Apocalyptic Inversions
Ante Jeroncic (Religion)
Book Project: Apocalyptic Inversions
This research grant application concerns a proposed book project that will explore the metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and aesthetic significance of the idea of “apocalyptic consciousness.” My aim is to unfold and develop this pivotal marker of Adventist identity and creatively appropriate it for the purpose of cultural criticism, ethical deliberation, and spiritual transformation. One of the significant aspects of this project lies in its attempt to reconcile three impulses embedded in the idea of Christian apocalyptic—the prophetic, the tragic, and the sacramental (or incarnational)—for the purpose of articulating an integrated theology of existence. The methodological lens of this work will rest on a close reading and comparative analysis of a variety of primary texts in the fields of philosophy, theology, and literary studies (see sample bibliography). The book itself will consist of three different parts—“Optics,” “Peripatetics,” and “Semiotics”—mirroring the tripartite character (i.e. the “three impulses”) of apocalyptic consciousness. My goal is to complete part I of the book by the end of the Spring semester of 2015 with the aid of the teaching release time I hope to receive as a part of this grant application.