Abstract:

In a time that many consider “apocalyptic”, it is in place to reconsider the effects, dangers, and original intentions of “apocalypticism”. This is in particular needed, as the scholarly view on apocalypticism have changed considerably in the last decades, in particular due to the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other early Jewish texts. Drawing on a selection of early examples of Jewish Apocalypticism, the Book of Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36), the Book of Daniel, and 4 Ezra, Jörg Frey shows how apocalyptic imaginations were conceptualized and effective as a form of crisis management in various periods of the history of ancient Judaism. Then, he turns to the New Testament book of Revelation which has been most efficient in shaping apocalypticism in Christianity, with the question how far this book was also intended and effective as crisis management or whether it was rather intended to impose a crisis on its recipients, they had not been aware of before. In the end, there will be some considerations on the use and abuse of apocalypticism in church and society.

Short bio:

Jörg Frey, born 1962, Dr. theol. (1996, Tübingen) habil (1998, Tübingen), Dr. theol. h.c. (2024, Uppsala), was Professor of New Testament at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (1998-99), and Ordinarius for New Testament and Early Judaism at Ludwig Maximilians Universität Munich (1999-2010). Since 2010, he is Professor of New Testament Studies with special focus on Ancient Judaism and Hermeneutics at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Zurich (Switzerland). In addition, he is Research Associate at the Department of Biblical Studies of the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein (South Africa), and currently (2025/26) a senior fellow at the Centre of Excellence Beyond Canon at the University of Regensburg.

Jörg Frey is editor and co-editor of various monograph series and journals, including Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (Mohr Siebeck), Biblisch-theologische Studien (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht), and the journal Early Christianity (Mohr Siebeck). His main research includes the Johannine Literature (Gospel and Revelation), the Apostle Paul, the Catholic Epistles, Early Judaism (Qumran, Apocalypticism) and Christian Apocrypha.

Recent publications include:
The Glory of the Crucified One. Christology and Theology in the Gospel of John (Waco, Tx.; BUP, 2018);
The Letter of Jude and the Second Letter of Peter (Waco, Tx; BUP, 2018);
Theology and History in the Fourth Gospel: Tradition and Narration (Waco, Tx.;  BUP, 2018);
Qumran, Early Judaism, and New Testament Interpretation (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019);
Qumran and Christian Origins (Waco, Tx.: BUP, 2022)
Vom Ende zum Anfang: Studien zum Johannesevangelium (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2022).

Just now, a publication in Romanian (translated by Prof. Cosmin Pricop) has appeared, an introduction to the Gospel of John: English title: Invitation to John (Bucharest, 2025).