HISTORICAL APOCALYPSES will be the first type of material to be examined here. In these traditions, as opposed to metahistorical apocalypses, there exist recognizable historical personalities, and. historical sequence of events that leaves reality at. particular point and moves into the realm of fantasy. This should not, however, be taken to mean that all of the events are historical, even in the section of the apocalypse that is clearly based on real events, or that there is. clear-cut difference between the two sections of the historical apocalypse. Frequently the apocalyptist makes use of allegory, or condenses material-suppressing items that do not fit into his scheme of history-in order to achieve. story line that is in harmony with his politicaltheological bent. By the same token, in the fantastic part of the apocalypse there is occasionally historical material entered by. later redactor. There is every indication that given the choice between accurately relaying historical information, and fitting it into an inaccurate pre-conceived scenario, the apoc.alyptist will choose the latter. This should give pause to those like Paul Alexander and Suliman Bashear, who have sought to utilize rare tidbits of history preserved in apocalyptic traditions. In certain cases, when the material gives information that is credible, but not of. nature frequently relayed in the mainstream historical texts, it could perhaps be used cautiously.

It is rather ironic, but in his method the apocalyptist achieves. result much closer to what we would now call “historical” writing, because of his concentration upon long-term processes and developments, than do many Muslim historians. This type of writing is considerably different from the strict chronological presentation preferred by so many of the Muslim historians, in which it is impossible to read. small selection in order to learn anything about the overall picture. While the text frequently suppresses material, there is. story line that always delivers the audience to. particular climax and does not leave them hanging. The Muslim apocalyptist, while his writing is heavily biased by his political-theological standpoint, is far better equipped to stand back and give an interpretation of the events to which he is. witness. From this point of view certain apocalypses deserve the historian's attention, though, of course, the apocalyptist's prejudices are apparent and cannot be ignored in the interpretation of the material.