Apocalypse: Definitions and Related Terms

by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.


Preliminary Description of "Apocalypse":


Scholarly Definition of "Apocalypse"

(from the SBL's "Apocalypse Group"; published in J. J. Collins, Semeia 14 [1979] 9):

" 'Apocalypse' is a genre of revelatory literature with a narrative framework,
in which a revelation is mediated  by an otherworldly being  to a human recipient,
disclosing a transcendent reality which is
            both temporal, insofar as it envisages eschatological salvation,
            and spatial insofar as it involves another, supernatural world."
Addition to the Definition, incorporating the purpose of the genre, from the suggestions of Hellholm (1982) & Aune (1986):
".intended to interpret the present, earthly circumstances in light of the supernatural world and of the future,
and to influence both the understanding and the behavior of the audience by means of divine authority."

Subdivisions or Types of Apocalypses:


Related Terminology:

Cautions:

Electronic New Testament Educational Resources

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