Historians tend to turn data into stories. For those of us who study the ancient data typically categorized as early Judaism and early Christianity, few stories captivate as much as Jewish particularism and the tale of the “turncoat” general Josephus. The story of Jewish particularism during the first century often assumes an inevitable cul…[Read more]

This chapter examines apocalyptic literature within the framework of “early Jewish mysticism” and compares early Jewish and Christian apocalyptic writings with rabbinic and Hekhalot materials. It begins by focusing on apocalyptic literature and the discourse of “mysticism” in religious studies before turning to continuity and rupture in the Jew…[Read more]