Apocalypse

apocalypse (əpŏk`əlĭps) [Gr.,=uncovering], genre represented in early Jewish and in Christian literature in which the secrets of the heavenly world or of the world to come are revealed by angelic mediation within a narrative framework. The genre seems to have arisen in Palestine in the 3d cent. B.C., perhaps as a protest against an oppressive and dominant establishment, either Gentile or apostate Jewish. The writing is characterized by otherworldly journeys, visions, animal imagery derived from the common fund of ancient Middle Eastern mythological imagery, and number symbolism. Apocalyptic eschatology is marked by the conviction that God will intervene decisively in the present evil age and vindicate his suffering elect over their oppressors, raising the dead, consigning the wicked to eternal destruction, and establishing a new creation. In the Bible, apocalyptic elements are present in the books of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah, and Daniel. The collection known as the Pseudepigrapha contains a number of early Jewish apocalypses, including 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra, and 2 Baruch. In the New Testament the book of Revelation is often called the Apocalypse.

Bibliography

See C. Rowland, The Open Heaven (1982); E. Weber, Apocalypses (1999).

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apocalypse

In many Western religious traditions, the period of catastrophic upheaval expected to occur just before the end of the world, when God will come to sit in judgment on humankind. The belief that the world will come to a violent and cataclysmic end exists in Judaism and Christianity as well as in Zoroastrianism. Several of the prophetic works of the Hebrew Scriptures, notably the book of Daniel, include visions of the apocalypse. The book of Revelation (or Apocalypse) gives a dark and dramatic picture of the end of time, when the wicked will be punished and the good will triumph through God's intervention. The approach of the Last Days is expected to be marked by famines, wars, earthquakes, plagues, and other natural disasters, along with signs in the heavens. Today apocalyptic themes are emphasized by various religious groups (e.g., fundamentalist Christians) and have also been taken up by science-fiction writers. See also eschatology; millennialism.

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Apocalypse

Bible (in the Vulgate and Douay versions of the Bible) the Book of Revelation

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Apocalypse

behemoth

king of animals whose flesh will provide feast for chosen when Messiah comes. [Jew. Tradition: Leach, 132]

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

four riders symbolizing pestilence, war, famine, and death. [N.T.: Revelation 6:1–8]

Gog and Magog

giant leaders in ultimate battle against God’s people. [N.T.: Revelation 20:8]

Götterdämmerung

day of great battle between Teutonic gods and forces of evil. [Ger. Folklore: Leach, 461]

leviathan

sea monster; symbol of apocalypse. [Jew. Tradition: Leach, 67]

Revelation

final book of the New Testament discussing the coming of the world’s end. [N.T.: Revelation]