Eschatology and 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

Diuiduntur in Quattuor: The Interim and Judgement in Anglo-Saxon England

by Helen Foxhall Forbes

The division of souls in the afterlife into groups of three or four can be found in the works of many patristic and... more The division of souls in the afterlife into groups of three or four can be found in the works of many patristic and medieval authors, drawing on a number of traditions about the fate of the soul in the interim and at judgement. These groupings have often been the subject of confusion, not least because it is sometimes difficult to ascertain whether descriptions of the various groups of souls are intended to refer to the interim or to the judgement. This paper seeks to clarify and explore some of these divisions as they were discussed in Anglo-Saxon England: first in vision accounts by two eighth-century authors, Boniface, a missionary to the Continent, and the Venerable Bede; and secondly in the works of two later authors, Ælfric of Eynsham in the tenth century and Goscelin of Saint-Bertin in the eleventh.

Sons of the Resurrection: Inaugurated eschatology as a structural key to Aphrahat’s Demonstrations.

by John D'Alton

for a conference and journal soon

The rationale for the structure of Aphrahat’s 23 Demonstrations continues to elude scholars, but a close reading of... more The rationale for the structure of Aphrahat’s 23 Demonstrations continues to elude scholars, but a close reading of Demonstration 6 and its emphasis on the resurrection provides a way to understand the place of many other of the unexplained inclusions. Discussions of the bnay qyama have tended to sideline the relevance of the qyamtha. This paper uses metaphor analysis and close reading techniques to elucidate the core themes and rationale of Demonstration 6 and its links to the chapters on war, virginity, penitence, and death and the last things etc. Rather than being “out of place” (Lehto 2010:25), “On the Resurrection” and “On Wars” are shown to be closely related to the theme of the virginal state of the angelic life of the sons of the resurrection. This paper fills a gap in the understanding of Aphrahat’s thematic structuring, and also demonstrates that the Sons of the Covenant should also be understood as the Sons of the Resurrection.

Landscape Gardening: Remodelling the Hortus Conclusus in Judgement Day II

by Michael Bintley

The Review of English Studies, 62. 253 (2011), 1-14

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.

Isaiah 66:19, 21 and Paul's Gentile Mission: A Contribution to the Contemporary Rereading of Paul as a Jewish Author

by Carlos Segovia

To be published in: Paul and Scripture, ed. Stanley E. Porter and Gregory P. Fewster. Pauline Studies. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Forthcoming in 2015.

Isa 66:18-21 has often been pointed out as a possible subtext for Rom 15:16 (so e.g. Aus and Riesner). In order to... more Isa 66:18-21 has often been pointed out as a possible subtext for Rom 15:16 (so e.g. Aus and Riesner). In order to confirm this, however, ton ethnon in Rom 15:16 must be read as an objective, rather than subjective, genitive, as in fact most scholars (from Michel to Hultgren) do. In my view, those who interpret ton ethnon as a subjective genitive (Denis, Downs) fail to notice the connection between Rom 15:16 and 15:18, where Paul clearly states that Gentiles are the object of his offering, since he has been commissioned to bring them through Christ into God's allegiance. The contention that Isa 66:18-21 deals instead with Gentiles bringing Jews (Donaldson) proves equally misguiding if we take Isa 66:20 to be an interpolation (Westermann) intended to correct the claim (made in vv. 19 and 21) that a mission to the Gentiles will precede Israel's restoration and that priests and Levites will be recruited from converts to the Jewish faith (Blenkinsopp). I will suggest, furthermore, that reading Rom 15:16, 18 in light of Isa 66:19, 21 (a text which, albeit not addressing an unexpectable issue, goes well beyond any claims made in the Second Temple period regarding Gentile inclusion) may shed new light upon the contemporary reading of Paul as a Jewish author---a reading set forth, amidst other scholars, by Stendahl, Gaston, Gager, Stowers, Nanos, and, more recently, Eisenbaum, Johnson Hodge, and Fredriksen.

Noah as Eschatoligical Mediator Transposed: From 2 Enoch 71-72 to the Christological Echoes of 1 Enoch 106:3 in the Qur'an

by Carlos Segovia

in: Henoch 33.1 (2011) 129-44.

