Ernst Käsemann and the Specter of Apocalyptic

Ernst Käsemann famously claimed that “apocalyptic was the mother of all Christian theology.” This claim is more than a merely historical remark about the origins of Christian theology. Käsemann’s work pointedly raises the question, What theological difference does it make to reclaim apocalyptic, not only as the historical-theological seedbed in which Christian theology was born, but also as the “mother” to which Christian theology today must return? I contend that Käsemann’s retrieval of apocalyptic provides an important corrective—or, more strongly put, a disruption—of what one might call the “ecclesial turn” in contemporary Protestant theology. In this article, the contemporary relevance of Käsemann’s distinctive theological voice is highlighted. I propose that the time is ripe for a Christian theology “with an apocalyptic sting.”