The Pursuit of the Millennium
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Book Description
'Great learning and an admirably lively style-Professor Cohn's work throws a flood of light into unexplored corners-A most stimulating book.' Christopher Hill
Product Description
The Middle Ages inherited from Antiquity a tradition of prophesy and gave it fresh and exuberant life. This tradition foretold a Millennium in which humanity would enjoy a new Paradise on earth, free of suffering and sin - a Kingdom of the Saints. Generation after generation was intermittently seized by a tense expectation of some sudden, miraculous event in which the world would be utterly transformed. Often these expectations became enmeshed with social unrest, and when that happened movements arose which sent tremors through the massive structure of medieval society. Drawing on a huge variety of contemporary sources, this unique and compelling book tells the story of those Millenarian fanaticisms of the Middle Ages and points to their persistence in the modern world.'Important and original-haunting and significant.' Times Literary Supplement'Full of rich, fascinating scholarship-What a field he covers.' Hugh Trevor-Roper'It is a piece of great originality and power-It deserves study and emulation.' Isaiah Berlin (20030909)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have a special place in my heart for books which combine the utmost intellectual rigour in their research and method, with the most off the wall subject matter imaginable. Perhaps it is the contrast between form and content, perhaps it is the breadth and depth of the conclusions reached by the microscopic examination of insanity.
Whatever the reason, Pursuit of the Millenium is brilliant example of the kind. I suppose you can tell that a book has reached a certain stature when it is referenced in later classics, and that the book must be especially wonderful of its kind if it attains this status despite pertaining largely to the arcane matter of medieval religious sectarianism. If this is true, then the reference to Cohn's opus in On Chesil Beech by Ian McEwan (in which principle male character is reading the book) is some sort of validation - especially given McEwan's predilection for using his novels to drop unsubtle hints about the sort of activities he considers culturally worthwhile.
The book is a succession of remarkable stories, interlaced with the development of the ideas which informed each instance of revolutionary eschatology. Similar motifs and patterns crop up again and again with such surprising reguality over periods of centuries that it is hard not to think that the commonalities must point to some sort of underlying human or structural bias. What it is though, is hard to say. Because it deals with revolutionary movements in the dark ages, it is also a fascinating comparative text for anyone interested in the revolutionary and social movements of the recent past - though Cohn does arguably lay that on a little thick at times.
No real prior knowledge of the subject is necessary to read the book, though I personally needed to make occasional recourse to Wikipedia to remind me of what some theological terms mean.
This, in case you haven't noticed, is a glowing review. Read this book!
Whatever the reason, Pursuit of the Millenium is brilliant example of the kind. I suppose you can tell that a book has reached a certain stature when it is referenced in later classics, and that the book must be especially wonderful of its kind if it attains this status despite pertaining largely to the arcane matter of medieval religious sectarianism. If this is true, then the reference to Cohn's opus in On Chesil Beech by Ian McEwan (in which principle male character is reading the book) is some sort of validation - especially given McEwan's predilection for using his novels to drop unsubtle hints about the sort of activities he considers culturally worthwhile.
The book is a succession of remarkable stories, interlaced with the development of the ideas which informed each instance of revolutionary eschatology. Similar motifs and patterns crop up again and again with such surprising reguality over periods of centuries that it is hard not to think that the commonalities must point to some sort of underlying human or structural bias. What it is though, is hard to say. Because it deals with revolutionary movements in the dark ages, it is also a fascinating comparative text for anyone interested in the revolutionary and social movements of the recent past - though Cohn does arguably lay that on a little thick at times.
No real prior knowledge of the subject is necessary to read the book, though I personally needed to make occasional recourse to Wikipedia to remind me of what some theological terms mean.
This, in case you haven't noticed, is a glowing review. Read this book!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Many would not expect a book on medieval religion to be 'unputdownable', but this really is a riveting read. Professor Cohn introduces us to a lost world of heretics and heroes, and the revolutions and massacres they inspired. Chillingly the crazed theologies he describes are far from dead; some have mutated into secular versions like Nazism and Communism, some appear to have been rediscovered by modern religious extremists; David Koresh would not be out of place in this book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is all to rare to find a book so rich in detail and scholarship which is an readable as a first-rate novel. In this book Professor Cohn treated us to a glimpse of period and a habit of thought so distant and alien to our own and manages to make it not only coherent but comprehensible.
The breadth of detail, the enormous number of sources referenced and the humanity with which he delves into the thoughts and concerns of these long-dead men and women of faith all combine to make one of the best books I have ever read.
As soon as I had finished it, I went out and bought every other book by the writer I could find.
The breadth of detail, the enormous number of sources referenced and the humanity with which he delves into the thoughts and concerns of these long-dead men and women of faith all combine to make one of the best books I have ever read.
As soon as I had finished it, I went out and bought every other book by the writer I could find.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent Book
Highly recommended for people wanting to delve into the intricacies of the heresy movements of medieval northern Europe. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Nizar F. Fatayri
The Pursuit of the Millennium: Revolutionary Millenarians and Mystical...
Quite frankly one of the best books I have ever read. Engagingly written, fantastically researched and absolutely bonkers. A must read.
Published on 5 Feb 2010 by ANONYMOUS
A mirror of our times
"The pursuit of the Millennium" tells the story of a number of sectarian movements between the 13th and 16th century in Northwest Europe that have been inspired, organised and... Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2009 by Basileus
A truly seminal work
This was one of the most helpful books I have ever read. I had the misfortune to be reared, in part, as a Jehovah's Witness. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2009 by Rowland Nelken
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