1. Introduction: Mediatorial figures in Second Temple Judaism
2. The Noah story in 1 Enoch, 1QapGen, 4Q534-36,... more 1. Introduction: Mediatorial figures in Second Temple Judaism
2. The Noah story in 1 Enoch, 1QapGen, 4Q534-36, and 1Q19-19bis
- Excursus A: A brief re-examination of the differences between the Noah traditions, Noah's role in 1 Enoch, and the Apocalypse of Noah
3. The Noah story transposed, from 2 Enoch to the Qur'an
- Excursus B: The Noah/Melchizedek story in 2 Enoch and the Fifth Enoch Seminar: Some preliminary observations
- Excursus C: 1 Enoch and the Qur'an
4. Postscriptum: A few final remarks in dialogue with Daniel Assefa, Andreas Bedenbender, Harold Ellens, Emmanouela Grypeou, Basil Lourié and Pierluigi Piovanelli

Thematic and Structural Affinities between 1 Enoch and the Qur'an: A Contribution to the Study of the Judaeo-Christian Apocalyptic Setting of the Early Islamic Faith

by Carlos Segovia

in: The Coming of the Comforter: When, Where, and to Whom? Studies on the Rise of Islam and Various Other Topics in Memory of John Wansbrough, ed. Carlos A. Segovia and Basil Lourié (Orientalia Judaica Christiana 3; Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2012), 231-67.

1. Apocalyptic trends in late Antiquity: A necessary bridge between modern Jewish, Christian, and Islamic studiesmore 1. Apocalyptic trends in late Antiquity: A necessary bridge between modern Jewish, Christian, and Islamic studies
2. The Qur'an as a palimpsest; or, the Quranic corpus from an intertextual perspective
3. Thematic and structural affinities between 1 Enoch 2:1-5:4 and Qur'an 7:36; 10:6; 16:81; 24:41, 44, 46
4. The reception of 1 Enoch within formative Islam: A few contrasting hypotheses
5. Some final remarks

Book Review: Religion and Politics: John Gray, Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007, 243 pp., $24.00 hbk.)

by Alison McQueen

The Punishment of Asael (1 En. 10:4-8) and Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Literature

by Henryk Drawnel

To be published in RevQ 2012

Summary
The literary pattern of Asael’s punishment in the Enochic myth does not seem to stem from biblical... more Summary
The literary pattern of Asael’s punishment in the Enochic myth does not seem to stem from biblical literature or Greek mythology. It is far more probable that one has to look for its antecedents in Babylonian anti-witchcraft literature. The Jewish author who lived in Mesopotamia in Late Babylonian period treated Asael and other Watchers as warlocks against whom exorcistic rituals have to be applied. The elimination of Asael and other Watchers from the earthly realm paved the way for the Jewish context of knowledge transmission, exemplified by Enoch and his insight into the structure of the world, revealed to him by angels faithful to God of Israel.

2 Enoch and the New Perspective on Apocalyptic

by Crispin Fletcher-Louis

Rowan Williams as Hegelian Political Theologian: Resacralising Secular Politics

by Carys Moseley

Published in Heythrop Journal 53(3), May 2012: 362-381.

Viewing Bible as Literature through a Gnostic Lens: Allegory in Philip K. Dick’s The Divine Invasion

by Benjamin Winter

The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick is a literary puzzle composed of Judaic, Christian, and Gnostic source... more The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick is a literary puzzle composed of Judaic, Christian, and Gnostic source materials. It is important to conduct a literary analysis of The Divine Invasion because its allegorical plot provides a Gnostic exegesis of several major themes within the Christian Bible—specifically, that of Salvation. A pivotal concern in Christianity, and in most world religions, is bridging the gap between man and God. As a science fiction writer chiefly concerned with metaphysics, Dick sees a need to eliminate the traditional role of the church as a hierarchical agent of salvation. Instead, his work favors a contemporary, and often radical, focus on direct revelation. Although The Divine Invasion’s plotline contains many Biblical allusions, the characters in Dick’s “space epic” reach enlightenment only through gnosis, or knowledge of the fragmented Godhead as the cause of evil. Dick reinterprets Biblical doctrines on judgment and liberation by conceiving a futuristic world where characters symbolize the fulfillment of religious ideals. Thus, Yah (Judaic) sends Emmanuel (Christian) to fight the allegorical “final battle” depicted in St. John’s Revelation. But this mission is altered by the guidance of the fairy Zina (Gnostic), portrayed as the link to salvific wisdom in the earthly realm. Drawing on Biblical narrative structures, Dick effectively creates his own Old Testament in Chapters 1-5 and formulates his own prophecies of a final Messiah. As he carefully unfolds a complex, tripartite reality in which time and space are not static, Dick explores the role of the human psyche in the salvation of the living cosmos. In this paper, I utilize a methodology that traces many of Dick’s spiritual references to their sources, draws connections to specific Biblical passages, and integrates Gnostic texts from the Nag Hammadi codices. Through a formal literary analysis of Dick’s compelling novel, I conclude that the narrative structure of The Divine Invasion expands readings of apocalyptic Biblical Literature through a systematic, Gnostic vision of the end times.

