The term apocalypticism, broadly defined, commonly refers to “an apocalyptic doctrine or belief, esp. one based on an expectation of the imminent end of the present world order” (Oxford English Dictionary). The original term, apocalypse, deriving from the Greek apokalypsis, has a more specific definition, meaning “revelation,” specifically referring to the events described in the Book of Revelation. The term apocalypse as it is used in contemporary discussions of culture has a wide variety of definitions; John J. Collins uses it to classify a genre of literature possessing certain characteristics. The term is also used to describe the cataclysmic events of the end of time. More recently, its theological use has been extended to refer more generally to disasters of global proportions (see “apocalypse” in ...