Blacksburg, Va. -- Groups throughout history have believed the end of the world was at hand, and some of them felt they had to resort to violence -- against others or themselves -- to bring it about. There have been Jonestown and Heaven's Gate in recent history and groups such as Masada and Mount Tabor in the distant past. In his book, "Longing for the End: A History of Millennialism in Western Civilization," Frederic J. Baumgartner looks at millennialism in view of such violence and its effect on Western Civilization.
Many sects and cults, such as the ancient Essenes and the present Concerned Christians, have believed that the end of the world was near and a new age just around the corner. Some of them "have burned out in an orgy of violence to become a permanent part of Western history," according to the jacket notes of Baumgartner's book. But millennialism has also "been part of the motivation behind the Crusades, Columbus's voyages, Marxism, and the Third Reich."
In his book, Baumgartner shows why the coming of a new millennium brings out such powerful beliefs. "In this timely book, Baumgartner makes a complicated topic not only intelligible but also interesting to a broad reading audience," wrote Monsignor Robert Trisco, professor of Church History at the Catholic University of America and editor of Catholic Historical Review. "Through two millennia of millennialism, apocalypticism, chiliasm and messianism he traces a line of succession in which he finds a place even for contemporary cults."
Paul Boyer, author of "When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture," said "Longing for the End" is a lucid and readable survey of the many varieties and permutations of millennialism in Western thought. At every stage, Baumgartner roots his discussion in the social realities of the time. This admirably accessible overview provides a useful historical context for ideas that remain pervasive and potent today."
Baumgartner is a professor of history at Virginia Tech. He is the author of six other books, including "Radical Reactionaries: The Political Thought of the French Catholic League," "Louis XII, France in the Sixteenth Century," and "From Spear to Flintlock: A History of War in Europe to the French Revolution." He has participated in numerous scholarly conferences and published in many scholarly journals. His topics have ranged from "The Final Demise of the Medieval Knight in France" to "Sunspots or Sun's Planets: Jean Tarde and the Sunspot Controversy of the Early Seventeenth Century" to "The Origins of the Provençal School of Astronomy." He also has written articles for The Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of the Reformation, and the Encyclopedia of the Renaissance.
Baumgartner is a member of several historical groups, including the Society for French Historical Studies, the Southern Historical Association, and the American Catholic Historical Association. He has reviewed manuscripts for several publishers. Baumgartner's current projects include a study of the role of astrology in the scientific revolution.
'Longing for the End' was published by St. Martin's Press and is available through bookstores.
News release written by Sally Harris, 540-231-6759