Book Notes

Divine Disclosure: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic

D. S. Russell (Fortress, 1992)

Students of apocalyptic literature, the genre in which hidden matters are said to be revealed, will remember D. S. Russell’s widely used The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic (1964). He now presents a general introduction to the subject that avoids technical details. Russell admits that the renewed interest in apocalyptic study is due to the contemporary ring of some of the problems addressed. He criticizes bestselling author Hal Lindsey, who, like many others, removes the biblical apocalyptic material from its historical settings and employs it “as a wire to pick the lock of the future.” Russell traces apocalyptic literature from its roots through Daniel, Jubilees and other texts. He then turns to thematic topics, such as revelation, divine secrets disclosed in the texts, eschatology (the end of the world), dualisms, messianism—subjects treated in more detail in The Method and Message. In his final chapter, Russell explores the ways in which Christianity used and changed Jewish apocalyptic, for example, by focusing on Jesus. Although Divine Disclosure is dated in some areas, such as messianism, it is an admirably clear and concise introduction to the subject from an openly Christian perspective.

After Jesus: The Triumph of Christianity

ed. Gayla Visalli (Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest, 1992) 352 pp., $30