Apocalypticism

“Locating 4 Ezra: A Consideration of Its Social Setting and Functions,” Journal for the Study of Judaism 28 (1997): 271-93

by Bruce Longenecker

The most likely scenario for the social setting of 4 Ezra is Yavneh, the author being a scribe who gravitated there... more The most likely scenario for the social setting of 4 Ezra is Yavneh, the author being a scribe who gravitated there after a.d. 70. He wrote his apocalypse in the hope of influencing rabbinic leaders who sought to reconsider Jewish piety and practice without recourse to the Temple. He was concerned that (1) the people's confidence in God should be reinforced, despite their sorrow; (2) the people should be instructed in the Law and encouraged to observe it strenuously; and (3) the people should be discouraged from active insurrection and militant revolt, often animated by eschatological speculation.--D.J.H. Abstract Number: NTA42-1998-2-1398

“The Wilderness and Jewish Revolutionary Fervour in First-Century Palestine: A Response to D.P. Schwartz and J. Marcus,” Journal for the Study of Judaism 29 (1998): 322-36.

by Bruce Longenecker

According to Schwartz and Marcus, Isa 40:3 had instructive, programmatic force in leading Jewish revolutionaries out... more According to Schwartz and Marcus, Isa 40:3 had instructive, programmatic force in leading Jewish revolutionaries out into the wilderness where they prepared themselves for the invading procession of Israel's God against Israel's enemies. But examination of relevant passages from Josephus' writings and the Dead Sea scrolls indicates that the evidence for the revolutionary interpretation of Isa 40:3 is relatively sparse and unimpressive. Instead, the narrative of the Hebrews' wilderness trek and conquest of the land under Moses and Joshua has far more to commend itself as the narrative precursor to the revolutionaries' retreat into the wilderness.--D.J.H. Abstract Number: NTA43-1999-1-634

Reassessing Paul's Jewishness: Israel, the Nations, and the Radical New Perspective on Paul (Spanish)

by Carlos Segovia

"Pablo de Tarso, Israel y los gentiles: El nuevo enfoque radical sobre Pablo y el cariz judío de su mensaje." To be published in: Bandue. Revista de la Sociedad Española de Ciencias de las Religiones. Forthcoming.

Traditionally, Paul has been understood as the founder of a new religion, Christianity, different from and opposed to... more Traditionally, Paul has been understood as the founder of a new religion, Christianity, different from and opposed to Judaism. Yet in the mid-20th century William David Davies and Johannes Munck challenged this view. Drawing upon Munck's insights, Krister Stendahl was the first to set forth in the 1960s and the 1970s a radical new imterpretation of Paul's message and mission. According to Stendahl, Paul did not imtend to replace Judaism but to bring the Gentiles into YHWH's allegiance. Lloyd Gaston, John Gager, Neil Elliot, William Campbell, Mark Nanos, Pamela Eisenbaum, Caroline Johnson Hodge, and Paula Fredriksen have contributed to further develop this interpretative line—which contrasts both with the traditional understanding of Paul and with the claims made by James Dunn, Tom Wright, and Daniel Boyarin that Paul tried to reform Judaism from within—in the past thirty years. This brief study summarises the results of their groundbreaking research, analyses their at times contrasting proposals, and reflects upon their fascinating implications.

Tradicionalmente, Pablo ha sido interpretado como el fundador de una nueva religión, el cristianismo, diferente de y, en rigor, opuesta al judaísmo. William David Davies y Johannes Munck cuestionaron a mediados del siglo XX, sin embargo, semejante interpretación. Basándose en los trabajos de Munck, Krister Stendahl fue el primero que propuso en los años 60 y 70 del siglo pasado una nueva interpretación radical del mensaje paulino. Según Stendahl, Pablo no se propuso superar el judaísmo sino, únicamente, integrar a los gentiles en Israel por medio de Cristo. En los últimos treinta años, Lloyd Gaston, John Gager, Neil Elliot, William Campbell, Mark Nanos, Pamela Eisenbaum, Caroline Johnson Hodge y Paula Fredriksen han contribuido a desarrollar esta línea interpretativa, que contrasta tanto con la interpretación tradicional de Pablo como con la pretensión de que éste se habría propuesto reformar el judaísmo, defendida por James Dunn, Tom Wright y Daniel Boyarin. Este breve estudio resume los resultados de dicha investigación, analiza los matices que ella presenta de un autor a otro y reflexiona sobre sus, a decir verdad, novedosas y fascinantes implicaciones.

