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Profile photo of Jayne Svenungsson

Jayne Svenungsson

Researcher

Profile photo of Jayne Svenungsson

Millenarianism

Author

  • Jayne Svenungsson

Editor

  • Brendan N. Wolfe

Summary, in English

Millenarianism has been the subject of vast historical scholarship and debate, where emphasis is often placed on its political, social and cultural manifestations. Drawing onthis research, this article focuses on the theological understandings of millenarianism throughout Christian history. After a brief discussion of the scriptural origins of the idea of a thousand-year reign, an overview will be given of the most significant theological turning points in the history of millenarianism. In the third section, the twentieth-century discussion of the relationship between millenarianism and modern-day political utopianism will be addressed, and finally, in the fourth section, a summary will be given of more recent engagement with millenarian motifs in various forms of political theology.

Department/s

  • Studies in Faith and World Views
  • Christianity and Nationalism
  • Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
  • MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World

Publishing year

2022-11-17

Language

English

Publication/Series

St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

St. Andrews: St Mary's College

Topic

  • Religious Studies

Keywords

  • millenarianism
  • apocalypticism
  • utopianism
  • political theology
  • liberation theology
  • premillenarianism

Status

Published

Research group

  • Christianity and Nationalism

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2753-3492