Guide
Historical Apocalypses in Early Jewish Literature
6th Century BCE–7th Century CE
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By Carol Bakhos
Historical apocalypses feature a schematization of history leading up to a climactic end time, sometimes described as the “kingdom of God,” which takes the place of the human kingdoms that preceded it. Though formulated as predictions revealed to biblical characters, many parts of these apocalypses were written ex eventu, after the events that they describe.
Related Primary Sources
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Nebuchadnezzar Dreams of Four Great Empires
Daniel 2:31–45
“You were looking, O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of that…
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Daniel’s Dream of the Four Beasts and the Son of Man
Daniel 7:1–28
In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of…
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The Ten “Weeks” of History
1 Enoch 93:3–10; 91:11–17
Then Enoch took up his discourse and said: I was born the seventh of the First Week, while justice and righteousness still endured. And thereafter in the Second Week great wickedness shall…
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Israel’s Future and the Coming Kingdom
Testament of Moses 6:1–9; 10:1–10
Then powerful kings will rise over them, and they will be called priests of the Most High God. They will perform great impiety in the Holy…
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A Sacred Race of Pious Men
Sibylline Oracles 3.573–623
There will again be a sacred race of pious men
who attend to the counsels and intention of the Most High,
who fully honor the…