Description
A fresh and daring take on ancient apocalyptic books. The year 167 b.c.e. marked the beginning of a period of intense persecution for the people of Judea, as Seleucid emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted -- forcibly and brutally -- to eradicate traditional Jewish religious practices. In Apocalypse against Empire Anathea Portier-Young reconstructs the historical events and key players in this traumatic episode in Jewish history and provides a sophisticated treatment of resistance in early Judaism. Building on a solid contextual foundation, Portier-Young argues that the first Jewish apocalypses emerged as a literature of resistance to Hellenistic imperial rule. She makes a sturdy case for this argument by examining three extant apocalypses, giving careful attention to the interplay between social theory, history, textual studies, and theological analysis. In particular, Portier-Young contends, the book of Daniel, the Apocalypse of Weeks, and the Book of Dreams were written to supply an oppressed people with a potent antidote to the destructive propaganda of the empire -- renewing their faith in the God of the covenant and answering state terror with radical visions of hope..
Author: Anathea E. Portier-Young
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: 01/01/2014
Pages: 462
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.54lbs
Size: 9.29h x 6.36w x 1.03d
ISBN13: 9780802870834
ISBN10: 080287083X
BISAC Categories:
- Religion | Judaism | History
- Religion | Judaism | Theology
- Religion | Biblical Criticism & Interpretation | General
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