Which Theologies in Conflict? Some Suggestions for a Symptomatic Rereading of 4 Ezra in Light of P. Sacchi's and E.P. Sanders' Contributions to the Study of Early Judaism, with a Final Note on the Hodayot from Qumran and Paul

by Carlos Segovia

Presented at the 6th Enoch Seminar: 2 Baruch - 4 Ezra: 1st Century Jewish Apocalypticism -- Milan, June 26 - July 1, 2011.

4 Ezra sets forth a kind of dialogical retextualization of the idea that salvation is unconditionally granted by God... more 4 Ezra sets forth a kind of dialogical retextualization of the idea that salvation is unconditionally granted by God to his chosen people in order, first, to discuss its accuracy and, second, to dismiss it together with the opposing view according to which salvation in only granted to, even if not self-achieved by, those who have good deeds to their credit. A comparison between 2 Sam 7; 1 Kgs 8:22-26; and 1 Kgs 2:1-4 and 2 Chron 6:12-17 shows that these two competing views--or theologies--can be traced back to the Hebrew Bible. I will also argue that they may be further clarified through a cross-reading of P. Sacchi's and E.P. Sanders' studies. And that the first view can be found again, to one extent or another, in several post-Biblical Jewish texts such as the Hodayot from Qumran and Paul's letters.Yet my main point will be to suggest that, in spite of their different purposes, the author of 4 Ezra might have had in mind Paul's controversial reuse of such view, since 4 Ezra 8:32, 36 seemingly echoes Rom 4:5.

Notes to “L’Apocalypse de Paul,”

by Michael Kaler

P. 707-724 in Écrits gnostiques: La bibliothèque de Nag Hammadi, Bibliothèque de la Pléaide series (Paris: Gallimard, 2007))

2 Enoch and the New Perspective on Apocalyptic

by Crispin Fletcher-Louis

Review of: Michael Stone, Ancient Judaism: New Visions and Views

by Juan Carlos Ossandón

Published in Bryn Mawr Classcial Review 2012.03.38

A Theology of Antichrist? Peter Lombard's Commentary on 2 Thessalonians In The History of Apocalyptic Exegesis

by Kevin L Hughes

La instauración del Trono en siete septenarios: La macronarrativa y su estructura en el Apocalipsis de Juan

by Daniel Ayuch

“The Throne Instauration in Seven Septenaries. The Macronarrative and its Structure in John’s Revelation”, in: Biblica 85 (2, 2004), p. 255-263 (SPANISH).

This article investigates the function of number seven as a narrative device and as the main structural pattern in the... more This article investigates the function of number seven as a narrative device and as the main structural pattern in the macronarrative of the Book of Revelation. Considering the final instauration of the Holy Throne in heaven and on earth as the plot of the story, the structuring of the book in septenaries leads the reader through a gradual fulfillment of the New Creation and to the ultimate destruction of evil.

“‘All Will Be Well’: Julian of Norwich’s Counter-Apocalyptic Revelations.”

by Christopher Denny

“‘All Will Be Well’: Julian of Norwich’s Counter-Apocalyptic Revelations.” Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society 38/2 (Fall 2011): 193-210.

To resolve the impasse between various competing apocalypticisms, I suggest the writings of Julian of Norwich... more To resolve the impasse between various competing apocalypticisms, I suggest the writings of Julian of Norwich exemplify an eschatology that incorporates features of what Catherine Keller calls counter-apocalyptic while avoiding the risks of deconstructionist theology.  Julian faced an impasse as she struggled to reconcile the traditional apocalyptic claim of the church that some human beings were damned with her own revelatory experience that “all would be well.”  According to the long text of the Revelation of Divine Love, in facing this crisis Julian did not abandon the belief in divine omnipotence.  Like Keller’s position, Julian’s apophatic counter-apocalyptic eschews understandings of Christian eschatology as the simple disclosure of divine power and justice.  Instead, Julian’s counter-apocalyptic is founded upon the vulnerability of Christ’s body.  Julian’s vision of Christ’s kenotic love transcends the impasse between eschatological determinism and Keller’s process theology, and this love establishes a stronger foundation for a truly liberating eschatology.

The Use of Daniel in the Gabriel Revelation

by Daewoong Kim

My contribution to Hazon Gabriel: New Readings of the Gabriel Revelation (Ed. Matthias Henze; Atlanta/Leiden: Society of Biblical Literature/Brill, 2011), 153-171.

