Eschatology in the Early Jewish Pseudepigrapha and the Early Christian Apocrypha

Abstract

The eschatology of much of the early Jewish pseudepigrapha and all the early Christian apocrypha is apocalyptic. This chapter outlines the nature of apocalyptic eschatology and how an eschatological horizon anchors the distinctive apocalyptic claims about the nature of knowing, being, history, justice and salvation. It examines the eschatology of the early Jewish pseudepigrapha: first in the “historical” apocalyptic writings, which focus on divulging the divine plan for history and its imminent end; and then in the “otherworldly” apocalyptic writings, which feature revelatory information on a spectrum of topics in addition to eschatology. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the eschatology of the early Christian apocrypha, which are apocalyptic, and the gnostic writings, which are not.