Maskil, Community, and Religious Experience in the Songs of the Sage (4Q510–511)

by Joseph Angel

Published in Dead Sea Discoveries 19.1 (2012): 1-27.

“Encouraged by a Word of Exhortation: An Appraisal of Hebrews’ Hortatory Materials in James W. Thompson’s Hebrews Commentary”: A Paper Presented at the Christian Scholars’ Conference, June 2011, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA

by Scott D. Mackie

“Francis’s Role in the Apocalyptic Histories of the Spiritual Franciscans and Leonardo Boff”

by Christopher Denny

This video was posted online through the efforts of the Dayton, Ohio Catholic Worker House.

Even during his lifetime, the meaning of Francis of Assisi’s embrace of Lady Poverty was contested by his followers... more Even during his lifetime, the meaning of Francis of Assisi’s embrace of Lady Poverty was contested by his followers and within a decade after his death Francis’s original rule of poverty was changed.  During the next generation the Spiritual Franciscans’ literalist interpretation of poverty was bolstered by apocalyptic interpretations of Francis that saw him as the angel of the sixth seal portrayed in the Book of Revelation.  The Spirituals’ appropriation of Joachim of Fiore’s controversial periodization of church history provided further spiritual fuel for millennial dissension within the order.  Scholars such as Marjorie Reeves, Bernard McGinn, Robert Lerner, and David Burr have explicated how Spiritual Franciscan commentators believed that Francis had ushered in a new age in this struggle, defending poverty and justice both inside and outside the church.  Angelo of Clareno, Ubertino of Casale, and Peter Olivi provided detailed schematizations of history in their 13th century commentaries on the book of Revelation.  Despite sharing the Spirituals’ conviction that Francis had ushered in a sixth stage of church history, Bonaventure’s attempt at conciliation within the order failed, and only ecclesiastical punishments ordered by John XXII secured the eventual victory of a more moderate understanding of poverty. 

In the post-Vatican II generation, Latin American liberation theology also made the issue of poverty the sine qua non of its theological reflection and socio-political action.  With his books Jesus Christ Liberator and Salvation and Liberation, Leonardo Boff articulated a theological methodology that sought to correlate solidarity with the poor to an eschatological conviction that God’s judgment is based upon the fundamental orientation towards the poor on the part of persons and societies.  Like the Spiritual Franciscans, Boff also encountered resistance from the church’s hierarchy, resulting in his censure and departure from the Franciscan order.  At first glance, Boff’s social criticism and political activism to overcome poverty may appear far removed from the detailed biblical exegesis of Olivi and other medieval Franciscans who wrote in defense of poverty.  Yet Boff’s writings, especially his two books Saint Francis: A Model for Human Liberation and Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, have three methodological similarities with Spiritual understandings of Francis insofar as Boff also articulates a hermeneutics of discontinuity between past and present, with Francis’s poverty serving as a historical boundary.  First, Boff’s reading of contemporary history is one of economic, military, and ecological crises that threaten human civilization.  Despite these threats, Boff claims that Francis has demonstrated that the “age of the logos” is yielding to “the age of eros.”  Second, Boff holds that Francis, whom he calls “the purest gestalt of Western history,” inaugurated this historical transition through his care for the poor.  Finally, Boff claimed that Francis created a “popular church of the poor” by living a life opposed to feudalist, clericalist, and monastic power structures.  In conclusion, both the Spirituals and Boff promote a theological methodology centered upon the conviction that Francis’s life of poverty provides a hermeneutical key to interpreting history in an apocalyptic light.

The Icon of the Divine Heart of God the Father: Apologia & Canon - Part 3 (Presentation)

by Marcelle Bartolo-Abela

Part 3 continues addressing the revelation of the Divine Paternal Heart of God the Father, in the Roman Catholic Church. Part 3 continues addressing the revelation of the Divine Paternal Heart of God the Father, in the Roman Catholic Church.

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

by Juan Carlos Ossandón

Published in Bryn Mawr Classcial Review 2012.03.38