Toward the Millennium: Messianic Expectations from the Bible to Waco (Studies in the History of Religions) [Hardcover]

Peter Schafer (Editor), Mark R. Cohen (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9004110372 | ISBN-13: 978-9004110373 | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

This collection of 16 articles represents a selection of the papers delivered in the course of a seminar (1995-1996) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and its concluding joint symposium held at the Institute and Princeton University. Wide-ranging in scope, the volume covers messianic expectations from biblical times up to modern and contemporaneous adaptations including: diversity and variety of messianic expectations in antiquity; messianic movements at the time of the Crusades and around the fifth millennium (1240); the "Pseudo-Messiah" Sabbatai Avi in the early modern period; the philosopher Hermann Cohens' messianism; as well as the Lubavitch movement. Also included are investigations on pagan Graeco-Roman writings and messianic strands in the medieval and baroque Christian context. The section on the modern period contains contributions dealing with the Ahmaddiyya movement in India, messianic currents in the socio-political culture of the Weimar Republic as well as certain messianic aspects in the very recent so-called Branch Davidian community in Waco, Texas. The broad spectrum of analysis provides a re-evaluation of an apparently timeless phenomenon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'..".a panoramic sampling of the many messianic configurations and constellationsengaging threads and themes.'
Stephen L. Cook, "Review of Biblical Literature, 2000.
'..".we must be grateful to the editors for putting together an excellent and fascinating collection of essays.'
John J. Collins, "The Journal of Religion, 2001.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 446 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004110372
• ISBN-13: 978-9004110373
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,390,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)