Imagining the End: Visions of Apocalypse from the Ancient Middle East to Modern America

Packed into all major monotheistic religions is a powerful theological punch: apocalypse. This provocative volume explores how apocalyptic visions have expressed themselves in different ways in Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam. The contributors also consider how Millennialism has expressed itself in a historical context, and why has it has so powerfully excited the human imagination. The essays demonstrate that the apocalyptic legacy of all four traditions has shaped major currents in human history from the rise of new religions to political revolution.