Apocalypticism

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 the Oxford English Dictionary). Though the term apocalypse originally described texts, movements, or doctrines (or all three) associated with the Christian tradition, the term is now used to describe a wide variety of phenomena pertaining to the imminent arrival of the end of the world—and the notion of a utopian existence correlated with this end—across religious traditions and in more “secular” contexts. This entry describes the key features of apocalypticism as a phenomenon of religion, and its manifestations in religious movements, and concludes with a description of some of apocalypticism's recent cultural manifestations.

Scholars in the history of religions and biblical studies have attempted to delineate key features of apocalypticism. Generally, these scholars have noted the presence of some or all of the following characteristics:

• 1.
  The first is a dualistic, or polar view, of the world—a view of the world in which only good and evil exist.
• 2.
  A unity of history is constructed based on key mythic elements of the past, hidden until the present moment, when there is an uncovering of the significance of these past events in relation to the present. This uncovering may occur through a messianic figure, but does not have to.
• 3.
  The emphasis is on the importance of the present moment. This moment is often constructed as the culmination of all of history. It is during this time that history's secrets can finally be disclosed to the true believers.
• 4.
  The unique qualities of this present moment correlate to the end of time being near or here already, inaugurating a new existence of humanity in which evil and suffering are already or will be forever expunged from existence.
• 5.
  Finally, as Mircea Eliade has noted, this end of time frequently mirrors the beginning of time, a time when evil is all but absent from the world.

We can trace many of these themes operating together in the genesis of several religious traditions: early Christianity, Mormonism, Islam, and the Baha'i religion, to name just a few examples. In the Islamic case, for instance, the earliest revelations (apokalypsis) to Muhammad disclosed a new conception of time pointing to the potentially imminent Day of Judgment. This yawm al-din was accompanied by detailed depictions of an afterworld: the garden where those favored by the divine would dwell and the fire for those not so fortunate. As Michael Sells and others have observed, in these early revelations, belief in the idea of individual judgment became synonymous with belief in the [Page 49]new religion itself. Indeed, the introduction of the Qur'an's revised moral code is fused to the results of the final judgment. Sura 107, for instance, makes clear that those who uphold the qualities enshrined by the new Islamic message—such as feeding the hungry, taking care of orphans, and performing the prayer—were to inhabit the garden; those who did not uphold these new precepts would find themselves in the fire. Apocalypticism often features prominently in the birth of new religious movements and religious renewals for a number of reasons. A new revelation offers a revised vision of both the meaning of the present existence and the afterlife. This vision is, in turn, “proven” by an uncovering of the significance of past events; these past events are structured to point to this present moment in time. Through this disclosure occurring at this unique moment in history, the apex of sacredness becomes reoriented: It now revolves around the people who uphold the precepts of this new revelation.

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