Ancient Apocalypses and Their Context

Programme

Emerging between the third and second centuries BCE, ancient apocalypses are sometimes considered as the “child of prophecy.” Focused on revelations, otherworldly realities and eschatology, though never disconnected from historical and earthly circumstances, these writings constitute both a corpus of their own and a bridge between the Hebrew Bible, the literature of Second Temple Judaism and the early Christian writings. The research unit “Ancient Apocalypses and Their Contexts” aims to create a place at EABS dedicated to the (re-) discovery of ancient apocalypses and to foster scholarly discussion on these texts that arouse fascination and yet are sometimes neglected. The corpus to be explored is the literary production that belongs to the so-called “apocalyptic literary genre” as defined by John and Adela Yarbro Collins (see Semeia 14 [1979] and 36 [1986]), also taking into account updates in current research (e.g., Collin McAllistair [ed.] 2020). The research unit offers two distinct kinds of sessions each year. First, a classic format with papers of 20-25 minutes followed by a short time of discussion. For these sessions, the approach is by topic, with a specific theme proposed each year: spatiality and temporality in apocalypses in 2024; positive and negative figures in apocalypses in 2025; seers and mediatory figures in apocalypses in 2026. Second, sessions entitled “Discovering more Apocalypses,” a new format consisting of introductions to and guided readings into little-known ancient apocalypses.

Keywords:

Chairs

Luc Bulundwe

University of Regensburg

Chen Dandelot
University of Geneva

 Daniel Maier

Sofia 2024 Call for Papers

In the 2024 thematic sessions of our unit, we welcome papers that explore how ancient apocalypses refer to time and space. We wish to pay particular attention to the various ways in which apocalypses organize time and space, as well as the extent to which this does or does not correspond to that of their respective historical settings. Do the texts studied show, for instance, a reaction to the way time was conceived and organized when they were written? Do they build on contemporary ideas related to well-known “realms of memory” (P. Nora) or, conversely, do they reshape their meaning or even try to invest other places and objects with particular importance? And what about the temporal and spatial conceptions of a so-called Otherworld? Papers may address issues related to temporality and/or spatiality in several ancient apocalypses or focus on a specific text, using either literary approaches or examining how these text(s) interact with their respective contexts of production (e.g., social, political, religious). A focus on the socio-historical significance of time and space (such as in identity construction, memory and cosmology) and their related methodological issues is also welcome.