The End of Time: Constructions of Time in Apocalyptic Imagination

A thematic exploration of different concepts of time is a significant yet overlooked aspect of apocalyptic literature. The purpose of this collection of essays is to demonstrate the varied ways in which time is portrayed in Rabbinic and Christian texts pertaining to the end of the world. The essays in this volume, which are based on the proceedings of a workshop held in May 2021 at the Einstein Center Chronoi in Berlin, provide individual studies centered on lesser-known texts such as the rabbinic Midrash on the Song of Songs, the apocryphal apocalypses of Thomas and of John the Theologian, as well as political-historical apocalyptic texts composed as a reaction to the emergence of Islam. Furthermore, the volume provides systematic overviews on theological responses to political eschatology and the history of research on apocalyptic time. Scholars and students of the history of religions will discover valuable insights in this volume, shedding light on a crucial feature of apocalyptic imagination.