This book brings together the perspectives of apocalypticism and early Jewish mysticism to illuminate aspects of New Testament theology. The first part begins with a consideration of the mystical character of apocalypticism and then uses the Book of Revelation and the development of views about the heavenly mediator figure of Enoch to explore the importance of apocalypticism in the Gospels and Acts, the Pauline Letters and finally the key theological themes in the later books of theNew Testament. The second and third parts explore the character of early Jewish mysticism by taking important themes in the early Jewish mystical texts such as the Temple and the Divine Body to demonstrate the relevance of this material to New Testament interpretation.”
Every book has its history, the poet said, and this also concerns its pre-history, certainly in the present case. The book was conceived more than a decade ago in conversation with the first undersigned, and along many ways—sometimes mysterious, true to the theme—it has grown and matured into the present publication. It is an occasion worth celebrating.
The importance of mysticism not only in early Judaism but also in nascent Christianity is still to gain the recognition it deserves in scholarship. Fierce debate is going on about the relevance of the sources, in particular the rabbinic ones, and the present volume takes position in this dispute. It is here concluded that Jewish mystical traditions played a crucial role in the life and thought of the protagonists of the New Testament, as also in the rise and development of the central ideology of Christianity, Christology. If correct, the consequences of this insight are manifold for theological and historical scholarship, as well as for Christian-Jewish relations. The present volume, which of course cannot pretend to be more than a contribution to the discussion, is an important step forward, and its authors are to be warmly congratulated.
Not only methodological barriers were to be overcome in preparing this volume, but also innumerable editorial and typographical problems. Many have made their contribution in resolving these difficulties, and insofar as they are not mentioned elsewhere in the book, we wish to express here our sincere gratitude to them.
The book also marks an editorial milestone in the history of our series. It is both the last volume to appear in the present editorial set-up, and the first one to be published at Brill Publishers. In due time, further publications are to unfold the positive implications of these developments, and we wish to thank both the CRINT Foundation and the Brill staff for their efforts to carry our project further under these fortunate new conditions.
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