The end of the apocalyptic: a deconstruction of 'apocalyptic' as employed in studies of Jesus and first-century Judaism

Abstract

In this thesis I employ insights from deconstructive theory to analyse historical studies of Jesus and first-century Judaism. This is pursued through a deconstruction of the specific term 'apocalyptic'. On the one hand the term 'apocalyptic', sometimes explicitly but more often implicitly, has come to have a central role in studies of Jesus and Judaism. On the other, it has some significant and unresolved problems of meaning. Deconstructive insights into the nature and function of language will be used to unravel these problems against the breadth of the term's employment in first-century studies (including studies of Jesus, the Pharisees, and the Dead Sea Scrolls). The problems with how this term functions within all these areas, and the continued reliance of these areas on this term, will call into question many of the current historical methods, questions and conclusions.