John J. Collins, Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls. New York: Routledge, 1997. Pp. xv + 187. Reviewed by Aaron Nielson for R. Kraft's RelSt 225 course at UPenn (Spring 1999) <0.1> The primary purpose of this book is to list and explain the apocalyptic and eschatological writings found among the Dead Sea Scrolls; John Collins also attempts to illustrate how those writings influenced the beliefs and practices of those at Qumran. Thus, the focus of this book is on the revelations pertaining to the end times and the role those at Qumran felt they would play in the end times. He also tries to explain how the apocalyptic ideas of the time period recorded in the Dead Sea Scroll writings influenced Judaism at that time and early Christianity. <0.2> John Collins is a Professor of Hebrew Bible and Post-Biblical Judaism at the University of Chicago and is recognized as a leading authority in the field of eschatological writings. He has written several other books on topics similar to those he addresses in this work, and his extensive knowledge on the matters is evident throughout the book. <1.1> Chapter one, "What is Apocalypticism?" is the most important chapter in the work in that it frames the rest of the discussion in the book. However, the direct link in this chapter to the Dead Sea Scrolls is not made until the very end; this is confusing for someone looking to find information on the Qumran community instead of general background information on the topic. <1.2> The second chapter of the book, "Daniel, Enoch, and Related Literature" gives a very detailed analysis of the Book of Daniel (and pseudo-Danielic writings) and the Enoch traditions (including the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees). Collins also discusses the theory that such writings led to or played a role in the formation of the Dead Sea sect; more information about this aspect of his book would have been helpful at this point, but what he did provide was interesting. <1.3> The third chapter of the book, "Creation and Origin of Evil" is perhaps the most intriguing part of the entire work. He begins by discussing the various theories on the creation of evil such as the Watchers story and the Adam and Eve story and explains both of these traditions in regard to the scrolls. It becomes more interesting, however, when he begins to talk about dualism. He references, in particular, the Community Rule; he writes about predestination and the spirits of truth and wickedness found in this scroll. He also makes an interesting, though not sufficiently explained, comparison of these traditions with the teaching of Zoroaster, the founder of the ancient Persian religion; the Zoroastrian influence does not appear as clear to the reader as Collins obviously believes it to be. <1.4> The fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters, "The Periods of History and the Expectation of the End", "Messianic Expectation", and "The Eschatological War" respectively, all deal with various factors about the end of the world according to those in the Qumran community. The explanation of the two different Messiahs is very well done with good documentation; it is very useful for someone trying to understand this complicated part of the Qumran belief system. The chapter on the final war also is well written. It is mainly an analysis of the War Scroll with special attention paid to the duality of the situation. Another interesting observation is the relationship between the militancy of the War Scroll and the relative pacifism of the Community Rule; the people were to be passive until the final times. <1.5> The seventh chapter, "Resurrection and Eternal Life" and the eighth chapter, "The Heavenly World" are both explanations of what the Qumran people believed according to the texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls; they do not deal with a final war directly. Collins states that those at Qumran had to believe in some sort of reward and punishment after death because of the existence of the rule books; this is a logical conclusion but the texts he uses to support it are rather weak. The chapter on the Heavenly World is informative, but rather muddled in its composition; interesting information is presented, but the order of the presentation could be better. <1.6> Chapter 9, "The Apocalypticism of the Scrolls in Context" is the concluding chapter of the book. This section summarizes much of what has been covered in the book and discusses apocalypticism in terms of ancient Judaism and early Christianity; those topics would best be handled if they had more coverage and did not feel forced into the book. However, there are many interesting points and insights to be found in this chapter, despite the need for more explanation. <2.1> Collins explains many complicated issues concerning the apocalyptic and eschatological notions of the Qumran community extremely well. The vast background he provides for issues such as the Watchers and duality helps make these difficult topics easier to understand. The book is an excellent source for individuals looking for information about specific points in Qumran beliefs. Another positive factor of the book is the excellent citations and acknowledgement of other theories; it is possible to confirm most of his statements by referring to other sources. <3.1> The major drawback of the book is some issues are not given the background that they need. The aspects that receive the full explanation are very strong, but those that do not are very unsatisfying. To explain fully all the topics the work discusses would require a much larger book. A final complaint with the book is its structure; it is difficult to read the book as a book. The index is a good tool for finding information, but it is not easy to simply read the book as a logical progression of ideas. <00.1> In conclusion, the book is very informative about apocalyptic issues and background. It also is very effective in applying that information to the Qumran community. If looking for background or textual examples of apocalypticism in the Dead Sea sect, this work can be helpful. //end//