History of the Apocalypse

History of the Apocalypse 

Lecture for English 1102--Georgia State Univ.

Text quoted and paraphrased from PBS Frontline Apocalypse! Series Chronology of the End

1500 BCE

Origins of the apocalypse traced to Persian prophet Zoroaster 

• Themes: "coming of a savior, an imminent 'putting things to right,' dualism, individualism, resurrection, determinism, and Millenialism" 

592-586 BCE

• Book of Ezekiel written following exile of Jews by Nebuchadnezzar
• Tells of the return of the Jews to homeland & defeat of enemies
• God says exile resulted from "lack of faith and trespassing against Him"

Book of Isaiah (485 BCE)

• early book of prophetic tradition
• "Cosmic symbolism and introduction of the resurrection of the dead"

First Enoch (250 BCE)

• Books written during Greek rule over Jewish people
• Motifs of apocalyptic myths start appearing here 
• "Book of Watchers": 1st judgment of the dead

The Book of Daniel (167 BCE)

• Written following Jewish Maccabean revolt "against persecution by the Syro-Greek dynasty of the Seleucids"
• Revolutionary eschatology

Roman Rule (63 BCE)

• Judea becomes outpost of Roman Empire
• Rome--evil kingdom until reign of Constantine I

Jesus of Nazareth

• Born in 3 BCE
• Executed by Roman officials
• use of apocalyptic framework to predict return

Essene Sect

• mid-to-late 1st century
• looked forward to judgment & apocalypse
• Dead Sea Scrolls--"War Scroll" recasts history of Israel 

Book of Revelation (90 CE)

• primary source for future apocalyptic prophecy believers
• scholars doubt authorship 

Four Horsemen of Apocalype--Viktor Vasnetsov (1887)

Book of Revelation

The Fall of Rome (410)

• Conquered by Visigoths
• Lacked previous apocalypticism

St. Augustine's The City of God (426)

• Millenium as allegory 

Death of Muhammad (632)

• Muslims flee to Medina, return to take Mecca
• Muslim armies conquer much of Middle East, North Africa, and spain  

End of 1st Christian Millenium (999/1000)

• Pope Sylvester at Basilica

Schism (1054)

• Splitting of Christianity 
• Weaponizing of apocalyptic rhetoric

The First Crusade (1096)

Siege of Jerusalem (1099)

• Difficulty holding onto crusader states
• slaughter of Muslims 

The Third Crusade (1190)

• Richard the Lionhearted meets Joachim Fiore in Messina 

1260

Apocalypse NOW!(?)

The Black Death (1348)

1492

• Expulsion of Muslims
• Inquisition
• Columbus' path to the Last Days

Part 2--to be continued...?