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The Method & Message of Jewish Apocalyptic 200 BC-AD 100
Russell is former Principal of Rawdon Baptist College, Leeds, & Joint Principal of the Northern Baptist College, Manchester, England & former General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
Only a master scholar could present such a comprehensive yet penetrating study as this of the Jewish apocalyptic literature from 200BC to AD100. Russell reviews 17 Jewish writings: The Book of Daniel, I-II Enoch, The Book of Jubilees, The Sibylline Oracles, Books III~V, The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs, The Psalms of Solomon, The Assumption of Moses, The Martyrdom of Isaiah, The Life of Adam & Eve or The Apocalypse of Moses, The Apocalypse of Abraham, The Testament of Abraham, 2 Esdras & II-III Baruch. He includes material from the Dead Sea Scrolls & a wide variety of related literature. For Jews & Christians alike, this literature is of significance because of its claim to be 'the child of prophecy.' For Christians it has an additional importance. Not only is it, in its teaching, a continuation of the Old Testament, it's also an anticipation of their New Testament. The apocalyptic literature helps bridge the gap between testaments & illustrates significant developments in religious belief, especially of an eschatalogical & messianic kind. For easy study & reference, the volume is in three parts. Part One, 'The Nature & Identity of Jewish Apocalyptic,' sets the literature against the background of the period in which it was written & defines apocalyptic literature. Part 2, discusses 'The Method of Jewish Apocalyptic,' including its emergence from prophecy, examines its form & literary characteristics, & analyzes the peculiar psychology of the writers. Part Three, not only discusses 'The Message of Jewish Apocalyptic,' but assesses it, demonstrating the influence of the apocalyptists on subsequent religious ideas in both Judaism & Christianity. This study fills a need for up~to~date information on literature of this intertestamental time & will be of interest to biblical literature scholars.
Only a master scholar could present such a comprehensive yet penetrating study as this of the Jewish apocalyptic literature from 200BC to AD100. Russell reviews 17 Jewish writings: The Book of Daniel, I-II Enoch, The Book of Jubilees, The Sibylline Oracles, Books III~V, The Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs, The Psalms of Solomon, The Assumption of Moses, The Martyrdom of Isaiah, The Life of Adam & Eve or The Apocalypse of Moses, The Apocalypse of Abraham, The Testament of Abraham, 2 Esdras & II-III Baruch. He includes material from the Dead Sea Scrolls & a wide variety of related literature. For Jews & Christians alike, this literature is of significance because of its claim to be 'the child of prophecy.' For Christians it has an additional importance. Not only is it, in its teaching, a continuation of the Old Testament, it's also an anticipation of their New Testament. The apocalyptic literature helps bridge the gap between testaments & illustrates significant developments in religious belief, especially of an eschatalogical & messianic kind. For easy study & reference, the volume is in three parts. Part One, 'The Nature & Identity of Jewish Apocalyptic,' sets the literature against the background of the period in which it was written & defines apocalyptic literature. Part 2, discusses 'The Method of Jewish Apocalyptic,' including its emergence from prophecy, examines its form & literary characteristics, & analyzes the peculiar psychology of the writers. Part Three, not only discusses 'The Message of Jewish Apocalyptic,' but assesses it, demonstrating the influence of the apocalyptists on subsequent religious ideas in both Judaism & Christianity. This study fills a need for up~to~date information on literature of this intertestamental time & will be of interest to biblical literature scholars.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1964
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About the author
David Syme Russell
12 books1 followerRev Dr David Syme Russell CBE (1916–2010) was a distinguished theologian and author, former Principal of Rawdon College, Leeds, and General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
His is often credited on books as D.S. Russell.
His is often credited on books as D.S. Russell.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 20, 2016
A challenging and often bewildering read, but since it's about the many and varied eschatological speculations of a multitude of Israelite visionaries who lived and ranted in the dark days between the writing of the Old and New Testaments, this isn't surprising. It does help the reader understand what a mind-boggling complexity of ideas had combined to colour Jewish expectations of the Messiah before Jesus of Nazareth burst onto the scene in the days of the first Roman emperors. It also makes you thankful that the rabbis and early Church Fathers alike realised that all this rabid and contradictory material was not inspired by God in the way that earlier prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah had been, and that their books were never accepted as sacred Scripture by either Jews or Christians!
December 14, 2015
An excellent overview of Apocalyptic thought during Second Temple Judaism/Intertestamental period. Russell does take the perspective that Daniel is to be dated somewhere in the 100s BCE as somewhat more contemporary to the Maccabean revolt. Despite some questionable conclusions, Russell digs into important themes and characteristics of Apocalyptic literature.
May 23, 2015
Since Schweitzer's Quest there has been a growing consensus amongst scholars of the gospels that the historical Jesus is best understood as standing well within the Jewish apocalyptic tradition. This book reviews examples of the literature and discusses the tradition in a serious, scholarly manner. It is indeed something well worth studying after reading the representative texts themselves.
Derived from the Greek, "apocalyse" means to open a curtain or veil. In the context of monotheistic religions it implies a disclosure of the providential meaning of events, their inner significance and their mandated outcome. By so assigning Jesus--and, more certainly, Paul--many have dismissed this, the core teaching of the early "church", as a radically mistaken belief. Roman rule was not overthrown. The mundane Herodian Temple was not destroyed in order that a new, spiritual temple, and righteous rule, might be instantiated. The secular world did not come to an end.
I am struck, however, by the similarity between this supposed programme on the part of Jesus--or, at least, of some of his earliest followers--and the programme of Karl Marx and his followers. In both cases the idea was to expose the meaning, in Marx's case an economic meaning, of events and to predict their outcome while--and this is vital--at the same time doing everything possible to ensure and hasten a happy conclusion to things: in Jesus' case 'the Kingdom', in Marx's socialist democracy. With this in mind, and having long taken the Marxists seriously, I find it easier to take Jesus' supposed apocalypticism seriously and to question those who have been so ready to dismiss the movements the two of them have been identified with.
Derived from the Greek, "apocalyse" means to open a curtain or veil. In the context of monotheistic religions it implies a disclosure of the providential meaning of events, their inner significance and their mandated outcome. By so assigning Jesus--and, more certainly, Paul--many have dismissed this, the core teaching of the early "church", as a radically mistaken belief. Roman rule was not overthrown. The mundane Herodian Temple was not destroyed in order that a new, spiritual temple, and righteous rule, might be instantiated. The secular world did not come to an end.
I am struck, however, by the similarity between this supposed programme on the part of Jesus--or, at least, of some of his earliest followers--and the programme of Karl Marx and his followers. In both cases the idea was to expose the meaning, in Marx's case an economic meaning, of events and to predict their outcome while--and this is vital--at the same time doing everything possible to ensure and hasten a happy conclusion to things: in Jesus' case 'the Kingdom', in Marx's socialist democracy. With this in mind, and having long taken the Marxists seriously, I find it easier to take Jesus' supposed apocalypticism seriously and to question those who have been so ready to dismiss the movements the two of them have been identified with.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews