Apocalypse Then: Prophecy and the Making of the Modern World

Product Description

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.

Product Details

* Hardcover: 368 pages

* Publisher: Praeger Publishers (March 30, 2008)

* Language: English

* ISBN-10: 0275985083

* ISBN-13: 978-0275985080

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