9 Climate Change and Eschatology
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surfaced in the Quran—such as the Christian Legend Concerning Alexander or the
Apocalypse of Abraham. (For further discussion on Quranic apocalyptic literature,
see Bangert 2016, pp. 426–450).
According to Tilly, Jewish apocalyptic literature emerged as a result of the
“Makkabaean crisis” when Greek and Jewish elites attempted to turn Jerusalem into
an Hellenistic metropolis. The Makkabaens succeeded in staving off that Hellenistic
challenge and in reaffirming the conservative Jewish tradition. The apocalyptic revision did no longer assume the wholesale salvation of the Jewish people as a nation
but reduced the salvific promise to a pious remnant amongst the Jews who remained
faithful to the traditional law (Tilly 2012, p. 39).
One of the important features of apocalyptic literature is that the authors “do
not dare to step forth personally, but conceal themselves behind the authority of
some ancient worthy, such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the twelve patriarchs, Moses,
Elijah, Daniel, Baruch and Ezra.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 317) The nominal would-be
author usually epitomizes an idealistic authority and represents a normative past to
which the content of the apocalyptic texts is linked (Tilly 2012, p. 49 f.).
Another characteristic, albeit connected with the previous one, is that the history
portrayed in apocalyptic literature usually runs from the time of the pretended wouldbe author through the time of the unnamed actual author to a distant end-time future.
By purporting an ancient author, the book appears to accurately “predict” the events
of the future—at least up to a certain point in time—and therefore solicits trust also
for the final events of its anticipated eschatology. “They write history in prophetic
form from the time of the alleged author until the end of the world. About the time of
the actual author, which is treated with special accuracy, there often occurs a break
between representation of past history and construction of future history, which gives
a clue to the time of composition.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 317) Such vaticinia ex eventu
(“prophecy from the event”) represent the fictitious construction of a future of which
the first part has already come to pass and thereby instills confidence in the would-be
author to also predict accurately the remaining events (cf. also Tilly 2012, p. 51).
Apocalyptic literature—Jewish and Christian alike—is characterized by an
“uncompromising cosmic dualism” (Tilly 2012, p. 51), contrasting antagonistic
powers, principalities and world aeons. Opposing each other are the evil world and the
future salvation, the present impurity and the future purity, the light and the darkness,
the unjust and the pious, God’s adversary and God Himself (ibid.). Apocalypticism
distinguishes particularly between the evil present aeon and the time of the end,
when God “will again reveal himself mightily and will finally prevail. The world
lies in wickedness, but God will help. This aeon of the godless, earthly kingdom
is coming to an end; the new aeon of God’s transcendental kingdom stands at the
door.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 318) The end is portrayed as being close at hand, as in the
preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, and it behooves man to prepare
for it by repentance and a change of heart. The end is usually preceded by cataclysmic
cosmic events and a chain of catastrophes on earth which are the forebodings of the
ultimate consummation of history and the final judgment at which man’s fate will be
decided. “The seriousness of the threat of judgment and the glow of hope in imminent
salvation through God’s wonderful rule exercised strong influence upon Jewish piety
173
surfaced in the Quran—such as the Christian Legend Concerning Alexander or the
Apocalypse of Abraham. (For further discussion on Quranic apocalyptic literature,
see Bangert 2016, pp. 426–450).
According to Tilly, Jewish apocalyptic literature emerged as a result of the
“Makkabaean crisis” when Greek and Jewish elites attempted to turn Jerusalem into
an Hellenistic metropolis. The Makkabaens succeeded in staving off that Hellenistic
challenge and in reaffirming the conservative Jewish tradition. The apocalyptic revision did no longer assume the wholesale salvation of the Jewish people as a nation
but reduced the salvific promise to a pious remnant amongst the Jews who remained
faithful to the traditional law (Tilly 2012, p. 39).
One of the important features of apocalyptic literature is that the authors “do
not dare to step forth personally, but conceal themselves behind the authority of
some ancient worthy, such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the twelve patriarchs, Moses,
Elijah, Daniel, Baruch and Ezra.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 317) The nominal would-be
author usually epitomizes an idealistic authority and represents a normative past to
which the content of the apocalyptic texts is linked (Tilly 2012, p. 49 f.).
Another characteristic, albeit connected with the previous one, is that the history
portrayed in apocalyptic literature usually runs from the time of the pretended wouldbe author through the time of the unnamed actual author to a distant end-time future.
By purporting an ancient author, the book appears to accurately “predict” the events
of the future—at least up to a certain point in time—and therefore solicits trust also
for the final events of its anticipated eschatology. “They write history in prophetic
form from the time of the alleged author until the end of the world. About the time of
the actual author, which is treated with special accuracy, there often occurs a break
between representation of past history and construction of future history, which gives
a clue to the time of composition.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 317) Such vaticinia ex eventu
(“prophecy from the event”) represent the fictitious construction of a future of which
the first part has already come to pass and thereby instills confidence in the would-be
author to also predict accurately the remaining events (cf. also Tilly 2012, p. 51).
Apocalyptic literature—Jewish and Christian alike—is characterized by an
“uncompromising cosmic dualism” (Tilly 2012, p. 51), contrasting antagonistic
powers, principalities and world aeons. Opposing each other are the evil world and the
future salvation, the present impurity and the future purity, the light and the darkness,
the unjust and the pious, God’s adversary and God Himself (ibid.). Apocalypticism
distinguishes particularly between the evil present aeon and the time of the end,
when God “will again reveal himself mightily and will finally prevail. The world
lies in wickedness, but God will help. This aeon of the godless, earthly kingdom
is coming to an end; the new aeon of God’s transcendental kingdom stands at the
door.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 318) The end is portrayed as being close at hand, as in the
preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, and it behooves man to prepare
for it by repentance and a change of heart. The end is usually preceded by cataclysmic
cosmic events and a chain of catastrophes on earth which are the forebodings of the
ultimate consummation of history and the final judgment at which man’s fate will be
decided. “The seriousness of the threat of judgment and the glow of hope in imminent
salvation through God’s wonderful rule exercised strong influence upon Jewish piety