Longing for the End : A History of Millennialism in Western Civilization

Jonestown, Waco, and Heaven's Gate resonate in the contemporary mind in the same way that Masada or Mount Tabor resonated in the minds of others long past. The members of these movements believed that the end of the world was at hand and that they had to act through violence or suicide to ensure its occurrence. Frederic Baumgartner explores the long, often violent, history of millennialism as it has affected Western civilization. From ancient Zoroastrians to Concerned Christians of 1998, a belief in the imminent end of the world and the coming of the new age has motivated hundreds of sects and cults, some of which have burned out in an orgy of violence to become a permanent part of Western history. "Frederic J. Baumgartner explores the long, often violent, history of millennialism as it has affected Western Civilization. From the ancient Zoroastrians to the Concerned Christians of 1998, a belief in the imminent end of the present world and the coming of the new age has motivated hundreds of sects and cults, some of which have burned out in an orgy of violence to become a permanent part of Western history. Not confined to cults, millennialism has also been part of the motivation behind the Crusades, Columbus's voyages, Marxism, and the Third Reich. In this work, Baumgartner shows why the turn of the millennium occupies such a powerful place in the Western imagination."--BOOK JACKET. Cover Contents Preface Glossary of Terms A C D E H M O P R S I. Introduction II. The Jesus Cult III. Millennialism in Early Christianity IV. The First Millennium V. The Age of the Spirit: The High Middle Ages VI. The Reformation Era: Don't Let Your Sword Get Cold! VII. The Puritan Revolution: The Sickle of Divine Justice VIII. Millennialism in the New World IX. The Millennium of Pure Reason X. The Burned-Over District XI. From Civil War to World War XII. War and Rumors of War XIII. Antichrist Has the Bomb! XIV. From Jonestown to Waco XV. Beyond the Millennium Notes Principal Sources Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z