- Definition. The word apocalypse (removing the veil) is derived from Rev. 1:1, where it points to the revelation that the exalted Jesus of the consummation of the ages delivered to John. Modern scholars have used the word to refer to a group of Jewish literature that contains similar literary and eschatological features, although not all of the books in this group are truly apocalyptic. An apocalypse is, then, a book that contains true or fraudulent revelations of heavenly secrets or events that will accompany the end of the world and the inauguration of the kingdom of God.
- Historical background. Trying to imitate the book of Daniel, between 200 BC and 100 AD, unknown Jewish authors produced many apocalypses. (Daniel is often described as the first of these apocalypses, but there are many features that tie Daniel strongly to the rest of the prophetic books, leading one to conclude that Daniel falls somewhere between the prophetic type of literature and There are also other reasons to date their composition as prior to the Maccabean period.) The apocalypses arose from a historical environment that involved a historical-theological problem that consisted of three things:
- The Rise of a “Righteous Remnant”. In the prophetic period, Israel fell again and again into idolatry, forgetting God’s law. After the restoration, circles of faithful Jews arose. When in 168 BC Antiochus Epiphanes forcibly tried to assimilate the Jews into Greek religion and culture, these righteous (called ḥăsîḏîm or Hasidians) refused to submit, preferring death to disobedience to the law. Their successors, the Pharisees, retained this spirit. Another group, called “the Qumran community,” abandoned the mainstream of Jewish life to seek a monastic retreat in the desert, devoting themselves entirely to study and observance of the law.
- the problem of evil. The prophets promised that a repentant and restored Israel would inherit the kingdom of God. Well, Israel was restored to his land and was faithful to the law. According to the Jewish definition of justice, the conditions demanded by the prophets were satisfied; but the kingdom did not come. Instead came a suffering never seen before. Antiochus Epiphanes (168 BC) tried to destroy the Jewish faith, torturing and inflicting martyrdom on the faithful. But the religious freedom that the Maccabees gained did not bring with it the kingdom of God. In place of the rule of God came the rule of the secularized and worldly Hasmoneans, and after 63 BC the native puppets and procurators who served Rome. A just Israel that deserved the kingdom found only suffering and political slavery.
- The cessation of the prophecy. Throughout all this time of unparalleled suffering, God did not speak to explain the historical enigma. The voice of prophecy had been silent. No prophet appeared to announce “thus saith the Lord”; and to interpret to this people of God who were in affliction, the puzzle involved in the suffering of the righteous.
The apocalypses arose in this environment in order to provide an explanation for the sufferings of the righteous and the delay of the kingdom of God.
III. Description. I of Enoch either Ethiopian Enoch. A book made up of five parts, and consisting of Enoch’s visions and journeys through the heavens. The part of the Similes or Parables (chapters 37-71, which contain visions, etc.) are of great importance because of the figure of the heavenly Son of Man. It is dated to the second century BC
jubilees. A revelation given to Moses dealing with the history of the world from creation to his own time. History is divided into jubilee periods of forty-nine years each. Only a few sections of the book deal with eschatology. second century BC
The testament of the twelve patriarchs. It is not an apocalypse, but a book that imitates the prophetic writings. In it, each patriarch sketches his life and gives moral exhortations and a prophecy regarding the future of his descendants. In this way, the book is eschatological but not apocalyptic. Contains many interpolations from Christian writers. second century BC
The Psalms of Solomon. Eighteen Psalms written in imitation of the OT Psalms. They are not apocalypses, but the last two Psalms contain important eschatological material. first century BC
Ascension of Moses. The book presents the last instructions that Moses gives to Joshua, in which he traces the course of history until the coming of the kingdom. The story can be traced back to the days of Herod the Great. first century AD
Sibylline Oracles. An apologetic work composed of Christian and Jewish elements. The oracles are placed in the mouth of a sibyl which makes the book take the form of a pagan prophecy. Only a few sections contain eschatological expectations of the apocalyptic type.
Book I Esdras (II Esdras). It contains seven visions that Ezra saw in Babylon, after the fall of Jerusalem. The book reflects the despair of a devout Jew after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD It is the deepest apocalypse, it contains a lot of theology such as apocalyptic eschatology. At the end of the first century AD
Apocalypse of Baruch. Revelations given to Baruch in the days of Jeconiah about the coming of the kingdom of God. important for theology. End of the first century AD
Second of Enoch either Slavic Enoch. This is an apocalypse, but probably much later in date.
