{"id":41,"date":"2012-02-14T00:12:42","date_gmt":"2012-02-13T14:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/2012\/02\/14\/accidental-features-of-apocalypse\/"},"modified":"2012-03-15T22:18:24","modified_gmt":"2012-03-15T12:18:24","slug":"accidental-features-of-apocalypse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/2012\/02\/14\/accidental-features-of-apocalypse\/","title":{"rendered":"Accidental Features of Apocalypse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lists of early apocalyptic writings may be found in DS Russell (1964) Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic<\/em>, London: SCM, pp 37f; C Rowland (1982) The Open Heaven<\/em>, London: SPCK, p 15. Examples of the genre may be found in J. Charlesworth (ed.) (1983) OTP:1, 2.<\/em> Of the works typically listed, the Ascension is essentially involved (ie. more than just being noted as the method of revelation) only in:<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1, 2, 3 Enoch<\/em>; 3 Baruch<\/em>, Testaments of the XII Patriarchs<\/em> (Levi<\/em>); Ascension of Isaiah<\/em>; Apocalypse of Abraham<\/em>; Testament of Abraham<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/font>There are a number of recurrent features of these texts, apart from those which have been identified as the essential elements of the Ascension plotline. <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There is uncertainty about whether the ascent is physical or spiritual.[1]<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. The heavens are entered by gates or doorways.<\/li>\n
  3. There is water in the 1st heaven (sea, snow, clouds, dew).[2]<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Rebellious angels are constrained in 2nd heaven.[3]<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. The protagonist finds \u2018paradise\u2019 (in the 3rd heaven.)[4]<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. There is a great light in the 7th heaven.[5]<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Angels are opposed to the ascent of the protagonist.[6]<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. There are visions of (flaming) thrones, and God sits on one.[7]<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. The protagonist is transformed (before the theophany)[8]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    <\/p>\n

    \t\t[1]<\/a> Cf. dispute over nature of Mohammed\u2019s mi\u2019raj<\/em>, Paul\u2019s uncertainty in 2 Corinthians<\/em>, xii, 2-4, etc.<\/p>\n

    \t\t[2]<\/a> Testament of Levi<\/em> (from XII Patriarchs<\/em>), 2 Enoch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \t\t[3]<\/a> Testament of Levi<\/em> (from XII Patriarchs<\/em>), 2 Enoch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \t\t[4]<\/a> 2 Enoch; Ap. Moses; 2 Corinthians<\/em>, xii, 2-4.<\/p>\n

    \t\t[5]<\/a> Ap. Abr., Asc. Isa.<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \t\t[6]<\/a> Cf. also Mi\u2019raj<\/em> of Abu Yazid al-Bistami (in MA Sells (ed.) (1996) Early Islamic Mysticism<\/em>, NY: Paulist, 242-250.)<\/p>\n

    \t\t[7]<\/a> This genre is related to merkabah<\/em> speculation.<\/p>\n

    \t\t[8]<\/a> Asc. Isa.<\/em> 7:24-27, 2 Enoch<\/em> 20-22.<\/p>\n

    <\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Lists of early apocalyptic writings may be found in DS Russell (1964) Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic, London: SCM, pp 37f; C Rowland (1982) The Open Heaven, London: SPCK, p 15. Examples of the genre may be found in J. Charlesworth (ed.) (1983) OTP:1, 2. Of the works typically listed, the Ascension is essentially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[16,22],"class_list":["post-41","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religion","tag-apocalypse","tag-ascension"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stevewatson.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}