The Pursuit of the Millennium: Revolutionary Millenarians and Mystical Anarchists of the Middle Ages

Contents......Page 4 Foreword......Page 10 Introduction: The scope of this book......Page 14 Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic......Page 18 The apocalyptic tradition in medieval Europe......Page 28 The ideal of the apostolic life......Page 36 Some early messiahs......Page 40 The impact of rapid social change......Page 52 The poor in the first crusades......Page 60 Saviours in the Last Days......Page 70 The demonic hosts......Page 73 Phantasy, anxiety and social myth......Page 83 The Pseudo-Baldwin and the 'Master of Hungary'......Page 88 The last crusades of the poor......Page 97 Joachite prophecy and Frederick II......Page 107 The resurrection of Frederick......Page 112 Manifestos for a future Frederick......Page 117 The genesis of the flagellant movement......Page 126 Revolutionary flagellants......Page 135 The secret flagellants of Thuringia......Page 141 The heresy of the Free Spirit......Page 147 The Amaurians......Page 151 The sociology of the Free Spirit......Page 155 The spread of the movement......Page 170 The way to self-deification......Page 179 The doctrine of mystical anarchism......Page 183 In the thought of Antiquity......Page 194 In patristic and medieval thought......Page 198 Marginalia to the English Peasants' Revolt......Page 205 The Taborite Apocalypse......Page 212 Anarcho-communism in Bohemia......Page 221 The Drummer of Niklashausen......Page 230 Thomas Müntzer......Page 241 Anabaptism and social unrest......Page 259 Münster as the New Jerusalem......Page 268 The messianic reign of John of Leyden......Page 278 Conclusion......Page 288 Appendix. The 'Free Spirit' in Cromwell's England: the Ranters and their literature......Page 294 Notes......Page 340 Bibliography......Page 379 B......Page 408 C......Page 409 E......Page 411 G......Page 412 J......Page 413 M......Page 414 P......Page 416 S......Page 417 T......Page 418 Z......Page 419 Contents 4 Foreword 10 Introduction: The scope of this book 14 1 The Tradition of Apocalyptic Prophecy 18 Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic 18 The apocalyptic tradition in medieval Europe 28 2 The Tradition of Religious Dissent 36 The ideal of the apostolic life 36 Some early messiahs 40 3 The Messianism of the Disoriented Poor 52 The impact of rapid social change 52 The poor in the first crusades 60 4 The Saints Against the Hosts of Antichrist 70 Saviours in the Last Days 70 The demonic hosts 73 Phantasy, anxiety and social myth 83 5 In the Backwash of the Crusades 88 The Pseudo-Baldwin and the 'Master of Hungary' 88 The last crusades of the poor 97 6 The Emperor Frederick as Messiah 107 Joachite prophecy and Frederick II 107 The resurrection of Frederick 112 Manifestos for a future Frederick 117 7 An Elite of Self-immolating Redeemers 126 The genesis of the flagellant movement 126 Revolutionary flagellants 135 The secret flagellants of Thuringia 141 8 An Elite of Amoral Supermen (i) 147 The heresy of the Free Spirit 147 The Amaurians 151 The sociology of the Free Spirit 155 9 An Elite of Amoral Supermen (ii) 170 The spread of the movement 170 The way to self-deification 179 The doctrine of mystical anarchism 183 10 The Egalitarian State of Nature 194 In the thought of Antiquity 194 In patristic and medieval thought 198 11 The Egalitarian Millennium (i) 205 Marginalia to the English Peasants' Revolt 205 The Taborite Apocalypse 212 Anarcho-communism in Bohemia 221 12 The Egalitarian Millennium (ii) 230 The Drummer of Niklashausen 230 Thomas Müntzer 241 13 The Egalitarian Millennium (iii) 259 Anabaptism and social unrest 259 Münster as the New Jerusalem 268 The messianic reign of John of Leyden 278 Conclusion 288 Appendix. The 'Free Spirit' in Cromwell's England: the Ranters and their literature 294 Notes 340 Bibliography 379 Index 408 A 408 B 408 C 409 D 411 E 411 F 412 G 412 H 413 I 413 J 413 K 414 L 414 M 414 N 416 O 416 P 416 Q 417 R 417 S 417 T 418 U 419 V 419 W 419 Z 419