- literary features.
The apocalyptic is a genre of literature that followed after the prophetic. At some points apocalyptic is a development of elements of prophecy; at other points it departs from the prophetic character. A very rigid dividing line cannot be drawn between the two types; and characterizations of the apocalyptic differ considerably.
- revelations. Prophets often received their messages by revelation, but their primary interest was in the “word of the Lord.” Very often the word of God came to the prophets as an irresistible inner conviction having nothing to do with visions and dreams. In the apocalyptic, the word of the Lord gave way to revelations and visions. God does not speak to his servants by his Spirit. The seer must find the solution to the problems of evil and the coming of the kingdom through dreams, visions or heavenly journeys with angels as guides.
- imitative literary character. The prophets announced to the people what the will of God was through experiences in which God manifested his will. Scholars who reject any supernatural element admit that the prophets had true psychological experiences. It is possible that IV of Ezra reflect a real psychological experience, but normally the revelations of the apocalyptic writers are only literary forms. The visions are literary fictions that imitate the visions of the prophetic writings. Therefore, the prophecy was first spoken, while the apocalypses were first written.
- Pseudonymy. The prophets spoke in the name of the Lord directly to the people. However, in the Maccabean period the voice of prophecy was silenced and the apocalyptic writers attributed their revelations to OT saints as a means of validating their message to the people of their own generation. In all of this, Daniel stands alone, for he is not known apart from his appearance in the apocalypse which is attributed to him as his.
- Symbolism. The prophets often used symbolism to communicate the divine message. In apocalypses, symbolism becomes the mainstay, particularly as a technique for outlining the course of history without having to use historical names. This technique first appeared in Daniel and was imitated with grotesque proliferation in the apocalypses that followed.
- history rewritten. The prophets took their starting point in their own historical situation and proclaimed the word of God to their own generation according to the background they had, that is, the future kingdom of God. Apocalyptic writings sometimes start from some point in the distant past and rewrite history as if it were prophecy until they arrive at their own time, in which the coming of the kingdom is expected. In some cases the apocalypses can be dated by the last events that narrate in the supposed prophecy.
- religious characteristics.
The term apocalyptic it is also used to describe the eschatology found in the apocalypses.
- Dualism. Apocalyptic eschatology makes such a radical contrast between the character of the present time and the future time of salvation that it ultimately describes it in terms of two ages (or “centuries”): this age and the age to come. This era is characterized by evil; the age to come will see the kingdom of God. The transition from this age to the age to come can only be effected through the direct action of God by which he supernaturally breaks into history. This dualism is not metaphysical or cosmic, but historical and temporal. Although this terminology appears in the NT, it only appears in a fully developed form in IV of Ezra and in the Apocalypse of Baruch.
Many critics attribute this development to the influence of Persian dualism; but it can also be explained as the historical development of ideas already implicit in the OT prophets. The prophetic expectation of the future kingdom includes the redemption of the earth (Isa. 32:15-18; 11:6-9; 65:17; 66:22). This transformation can only be brought about by divine visitation, when God shakes up the present order in his judgment (Isa. 13:13; 34:4; 51:6; Hag. 2:7) and causes the old order arise a new one.
Apocalyptic dualism is the development of this basic concept of the world and redemption. The new order is usually described with features belonging to the new earth presented by Isaiah (Enoch 45:4f.; 51:1–5). The Assumption of Moses 10:1 looks toward the manifestation of the kingdom of God “in all his creation.” Sometimes more transcendental terms are used (Enoch. 62:16).
Some OT passages describe the new order in terms very similar to the present order, while others (Is. 65, 66) see a complete transformation involving new heavens and a new earth. Some apocalypses place these two expectations together, and anticipate a temporary kingdom in this century that is followed by an eternal kingdom in the new order (IV of Ezra 7:28, 29). The age to come is described by Baruch as the new earth (32:6). the language of IV of Ezra it is difficult to interpret (7:36, 113).
- historical perspective. The prophets placed themselves within a specifically historical situation and addressed their message to their environment. The kingdom of God was on the horizon, and the future is in constant tension with the present. Is. 13 describes the historical judgment of Babylon against the background of the eschatological visitation, as if they were one thing and happened on the same day….