Apocalypse Then : Prophecy and the Making of the Modern World

Arthur H Williamson

ISBN 10: 0275985083 / ISBN 13: 9780275985080

Published by Praeger, Westport, Conn. and London, 2008

About this Item

An excellent copy in great condition. Dust jacket is fully intact, only lightly rubbed at edges. Previous owner's name-card on front free endpaper. All pages clean, crisp and fresh. Publisher's note: Why is the Apocalypse - so alien to most people today - so pivotal to the creation of our culture and to what we are? Williamson explores this question, offering an introduction to why many of Europe and America's most creative minds believed that they were living in the latter days of the world between 1500 and 1800. Size: 23.4 x 15.6 x 1.9 cm. x, 354 pp. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: History; End of the world; Prophecies; History -- Prophecies; Prophecies; History -- Prophecies; ISBN: 0275985083. ISBN/EAN: 9780275985080. Add. Inventory No: 250306WGY0666919.

Seller Inventory # 250306WGY0666919

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Apocalypse Then : Prophecy and the Making of the Modern World
• Publisher: Praeger, Westport, Conn. and London
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0275985083
• ISBN 13: 9780275985080
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • History

About this title

Synopsis

While few intellectuals today accept the notion that the world is literally about to end through a prophesied supernatural act, between 1500 and 1800 many of Europe's and America's most creative minds did believe it. Perhaps most surprisingly, apocalyptic expectations played a central role during this period in creating secular culture―arguably the signal achievement of the post-medieval West. The topic is much with us still, as many on the religious right look to the end of days, a goal that seems closer than ever.

Apocalyptic ideas and expectations shaped the world in profound and enduring ways. In the Early Modern era, a deeply religious set of ideas proved instrumental in enabling people to see their world through prisms other than that of religion. The apocalypse underwrote the Reformation in the 16th century, the English Revolution in the 17th century, and the American Revolution in the 18th century. This book explores such themes through an examination of a range of major figures and events from the period. Why was the apocalypse―so alien to us today―so pivotal to the creation of our culture and to what we are? Only by seeing its central and often creative role historically within western civilizations can we meaningfully assess its significance to the current world. Only by grasping apocalypse then, can we truly understand apocalypse now.

About the Author

ARTHUR WILLIAMSON is Professor of History at Cal State Sacramento and is the author of six books including The Expulsion of the Jews, The British Union, and Shaping the Stuart World.