Apocalypse: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Line 18:

==Characteristics==

[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio019v7AngelsWith7TrumpetsAnd1WithCenser.JPG|thumb|upright=0.6|The [[Seven trumpets]].]]

Apocalyptic revelations are typically mediated through such means as dreams and visions (the ancient world did not distinguish between these), angels, and heavenly journeys.{{sfn|Najman|2014|p=37}} These serve to connect two sets of axes, the spatial axis which has God and the heavenly realm above and the human world below, and the temporal axis of the present and the future.{{sfn|Najman|2014|p=37}} The revelation thus demonstrates that God rules the visible world, and that the present days are leading to an end-time in which divine justice will be done and God's rule will become visible.{{sfn|Najman|2014|p=37}} Mythic images with their roots in texts from the [[Hebrew Bible]] and rich in symbolic meaning are a significant characteristic of the genre.{{sfn|Reynolds|2011|p=45-46}} Further characteristics include [[Transcendence (religion)|transcendentalism]], mythology, pessimistic cosmological and historical surveys, dualism (including a doctrine of two ages and the division of time into periods), [[Biblical numerology|numerology]] (e.g., the "[[number of the beast]]" in Revelation), claims of ecstasy and inspiration, and esotericism.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=12}}

With the exception of the [[Apocalypse of John]] the authors of apocalyptic works released their books under pseudonyms (false names):{{sfn|Linton|2006|p=35}} the Book of Daniel, for example, was composed during the 2nd century BCE but took the name of the legendary Daniel for its hero.{{sfn|Redditt|2008|p=180}} Pseudonymity may have been used to secure acceptance for the new works, to protect the real authors from reprisals, or because the authors had experienced what they believed to be genuine revelations from the famous past figure or identified with him and claimed to write on his behalf.{{sfn|Aune|1983|p=109}}