Cosmos, Chaos, & the World to Come – The Ancient Roots of Apocalyptic Faith - Hardcover

Cohn, Norman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300055986 ISBN 13: 9780300055986

Publisher: Yale University Press, 1993

Synopsis

This is a study of the origins of the idea of "the world to come". Cohn takes the reader back 2000 years to look at the beliefs of ancient religions and civilizations and their view of the future of man. The millennarian view that the world is moving towards an ideal and perfect future is fundamental to most societies today, but it has not always been so. Cohn shows how the Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Indo-Iranians and pre-exilic Israelites, among others, believed in a static world in which a divinely pre-ordained order existed, despite the threats of evil, destructive forces like drought, famine or plague. Around 1500 BC, Zoroaster broke with this secure but anxious world-view, arguing that man was moving, through incessant conflict, towards an absolute, safe and divinely-appointed order. That view has dominated religious vision every since, as well as idealist ideologies such as Marxism-Leninism, and remains fundamental to man's philosophy. Cohn's book is therefore an investigation into probably the greatest turning-point in the history of human consciousness.

About this title

Review:

"A cool draught of wise and intelligent scholarship." -- J.D.F. Jones, Financial Times

"Anyone concerned with the history of apocalypticism and millennial cults, whether ancient, medieval, or modern, should read this book carefully." -- E. Randolph Daniel, Church History

"Learned, fascinating and readable ... Norman Cohn combines scrupulous scholarship with readability in a unique way ... This book will become a classic." -- Anthony Storr, Independent on Sunday

"This is an exciting as well as a learned book, not only for those students of ancient religion but for those with any interest in modern apocalyptic faith." -- Jasper Griffin, New York Review of Books

About the Author:

Norman Cohn is professor emeritus at the University of Sussex and author of Noah's Flood: The Genesis Story in Western Thought, also published by Yale University Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0300055986
• ISBN 13: 9780300055986
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 282