The Dawn of Apocalyptic: The Historical and Sociological Roots of Jewish Apocalyptic Eschatology

by Paul D. Hanson

In challenging both traditional and contemporary notions of the nature and history of the biblical apocalyptic literature, Professor Hanson begins by saying that the orgins of apocalyptic cannot be explained by a method which juxtaposes seventh and second century compositions and then proceeds to account for the features of the latter by reference to its immediate environment. “The apocalyptic literature of the second century and after is the result of a long development reaching back to pre-exilic times and beyond, and not the new baby of second century foreign parents. Not only the sources of origin, but the intrinsic nature of late apocalyptic compositions can be understood only by tracing the centuries-long development through which the apocalyptic eschatology developed from prophetic and other even more archaic native roots.” In this ground-breaking study, Professor Hanson focuses on one strand which can be seen running through the heart of many of the so-called apocalyptic w

Genres: Religion, Theology, Biblical Studies

Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanson's utilization of sociological, economic and political considerations in explaining the development of prophecy towards apocalyptic is well-taken, adding a lot of commonsense to close textual arguments which leave the general reader yawning and unconvinced. Of course, he does those close textual arguments too, but one may always skim.
The appended description of the book is a conservative scholar's critical appreciation of this text.

[Bob Dijk]

Superb, whatever you may think of it.
Painstakingly groundbreaking