Medieval Apocalypticism: The Meaning of History at the End of Days

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Special Session

Organizer Name

Anna Lankina, Christopher Bonura

Organizer Affiliation

Univ. of Florida, Univ. of California-Berkeley

Presider Name

Danielle Reid

Presider Affiliation

Univ. of Florida

Paper Title 1

World without End: Apocalypticism in the Church History of Philostorgius

Presenter 1 Name

Anna Lankina

Paper Title 2

Apocalypse Nowish: Rethinking Christian Apocalyptic Discourse in Late Roman Gaul

Presenter 2 Name

Madeleine St. Marie

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Claremont Graduate Univ.

Paper Title 3

An Apocalypse for all Christians: The Appeal of the Pseudo-Methodius’ Concept of History in the Near East, Byzantium, and the Latin West

Presenter 3 Name

Christopher Bonura

Paper Title 4

The Coming of Christ or Antichrist? Bernard of Clairvaux on the Consequences of the Second Crusade

Presenter 4 Name

James Kroemer

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Marquette Univ./Concordia Univ. Wisconsin

Start Date

11-5-2014 10:30 AM

Session Location

Schneider 1340

Description

Medieval texts are filled with apocalyptic images and narratives, though they may not always be explicitly eschatological works. Behind these tropes of the end of the world lie concepts of history and divine providence that informed and evolved from the earliest Christian writers to the dawning of modern ideas of history. Although it may appear that the apocalypse is dealing with one concrete moment in time, it is really dealing with time itself. While in the past scholars have focused on the theological aspects of these texts or else mined them for evidence of actual people and events, more recently historians have argued that apocalypses reflect contemporary concepts of history. This session will contribute to this growing body of scholarship by examining the meaning of history in both traditional apocalypses and in other texts employing apocalyptic themes.

Anna Lankina

Christopher Bonura