Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents:

pt. 1 What is apocalyptic

Knowledge of the divine mysteries through revelation

Apocalyptic and eschatology

Apocalypse and apocalyptic

pt. 2 The content of the heavenly mysteries

What is above: the mysteries of God, the angels, and astronomy

What is below: man and his world

What had happened previously: the interest in past history of apocalyptic

pt. 3 Towards an understanding of the origins of apocalyptic and the dates of the apocalypses

A Survey of recent study on the origins of apocalyptic

An attempt to elucidate the origins of apocalyptic visions

Dating the apocalypses

pt. 4 The esoteric tradition in early rabbinic Judaism

The Meditation of Rabban Johanan Ben Zakkai and his circle on the Chariot-chapter

The problems posed by the esoteric tradition in the Time of Rabbi Akiba

pt. 5 Apocalyptic in early Christianity

Reports of visions in early Christian literature to AD 200

Revelation