The Apocalyptic Apocrypha are a group of early Jewish and Christian writings that reveal visions about the end of the world and the coming of God’s kingdom. These works are called apocalyptic because the word apocalypse means “disclosure” or “revelation.” It was generally used for Jewish and Christian writings that resemble the New Testament Revelation of John, which calls itself an apocalypse in Revelation 1:1.
Like the authors of other types of apocryphal writings, the authors of Jewish and Christian apocalypses commonly wrote under the name of a famous biblical person. They attributed Jewish apocalypses to important Old Testament characters like Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, or Ezra. Similarly, Christian apocalypses from the second century AD and later presented themselves as written by important New Testament characters like Peter, Thomas, or James. The Revelation of John is a notable exception to this practice.
From the late Old Testament period to New Testament times, some Jewish groups developed an apocalyptic view of history. They produced writings such as 1 Enoch (which has five parts), the Assumption of Moses, 2 Esdras, and the Apocalypse of Baruch. These books are important for New Testament study because they make important connections between Old Testament and New Testament ideas about the kingdom of God.
Purpose and Setting
Apocalypses were written in response to historical situations that raised questions of theodicy (the justice of God). After the time of the priest and scribe Ezra, the law became more important in the life of the Jewish people than before. In earlier prophetic times, Israel often turned away from the law and worshiped the gods of foreign nations. The prophets urged Israel to turn back to God and to follow the law. After the time of Ezra and during the New Testament period, Israel followed the law more faithfully than ever. The Jews rejected the worship of false gods and were dedicated to worshipping only God. Yet his kingdom did not come. Instead, the Jews experienced severe persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the Maccabean period, under the worldly rule of the Hasmoneans, and under Pompey and the Roman occupation.
In AD 66–70, Rome attacked Jerusalem and destroyed it. It was natural for the faithful to wonder where God was while these things were happening, and also to wonder why God did not save his faithful followers. They wondered why God's kingdom did not come. Apocalypses were written to provide answers to these questions.
Two Ages in History
A main idea in apocalyptic teaching is that history has two separate periods or “ages.” The first is "this present age," which is filled with trouble and suffering. The second is "the age to come," when God will rule and make all things right. Old Testament prophets often compared what was happening in their time with a future when God's kingdom would be established. Apocalyptic writers made this contrast even stronger. This way of speaking of different ages appears twice in 1 Enoch, although it is not fully stated. It appears fully in 2 Esdras and in the Apocalypse of Baruch, which were both written around the end of the first century AD.
So, 2 Esdras 7:50 states that "the Most High has made not one age but two" and 2 Esdras 7:113 that "the day of judgment shall be the end of this age and the beginning of the immortal age that is to come." 2 Esdras 8:1 also reads: "this age the Most High has made for many but the age to come for few" (see also Apocalypse of Baruch 14:13; 15:7; Pirke Aboth 4:1, 21–22; 6:4–7).
According to these apocalyptic writers, the shift from this age or era to the next can only happen through a powerful intervention of God that will transform the created order. In the apocryphal Assumption of Moses, there is no Messiah (no chosen savior figure). It is God himself who comes to rescue Israel. In the Similitudes of Enoch, the change between the two ages happens through the coming of a heavenly Son of Man who existed before creation. In 2 Esdras, the Old Testament Messiah from the family line of David is combined with the Son of Man mentioned in the book of Daniel.
These apocalyptic beliefs differ from Old Testament beliefs proclaimed by the canonical prophets. Indeed, apocalyptic writers did not consider that there was much hope for change in the present age. However, they did have hope for the future. Their main message is that God will eventually intervene and save his people. According to these apocalyptic writers, for now, as long as this age continues, God has ceased to intervene in the history of Israel. Evil angels and forces of demons control the present age, making it evil beyond hope. God has left this age to evil, and only in the future age will God bring salvation. So, writers of this kind of apocalyptic literature did not see the relationship between present history and the end of time that can be observed in the writings of the Old Testament prophets. Non-canonical apocalyptic writers no longer expected God to intervene in this era. For them, God had become the God of the future as opposed to the God of the present.
In the dream-visions of Enoch (1 Enoch 83–90), God guided Israel throughout its history. Then God withdrew his leadership, abandoned the temple, and let other peoples harm his people. God "remained unmoved, though he saw it, and rejoiced that they were devoured and swallowed and robbed, and left them to be devoured in the hand of all the beasts" (1 Enoch 89:58). After the Babylonian captivity of Israel, a number of Jews believed God was no longer working in history. They viewed the present world as given over to evil, and all hope of salvation was reserved for a future age.
Broader Influence of Apocalyptic Writings
Many other apocryphal works are apocalyptic in nature. These works are supplemented by other types of apocryphal writings, such as the Apostolic Constitutions and Canons. In addition, Gnostic compositions found at Nag Hammadi include works claiming to represent the teachings of Christ as well as “secret” instructions compiled by Gnostic writers and a few other apocryphal compositions.
Scholars who compare different writings have found that the New Testament apocryphal books often keep only weak or distorted traditions about Jesus and the teachings of early Christianity. Some of these stories have little or no historical value and include ideas very different from the spirituality of the New Testament. Even when they seem to agree with traditions known in parts of the early church, their evidence is usually less trustworthy than what is found in other sources. A few of these writings are so minor that it is hard to understand why they were preserved at all. Others were lost long ago and survive only as quotations in later books.
Despite this, New Testament apocryphal writings are important because they show what appealed to ordinary people at the time. They seemed to need imaginary stories in addition to accepted spiritual truths. Some stories were vivid and creative, while others, like the apocalypses, offered an escape from the harsh realities of life. Regardless of their nature, New Testament apocryphal writings had a significant influence that went beyond their real value.
See also Apocrypha.