People existed before me and they were much smarter.

I was reading the section on apocalyptic in DJG and A new wave of dumb swept over me. The article kept repeatedly referring to apocalyptic literature that existed from the time. I knew that there was the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha but it came over me just how crazy it is the movement of numerous theological ideologies were circulating within the culture. A great deal more literature could have existed that didn't survive the wear of time. I struggle because I’ve always thought that ancient writings that weren’t considered to be the word of God were worthless, but that’s crazy because that’s like saying Robert Frost’s poetry meant nothing. There is a wealth of knowledge that can be learned from those texts about the culture of the day from doctrinal stances to heresies. I think trying to wrap my head around this fact will take me a while. Just the simple idea that a culture existed and that ideas were shared, I feel ignorant truly in neglecting how complex the society of the late B. C.’s early A. D.’s.