In this article I discuss the interpretive use of Daniel in a newly discovered inscription known as the Gabriel... more In this article I discuss the interpretive use of Daniel in a newly discovered inscription known as the Gabriel Revelation. The author highlights the eschatological nature of the historical crisis that Jerusalem presently suffers. In doing so, the author inspires the intended audience/reader to expect the imminent fulfillment of the prophetic visions about the redemption of Jerusalem in the endtime. My primary focus is on the author’s art of allusive words that are designed to activate earlier scriptural texts in the reading of the inscription. In the inscription Gabriel is the main speaker who provides the literary framework for the resonances with the earlier biblical sources. In arguing in many points against Israel Knohl's works, I propose that the tradition of the coming of God is pivotal to the apocalyptic perspective of the Jewish group behind the Gabriel Revelation. To make my case, I explain a few literary allusions in the inscription that have been highly debatable: “Prince of princes” (line 81), “On the third day” (lines 19, 80), and “the sign” (lines 17, 80).

Wisdom and Apocalyptic in 2 Baruch

by Daewoong Kim

Henoch 38/2 (2011) 250-274

Second Baruch is a Jewish apocalypse written in the wake of the Roman sacking of the Jerusalem temple. This essay... more Second Baruch is a Jewish apocalypse written in the wake of the Roman sacking of the Jerusalem temple. This essay examines how deliberately Second Baruch uses the biblical sapiential tradition and closely connects it with the apocalyptic tradition in Daniel. Particularly, Second Baruch eschatologizes the idea of elusive wisdom in Job 28 against the backdrop of the apocalyptic concept of two-group in Daniel 11-12. To deal with the theological crisis Judaism behind Second Baruch faced, Second Baruch integrates the sacred past that Scripture enshrined with the apocalyptic future that Second Baruch advocates.

Europe might exist no more. The story of Europe’s apocalypse as told on-line by the Romanian New Right

by Adela Fofiu

published in Europolis - Journal of Political Analysis and Theory, vol.5, issue 1/July 2011

Apocalyptic narratives in the Romanian mediascape - Synopsis

by Adela Fofiu

Synopsis of my doctoral thesis in sociology.
Publicly defended on 13 January 2012 and assessed as excellent, on which basis I have been awarded the title of PhD in sociology.

Key words:
apocalypse, cyberhate, nationalism, ideology, right wing, media message, new media, cyberconflict,... more Key words:
apocalypse, cyberhate, nationalism, ideology, right wing, media message, new media, cyberconflict, Eastern Europe, ethnicity, race, politics of emotions, hate, anger, fear, rhizome, globalization, Arjun Appadurai, Sara Ahmed, whiteness, Islamization, Hungarization, Gypsification, de-Christianization

Jesus' Eschatology in Jewish Context

by Bryan Lewis

I intend to: 1] give a brief synopsis of Historical Jesus Scholarship as it pertains to apocalypticism. 2] Give a... more I intend to: 1] give a brief synopsis of Historical Jesus Scholarship as it pertains to apocalypticism. 2] Give a brief explanation of Jesus’ eschatology in light of him being understood as a first-century Jewish Apocalypticist. 3] To answer the question: What was Jesus Eschatology? 4] To show that Jesus Eschatology was intrinsically tied to the Jewish Hope for the End of the Exile and return of all twelve tribes, "all Israel." 5] To show the implications for Christian Eschatology by proposing that Jesus was indeed apocalyptic, but He did not really expect the end to history in His time or shortly after, but instead used both Hebraic and apocalyptic language to describe the end of an old order, which would include the restoration of all Israel and the end of her exile, 6] To show the implications for Christian Theology; particularly modern Evangelical Orthodoxy. 7] And finally, we discuss why the efforts of Third Quest Historical Jesus scholars, to see how the historical Jesus can fit into New Testament theology, must not be abandoned.

Цар Петър І Велики като антихрист в руското обществено съзнание

by Pavel Stefanov

публикувано в Историческо бъдеще, 2003, № 1-2, 71-78.

The Pteromorphic Angelology of the Apocalypse of Abraham

by Andrei Orlov

‘The Gods of My Father Terah’: Abraham the Iconoclast and the Polemics with the Divine Body Traditions in the Apocalypse of Abraham

by Andrei Orlov

Praxis of the Voice: The Divine Name Traditions in the Apocalypse of Abraham

by Andrei Orlov

The Origin of the Name 'Metatron' and the Text of 2 (Slavonic Apocalypse of) Enoch

by Andrei Orlov