9 Climate Change and Eschatology
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greater than Jonah is here.” (Luke 11:32). Mt 12 offers the same text. The meaning
in both places is clear: Jesus has no intention whatsoever of giving his critics and
doubters a sign—except the sign of Jonah: It was merely at the preaching of Jonah
that the Ninevites repented, and it should simply be at the preaching of Jesus that
the Jews in his days should repent and mend their ways. The “sign of Jonah”, then,
stands for the preacher himself (Jonah and Jesus) and his preaching. In other words:
Believe my words, Jesus is saying, that should be sufficient. No sign, no miracle is
needed; just the preaching and the listening and the believing and the repenting. It
only takes listening and a change of heart to experience God’s grace and mercy.
Hence, not only in the Jonah narrative, but also in the preaching of Jesus, is there
an inherent contingency in the message: Don’t look for miracles or signs in the sky
but simply listen to the message of the messenger and change your ways, and God
will show His mercy and compassion to you. God’s prophecies always carry an
intrinsic contingency in them that is largely dependent on man’s attitude.
The Apocalypse Model (Jesus’ End-Time Message)
We now turn to the third scenario, the Apocalypse Model. We are referring here
especially to Jesus’ prophecies and warnings regarding the coming of the Son of
Man and the final judgment as described in Mt 24 (and, partly, in 25). This is not to
deny texts of an apocalyptic nature in the other three gospels or other New Testament
books. (For a more extensive discussion of NT apocalyptic cf. Becker and Öhler
2006.)
The Phenomenon of Apocalypticism
The passage of Mt 24–25 is a typical apocalyptic text. The phenomenon of apocalyticism—the name is derived from Revelation 1:1—is characterized by a specific
literary genre on the one hand and a particular eschatological world view, on the
other, which is preoccupied with the end of the world and the consummation of
history. “Generally, where religions are occupied with the problem of the end of
the world and the close of history, we meet apocalyptic thoughts and their literary
deposits, especially in the Orient, and particularly in Iranian religion, but also in
Hellenistic syncretism and among the ancient Germans. Apocalypticism developed
most profusely on the soil of Judaism and primitive Christianity.” (Kümmel 1966,
p. 317)
The term Apocalypticism (as a terminus technicus for a particular literary genre)
can be traced back to Friedrich Lücke (1791–1855) who used the word Apokalyptik
in his Introduction to the Apocalypse of John and other related apocalyptic literature
(1852). The original meaning of the word (“uncovering”) has little to do with the
term as it is today used for apocalyptic literature which implies both a particular form
171
greater than Jonah is here.” (Luke 11:32). Mt 12 offers the same text. The meaning
in both places is clear: Jesus has no intention whatsoever of giving his critics and
doubters a sign—except the sign of Jonah: It was merely at the preaching of Jonah
that the Ninevites repented, and it should simply be at the preaching of Jesus that
the Jews in his days should repent and mend their ways. The “sign of Jonah”, then,
stands for the preacher himself (Jonah and Jesus) and his preaching. In other words:
Believe my words, Jesus is saying, that should be sufficient. No sign, no miracle is
needed; just the preaching and the listening and the believing and the repenting. It
only takes listening and a change of heart to experience God’s grace and mercy.
Hence, not only in the Jonah narrative, but also in the preaching of Jesus, is there
an inherent contingency in the message: Don’t look for miracles or signs in the sky
but simply listen to the message of the messenger and change your ways, and God
will show His mercy and compassion to you. God’s prophecies always carry an
intrinsic contingency in them that is largely dependent on man’s attitude.
The Apocalypse Model (Jesus’ End-Time Message)
We now turn to the third scenario, the Apocalypse Model. We are referring here
especially to Jesus’ prophecies and warnings regarding the coming of the Son of
Man and the final judgment as described in Mt 24 (and, partly, in 25). This is not to
deny texts of an apocalyptic nature in the other three gospels or other New Testament
books. (For a more extensive discussion of NT apocalyptic cf. Becker and Öhler
2006.)
The Phenomenon of Apocalypticism
The passage of Mt 24–25 is a typical apocalyptic text. The phenomenon of apocalyticism—the name is derived from Revelation 1:1—is characterized by a specific
literary genre on the one hand and a particular eschatological world view, on the
other, which is preoccupied with the end of the world and the consummation of
history. “Generally, where religions are occupied with the problem of the end of
the world and the close of history, we meet apocalyptic thoughts and their literary
deposits, especially in the Orient, and particularly in Iranian religion, but also in
Hellenistic syncretism and among the ancient Germans. Apocalypticism developed
most profusely on the soil of Judaism and primitive Christianity.” (Kümmel 1966,
p. 317)
The term Apocalypticism (as a terminus technicus for a particular literary genre)
can be traced back to Friedrich Lücke (1791–1855) who used the word Apokalyptik
in his Introduction to the Apocalypse of John and other related apocalyptic literature
(1852). The original meaning of the word (“uncovering”) has little to do with the
term as it is today used for apocalyptic literature which implies both a particular form