Apocalypse of Elijah
The Grotesque and Monstrosity in the Egyptian-Christian Apocalyptic Imagination
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24220/2447-6803v50a2025e15427Keywords:
Apocalypse of Elijah, Egypt, Apocalyptic imagination, Monstrosity, GrotesqueAbstract
This article investigates the presence of the grotesque and monstrosity in the Apocalypse of Elijah, a Christian apocalyptic text preserved in Coptic manuscripts dated to the Late Period. The aim is to understand how the aesthetics of the monstrous are mobilized in the text not merely as narrative elements, but as structural components in the representation of final judgment and the transition toward a new eschatological order. The methodology employed involves bibliographic research and both textual and manuscript analysis, based on the surviving fragments housed in the Berlin Museum and the available critical editions. The locus of the research lies within the field of interdisciplinary literary studies, particularly those focused on Christian apocalyptic literature and cultural studies of monstrosity. The findings suggest that the Apocalypse of Elijah deploys grotesque and monstrous imagery to represent the symbolic collapse of normative structures of the old world and to herald the advent of a new cosmic order. The monstrous appears as a liminal figure, capable of mediating judgment and transformation, serving as a key for interpreting the narrative and symbolic strategies of the text.
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