The Apocalyptic Complex

Perspectives, Histories, Persistence
Erscheinungsjahr 2018
ISBN: 978-615-5225-26-0
Verlag: Central European University Press

Buch, Englisch, 432 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 773 g

The attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, followed by similarly dreadful acts of terror, prompted a new interest in the field of the apocalyptic. There is a steady output of literature on the subject (also referred to as “the End Times.) This book analyzes this continuously published literature and opens up a new perspective on these views of the apocalypse. The thirteen essays in this volume focus on the dimensions, consequences and transformations of Apocalypticism. The authors explore the everyday relevance of the apocalyptic in contemporary society, culture, and politics, side by side with the various histories of apocalyptic ideas and movements. In particular, they seek to better understand the ways in which perceptions of the apocalypse diverge in the American, European, and Arab worlds. Leading experts in the field re-evaluate some of the traditional views on the apocalypse in light of recent political and cultural events, and, go beyond empirical facts to reconsider the potential of the apocalyptic. This last point is the focal point of the book.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Al-Bagdadi, Nadia

Marno, David

Riedl, Matthias

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction: The Resilience of the Apocalyptic

Part I: Perspectives
The Varieties of Millennial Experience
Richard Landes
Apocalyptic Violence
Klaus Vondung
The Psychology of Apocalypticism
Charles B. Strozier and Katharine Boyd

Part II: The Middle Ages
The Chained Messiah: The Taming of the Apocalyptic Complex in Jewish Mystical Eschatology
Moshe Idel
God’s Chronography and Dissipative Time
Aziz Al-Azmeh
Christendom, Crusade, and the End of Days: The Dream of World Conversion (1099–1274)
Brett Edward Whalen
From the Last Emperor to the Sleeping Emperor
Petre Guran

Part III: Transformations
Radical Hopes: Apocalyptic Longing in Nineteenth Century Philosophy
Michael Allen Gillespie
Political Religions, Apocalypticism, and the End of History: Some Considerations
Marina Cattaruzza
Eve’s Last Dream
David Marno

Part IV: Persistence
Ukrainian Millennialism: A Historical Overview
Lilya Berezhnaya
“His Dark Materials.” The Early Apocalypticism of Enoch Recycled in Modern and Postmodern Times
György E. Szönyi
Abu Musa‘b Al-Suri and Abu Musa‘b Al-Zarqawi: The Apocalyptic Theorist and the Apocalyptic Practitioner
David Cook

Appendices
László-Attila Hubbes
Appendix I: Elements of Online Apocalypticism
Appendix II: Select Bibliography for the Study of Apocalypticism
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Al-Bagdadi, Nadia
Nadia Al-Bagdadi is Professor of History at Central European University, Budapest, founding director of the Center for Religious Studies and since 2015 Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies, CEU.

Marno, David
David Marno is assistant professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley.

Riedl, Matthias
Matthias Riedl is associate professor and the head of the history department at Central European University.