174
K. Bangert
in the centuries around the turn of our era.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 318) The apocalyptic
dualism of the Jews (and later, the Christians) is most likely to have been influenced
by the Persian dualism which at times has also been identified as Gnostic philosophy
(For a discussion on Persian dualism, see Widengren 1965; for Gnostic dualism, see
Jonas 1999).
According to Tilly, there is a subtle difference between Jewish and Christian
apocalypticism, although both are historically closely related. The dissimilarity lies
in the availability of salvation. While the Jewish apocalyptic expects salvation only
at the very end of time, the Christian apocalyptic believes that salvation was made
accessible already through the Christ event (Tilly 2012, p. 88). While the Jewish
apocalyptic has given up on the current wicked aeon, the Christian apocalyptic still
believes in some sort of divine intervention during the present era. Says Tilly: “The
most important difference between the early Christian kerygma and the Jewish apocalyptic consists in the Christian assumption of God being operative in this world and
in history.”
3 (Tilly 2012, p. 90) God’s salvific intervention is seen in the Christ
event (the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus) by which the eschatological aeon
has already been introduced vicariously. The presence is not entirely godless and
hopeless, as it is seen by the Jewish apocalyptic, but is a time when God makes
His salvation available to those who believe (Tilly 2012, p. 91). God’s salvation has
been mediated through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, and it is in man’s
relation to Christ that the final judgment becomes effective even now. “The decisive
judgement over all men and women takes place, as it were, already in their encounter
with the earthly Jesus …”
4 (Tilly 2012, p. 104).
The Expectation of Jesus
As a Jew, Jesus apparently had more or less adopted the eschatological/apocalyptic
world view of his time and his people, and it should be no surprise to note that his
preaching centered around the coming of the eschatological “kingdom of God” and
man’s preparation for it. One will also have to reckon with the possibility (if not the
fact) that the thinking of the early (Judaeo-) Christian church influenced the synoptic
tradition which also found its way into the book of Matthew. It is quite likely, for
instance, when Jesus predicted of the temple in Jerusalem that “there will not be left
here one stone upon another” (Mt 24:2), that this was a back projection by the early
church which was already fully aware of the fate of the Jewish temple which the
Romans destroyed in 70 A.D. (The book of Matthew is believed to date from 80 to
100 A.D.).
3 Original German: “Die wichtigste Differenz zwischen dem frühchristlichen Kerygma und der
jüdischen Apokalyptik besteht nämlich in der christlichen Annahme des Wirkens Gottes in der
Welt und in der Geschichte.”.
4 Original German: “Das Entscheidungsgericht über alle Menschen vollzieht sich vielmehr bereits
aktuell in ihrer Begegnung mit dem irdischen Jesus …”.
K. Bangert
in the centuries around the turn of our era.” (Kümmel 1966, p. 318) The apocalyptic
dualism of the Jews (and later, the Christians) is most likely to have been influenced
by the Persian dualism which at times has also been identified as Gnostic philosophy
(For a discussion on Persian dualism, see Widengren 1965; for Gnostic dualism, see
Jonas 1999).
According to Tilly, there is a subtle difference between Jewish and Christian
apocalypticism, although both are historically closely related. The dissimilarity lies
in the availability of salvation. While the Jewish apocalyptic expects salvation only
at the very end of time, the Christian apocalyptic believes that salvation was made
accessible already through the Christ event (Tilly 2012, p. 88). While the Jewish
apocalyptic has given up on the current wicked aeon, the Christian apocalyptic still
believes in some sort of divine intervention during the present era. Says Tilly: “The
most important difference between the early Christian kerygma and the Jewish apocalyptic consists in the Christian assumption of God being operative in this world and
in history.”
3 (Tilly 2012, p. 90) God’s salvific intervention is seen in the Christ
event (the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus) by which the eschatological aeon
has already been introduced vicariously. The presence is not entirely godless and
hopeless, as it is seen by the Jewish apocalyptic, but is a time when God makes
His salvation available to those who believe (Tilly 2012, p. 91). God’s salvation has
been mediated through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, and it is in man’s
relation to Christ that the final judgment becomes effective even now. “The decisive
judgement over all men and women takes place, as it were, already in their encounter
with the earthly Jesus …”
4 (Tilly 2012, p. 104).
The Expectation of Jesus
As a Jew, Jesus apparently had more or less adopted the eschatological/apocalyptic
world view of his time and his people, and it should be no surprise to note that his
preaching centered around the coming of the eschatological “kingdom of God” and
man’s preparation for it. One will also have to reckon with the possibility (if not the
fact) that the thinking of the early (Judaeo-) Christian church influenced the synoptic
tradition which also found its way into the book of Matthew. It is quite likely, for
instance, when Jesus predicted of the temple in Jerusalem that “there will not be left
here one stone upon another” (Mt 24:2), that this was a back projection by the early
church which was already fully aware of the fate of the Jewish temple which the
Romans destroyed in 70 A.D. (The book of Matthew is believed to date from 80 to
100 A.D.).
3 Original German: “Die wichtigste Differenz zwischen dem frühchristlichen Kerygma und der
jüdischen Apokalyptik besteht nämlich in der christlichen Annahme des Wirkens Gottes in der
Welt und in der Geschichte.”.
4 Original German: “Das Entscheidungsgericht über alle Menschen vollzieht sich vielmehr bereits
aktuell in ihrer Begegnung mit dem irdischen Jesus …”.