After an initial overview of things apocalyptic, Collins proceeds to deal with individual apocalyptic texts -- the early Enoch literature, the book of Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and others -- concluding with an examination of apocalypticism in early Christianity. Collins has updated this third edition throughout to account for the recent profusion of studies germane to ancient Jewish apocalypticism, and he has also substantially revised and updated the bibliography.

This book provides a helpful, relevant, comprehensive survey of the apocalyptic literary genre. After an initial overview of things apocalyptic, the author proceeds to deal with individual apocalyptic texts--the early Enoch literature, the book of Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and others--concluding with an examination of apocalypticism in early Christianity.

Apocalyptic literature evokes an imaginative world that is set in deliberate counterpoint to the experiential world of the present. Apocalypticism thrives especially in times of crisis, and it functions by offering a resolution of the relevant crisis, not in practical terms but in terms of imagination and faith. The Apocalyptic Imagination by John Collins is one of the most widely praised studies of Jewish apocalyptic literature ever written. And this second edition of Collins's study represents a complete updating and rewriting of the original work. Especially noteworthy is the chapter on the Dead Sea Scrolls, which now takes into account all of the recently published texts. Other chapters discuss apocalypse as a literary genre, explore the phenomenon and function of apocalypticism in the ancient world, study a wide range of individual apocalyptic texts, and examine the apocalyptic character of early Christianity.

One of the most widely praised studies of Jewish apocalyptic literature ever written, The Apocalyptic Imagination by John J. Collins has served for over thirty years as a helpful, relevant, comprehensive survey of the apocalyptic literary genre. After an initial overview of things apocalyptic, Collins proceeds to deal with individual apocalyptic texts -- the early Enoch literature, the book of Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and others -- concluding with an examination of apocalypticism in early Christianity. Collins has updated this third edition throughout to account for the recent profusion of studies germane to ancient Jewish apocalypticism, and he has also substantially revised and updated the bibliography.

One of the most widely praised studies of Jewish apocalyptic literature ever written, The Apocalyptic Imagination by John J. Collins has served for over thirty years as a helpful, relevant, comprehensive survey of the apocalyptic literary genre.Collins begins by surveying the history of apocalyptic studies, then proceeds to deal with individual apocalyptic texts -- the early Enochic literature, the book of Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and others -- and concludes with an examination of apocalypticism in early Christianity. In this third edition Collins has updated information throughout to account for the profusion of studies germane to ancient Jewish apocalypticism since the second edition (1998), including the three-volume Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism and the now fully published Dead Sea Scrolls. The bibliography has also been substantially revised and updated. The Apocalyptic Imagination in this third edition will continue to serve students and scholars of Jewish apocalypticism for many years to come."The book provides important information about an important yet little known corpus of material. It is a valuable resource." -- The Bible Today