Ultimate Things: An Introduction to Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature - Softcover

Greg Carey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0827238037 ISBN 13: 9780827238039

Publisher: Chalice Press, 2005

Synopsis

Carey presents an introduction to the elements of apocalyptic discourse in the Hebrew Bible, the intertestamental texts of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and the Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts. He seeks to help modern readers perplexed by the rampant and somewhat outrageous depiction and interpretation of apocalyptic literature to see apocalyptic discourse as a flexible set of resources that early Jews and Christians could employ for a variety of persuasive tasks. Carey examines each of the literary works that exhibit apocalyptic discourse. He briefly introduces the date and language of each text and shows its basic contents. Then he examines the particular topics and purposes of the work. Carey concludes by showing a way to read the particular example of apocalyptic discourse as a whole in its own setting with its own purposes. Carey invokes discourse as a category of study in an attempt to bring together the literary, ideological, and social dimensions of apocalyptic language. He sees the genius of apocalyptic discourse in its ability to bring its audience into otherwise inaccessible mysteries concerning the future and the heavenly realms. As theology, apocalyptic discourse engages life's greatest questions-the nature of God, the desire for justice, and the frustrations of human finitude. As poetry, it expresses the theological imagination in vivid symbols and conventional literary forms.

About this title

About the Author

Greg Carey is professor of New Testament at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He co edited Vision and Persuasion: Rhetorical Dimensions of Apocalyptic Discourse from Chalice Press and has written Elusive Apocalypse: Reading Authority in the Revelation to John from Mercer University Press.

Review

"One of the strengths of Carey's work is its breadth--the book explores both canonical and noncanonical apocalyptic literature, including writings that fit the technical genre of an apocalypse and those writings that are not apocalypses but contain apocalyptic ideas and motifs. The advantage of this inclusive approach is that it leads to a more balanced and accurate understanding of the nature and function of apocalyptic thought. Too often people's perception of apocalyptic discourse is shaped primarily by what they know about the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation. Students and experienced scholars alike will benefit from Carey's informed and judicious discussions of the origins, structures, and contents of these Jewish and Christian texts. Especially noteworthy is his sensitivity to the rhetorical and theological dimensions of these writings."

Edition details

• Publisher: Chalice Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0827238037
• ISBN 13: 9780827238039
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 296