ABSTRACT
The juxtaposition of subjects in this chapter may seem strange to some, especially those taught a particular view of prophecy. As noted below and argued in detail elsewhere, I believe that many OT scholars operate with an artificial view of prophecy-even now. Many believe, for example, that prophecy “came to an end” in the post-exilic period, yet this is not what many Jewish texts indicate. The matter is complex, of course, but in the Second Temple context it becomes clear that prophecy, apocalypticism, and what might be called the “esoteric arts” (magic, divination, astrology, and the like) were all paths to a common goal: determining the future and finding a direct route to God’s mind. This chapter brings together a number of these subjects, but because of its varied contents, there is no separate survey of sources. The main prophetic and apocalyptic writings of relevance to Second Temple religion are listed and discussed in the Chapters 2-6.
