Hailed as the best scholarship in its field, this survey traces apocalypticism"s role in Western history from its origins to the close of the third millennium. Continuum congratulates Stephen J. Stein on being the recipient of the 1999 Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award Praise for the Encyclopedia: "This splendid collection of essays explores religiously inspired conceptions of the end of history ... Addressing critical aspects of Western apocalypticism, the authors identify and define their topics carefully, develop independent interpretations, and supply excellent supporting annotated bibliographies. This superb encyclopedia represents the best current scholarship ... it richly deserves wide distribution." - Choice "An indispensable resource for anyone interested in studying the origin, development, and continuing impact of apocalyptic thought and writings in Judaism, Christianity and Islam." - America "This multi-volume set, a masterfully conceived work covering the vast historical literature of apocalypticism, will ... utterly delight the serious scholar ... Those truly interested in a comprehensive exposition of apocalypticism will find treasures in this great work." - Library Journal "Edited by first-rate scholars ... this work is certain to dominate the field for decades. It is rich, learned, fascinating and unsettling." - Arnold Jacob Wolr, author of Apocalyptic for the Millennium>