Colin McAllister (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature, Cambridge University Press, 2020
Jewish and Christian apocalypses have captivated theologians, writers, artists, and the general public for centuries, and have had a profound influence on world history from their initial production by persecuted Jews during the second century BCE, to the birth of Christianity – through the demise of the Western Roman Empire and the medieval period, and continuing into modernity. Far from being an outlier concern, or an academic one that may be relegated to the dustbin of history, apocalyptic thinking is ubiquitous and continues to inform nearly all aspects of modern-day life. It addresses universal human concerns: the search for identity and belonging, speculation about the future, and (for some) a blueprint that provides meaning and structure to a seemingly chaotic world. The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature brings together a field of leading experts to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject.
- Brings together an international collective of leading experts who have written on various aspects of apocalyptic literature
- Covers apocalyptic literature from the second century BCE to the present, and includes discussions of the apocalypses themselves, reception history, politics, contemporary Islam, and how apocalypticism functions in contemporary society
- Incorporates issues much larger than just apocalytic literature, including the concept of time, music, visual art, geopolitics and popular culture
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