of the bible bible. Marvin pate examines apocalyptic literature as it begins in the old testament, develops in second temple judaism, and culminates in the new testament, especially in the book of revelation, all the while demonstrating how to communicate the message of. Indeed, when we understand the world in which the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha were produced and the purposes for such literature we begin to have a deeper understanding of jews during the intertestamental time period rather than fearing this socalled mysterious literature or misusing this literature as evidence for mormonism. Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in postexilic jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early christians apocalypse. This is not dr russells first book on apocalyptic literature. Advanced reading apocalyptic literature biblical prophecy charismatics hasidim and their literature dead sea scrolls early jewish interpretation of scripture gospel of luke intertestamental literature jewish sages and teachers josephus and his writings parables qumran community rabbinic literature sadducees sayings of jesus tannaim w. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Biblical literature biblical literature intertestamental literature. Most of the volume is devoted to the apocalyptic literature of antiquity. He has written on the book of daniel, but is probably best known for his earlier works on intertestamental apocalyptic, between the testaments 1960 and the method and message of jewish apocalyptic 1964. The oxford handbook of apocalyptic literature wellwritten books can turn you into something different from others, because the article will keep you from lazing around and maintaining your current quality, allowing you to feel relaxed and let your body and soul relax. That such literature predominated in number and volume and found eager acceptance particularly in times of tribulation,3 could indicate a pervasive belief in a martial messiah at the time. Intertestament survey study questions for the midterm. The intertestamental period and its significance upon.
Since it is both is represented in the old testament, intertestamental jewish literature, and the dead sea scrolls. The literature of the intertestamental period the reality is, there was a lot of material written during this period of time, especially in the jewish community. Apocalyptic literature frequently contains strange descriptions and bizarre imagery. One finds in the books of ezekiel and zechariah material that has much in common with apocalyptic literature, although these prophetic books are. Apocalypticism in the modern period and the contemporary age by stephen j.
Under apocalyptic literature the editors have lengthy selections from the various sections of 1 enoch, including the book of giants from 4q23 and other fragments. Ancient jewish apocalyptic literature and modern dystopian. Biblical literature intertestamental literature britannica. He then moves on to provide numerous suggestions and guidelines for studying apocalyptic literature and teaching it to others e. The discovery of pesharim literature at qumran made it clear that daniel 9 is. Free online bible library apocalyptic literature biblical training. The oxford handbook of apocalyptic literature is a thematic and phenomenological exploration of apocalypticism in the judaic and christian traditions. Medieval jewish apocalyptic literature while the talmudic and midrashic literature of late antiquity appropriated various elements of the classical apocalyptic of the intertestamental period, it did so in an unsystematic and fragmentary fashion.
Apocalyptic studies libguides at digital theological library. The intertestamental apocalyptic writings also miss the mark in teaching jewish chiliasm, or the idea that the millennium is an earthly kingdom that will be centered on the earthly city of jerusalem ruled by a warrior king who will bring a full restoration of the glory of the tabernacle of king david and the golden age of israel. It is the book interpreting apocalyptic literature by richard taylor. Most new testament scholars classify revelations genre as apocalyptic.
Apocalyptic literature in the new testament core biblical. The response of apocalyptic literature, additions to daniel, the book of jubilees, and the testament of moses are examples of passive resistance. These intertestamental works were influenced by earlier proto apocalyptic passages of the bible, especially portions of isaiah, jeremiah, ezekiel, daniel, joel and zechariah. While apocalyptic literature uses bizarre imagery and unleashes the power of the imagination, the message is clear enough. Nickelsburg, jewish literature between the bible and the mishnah. The new testament book of revelation is an example of christian apocalyptic literature. Apocalypticism in the dead sea scrolls by john joseph collins paperback 1997.
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