for the lurkers
The History of Apocalyptic Movements
by nvrgnbk 12 Replies latest jw friends
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Leolaia
Hey, that's not a bad paper....better than I thought it was going to be. Good starting place for a newbie to the subject, in spite of a few errors and omissions.
One important thing it doesn't mention is that apocalyptic as a genre wasn't just about eschatology -- it was also concerned with revelations of other unseen realms, such as heaven. 1 Enoch was as much concerned with the future as it was with the secrets of heaven and how the sun, moon, and stars move in their courses. Revelation shows an interest in the heavenly temple as it was revealed to the seer, and even Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 discusses a vision of heaven as among the apokalupseis "revelations" of the Lord.
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Forscher
I did a research paper in college on the subject in general and the Miller movement in particular.
One commonality in all apocalyptic movements with the sole exception of Miller is that they are generally short lived. They tend to arise in times of cultural stress and then they are either stamped put by authorities, or they fall apart when the expected salvation event does not happen. Millerism (and some might say the cargo cults of the South pacific as well, though I am a bit hesitant to include them) not only did not fall apart, the Second Adventists are heirs to Millerism, but even spun off new groups including the Seventh Day Adventists and the Russelites, who themselves further spun off the Jehovah's Witnesses. All four groups are still alive and well to this day. Miller did well in a way.
I personally proposed that the nature of the new American Republic, with its unique freedom of religion and antipathy for the old religious traditions which dominated the older nations through oppression of competitors, were key factors in the survival and expansion of Millerist thinking. But I also attributed the rise of Millerism and its solid foundation to one of the first really sophisticated advertisement campaigns in modern history. Again, the unique American culture, which determined one's social standing on commercial success, rather than aristocratic birth, made that possible for the first time as well.
My history professor thought I was on to something.
Forscher