Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come: The Ancient Roots of Apocalyptic Faith [Paperback]

Professor Norman Cohn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0300065515 | ISBN-13: 978-0300065510

The view that good will overcome evil and lead to a perfect world is held by many religions and races. The author seeks to investigate the origins of this belief through the world views of Egypt, Mesopotamia and India, through Iranian and Jewish prophets, to early Christian beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Cosmic order and human destiny provide the subjects for Cohn's (emeritus, Univ. of Sussex, England) most recent study. Students of his previous work, Pursuit of the Millennium (1970), will find in Cosmos the same rich tapestry encompassing history, archaeology, popular culture, mythology, and religion. With an eye to eschatology and apocalypticism, Cohn effectively leads us from the ancient Near East to the "new" thinking he locates in Zoroastrianism and its prophet, Zarathustra. He credits Zoroastrianism with providing the eschatological framework for Western thought. Cohn's depth and breadth of knowledge is marvelous, his enthusiasm for the subject infectious. Well documented and extremely readable, this is highly recommended for religion, history, and seminary collections.
- Sandra Collins, SLIS, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The ancient cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia perceived the world order to be a static and immutable stage on which the forces of good and evil battled incessantly. During the second millennium B.C., however, the Iranian prophet Zoroaster questioned this structure of the world order; he maintained that it was progressive rather than static and that humanity was moving toward a time that would be free from conflict. In his cogent, highly readable volume, Cohn traces these and other apocalyptic beliefs from their origins to the perfect future, in which the supreme god will defeat the forces of evil for the benefit of humanity, and he reveals how this new philosophy affected the belief systems of Judaism and early Christianity. Edward Lighthart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (October 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300065515
• ISBN-13: 978-0300065510
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,592,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars introductory, brief, excellent, March 9, 2005

By 

Wyote (Seoul) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This is an elementary introduction to ancient religion, focusing on the issues in the title: cosmos, chaos, and the world to come. It considers ancient Egyptian religion, Mesopotamian religion, Vedic religion, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and very early Christianity--all extremely briefly, focusing only on the issue of the cosmic struggle against chaos, and the development of the apocalyptic worldview. If you are only slightly aware of what all that could mean, this book will entertain you greatly. I am well aware of all of them, and I learned little beyond details from this book, and yet I enjoyed reading it very much.

However, if you want depth on any of these topics, there are other books for you. For Zoroastrianism, begin with Mary Boyce. For early Christianity, begin with E. P. Sanders and move on to Ehrman. For ancient Mediterranean religion, begin with "Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide." And consider "The Other God."

Cohn's argument that Zoroastrianism had a huge influence on ancient Judaism and Christianity, is in my opinion unquestionable, and yet neither emphasized nor even recognized in academic circles, nor widely known among the general public. Somehow it is perceived as embarrassing to Judaism, and yet I think that is ridiculous: after all, the influence on modern Judaism is minute, and who does Zoroastrianism threaten? Jesus, Paul, Hillel and the author(s) of Daniel were still Jews, even if influenced by Zoroastrianism. In fact, in my opinion, they are far more interesting! Similarly, isn't Christianity more interesting precisely because it assimilated so much "pagan" influence? So I hope this book is read widely and its argument more popularly acknowledged.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, September 23, 2003

By 

William Alexander "Bill Alexander" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This is a brief but fascinating journey through the history of ancient apocalyptic faith. Cohn takes us to the very roots of civilization, explaining how the traditional cycles of life coincided with religious belief. The cycles of death and rebirth, day and night, summer and winter, mixed in with occasional droughts, floods, and enemy invasion mirrored religious belief in an ordered cosmos that was originally formed by the gods out of a pre-existent chaos. Cosmos wasn't absolutely secure however; chaos was always a threat to the daily ordered life of each civilization, so the benevolent gods continuously fought the "chaos monsters" that constantly threatened the ordered world. Complex pantheons and creation myths arose out of these beliefs and sacrifices and gifts were brought to the gods to give them strength and worship in their enduring battle of protection of the people against chaos.

Cohn takes us to the earliest religious beliefs of Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Vedic Indians, and the Zoroastrians describing their beliefs, interconnectedness, innovations, and future implications. He safely credits Zoroaster for the innovation of the first apocalyptic faith, the belief in a consummation of the never ending fight against chaos wherein the supreme god, Ahura Mazda would one day finally and forever defeat the gods of chaos; an age of prosperity, order, and goodness would then be ushered in.

Cohn then proceeds to Judaism and the specific experiences of the Israelites, particularly related to the Babylonian exile, when elite Jews discovered the compelling apocalyptic of Zoroastrianism and adapted it to their own faith in Yahweh. Christians co-opted and greatly expanded these beliefs with a firm conviction of a coming apocalypse and an elaborate cosmic battle myth at the end of the age.

Cohn doesn't waste words; there is a lot of information in these 240 pages, each sentence is filled with fascinating facts. I found his writing style slightly unconventional and it was difficult for me to absorb at times, I am re-reading several sections. I also wish Cohn would have addressed Islam and completed the apocalyptic story of the Middle Eastern religious faiths.

A very good read.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book! Well researched and well communicated, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come: The Ancient Roots of Apocalyptic Faith (Paperback)

This is not only a wonderful description of the rise of the belief in impending apocalypse but also a well written explanation of the rise of Judeo-Christian-Islamic monotheism. It is absolutely brilliant! A must read for anyone wondering where monotheism and apocalyptic thinking came from.