us as
a community and the lot of the righteous man as an individual. Old
Testament prophecy had addressed itself to both these problems, though
it was hardly conscious of the claims of the latter. It concerned itself
essentially with the present, and with the future only as growing
organically out of the present. It taught the absolute need of personal
and national righteousness, and foretold the ultimate blessedness of the
righteous nation on the present earth. But its views were not systematic
and comprehensive in regard to the nations in general, while as regards
the individual it held that God's service here was its own and adequate
reward, and saw no need of postulating another world to set right the
evils of this. But later, with the growing claims of the individual and
the acknowledgment of these in the religious and intellectual life, both
problems, and especially the latter, pressed themselves irresistibly on
the notice of religious thinkers, and made it impossible for any
conception of the divine rule and righteousness to gain acceptance,
which did not render adequate satisfaction to the claims of both
problems. To render such satisfaction was the task undertaken by
apocalyptic, as well as to vindicate the righteousness of God alike in
respect of the individual and of the nation. To justify their contention
they sketched in outline the history of the world and mankind, the
origin of evil and its course, and the final consummation of all things.
Thus they presented in fact a theodicy, a rudimentary philosophy of
religion. The righteous as a nation should yet possess the earth, even
in this world the faithful community should attain its rights in an
eternal Messianic kingdom on earth, or else in temporary blessedness
here and eternal blessedness hereafter. So far as regards the righteous
community. It was, however, in regard to the destiny of the individual
that apocalyptic rendered its chief service. Though the individual might
perish amid the disorders of this world, he would not fail, apocalyptic
taught, to attain through resurrection the recompense that was his due
in the Messianic kingdom or in heaven itself. Apocalyptic thus forms the
indispensable preparation for the religion of the New Testament.

iii. _Form of Apocalyptic._--The form of apocalyptic is a literary form;
for we cannot suppose that the writers experienced the voluminous and
detailed visions we find in their books. On the other hand the reali