Joachim of Fiore, Apocalyptic Conversion, and the ‘Persecuting Society’

Abstract

In recent years, scholarship on the 12th‐century Christian apocalyptic thinker Joachim of Fiore has highlighted the place of the Jews in his scenarios for the end of the world. Responding in part to R. I. Moore’s 1987 work The Formation of a Persecuting Society, historians argue that Joachim’s vision of a harmonious Jewish apocalyptic conversion stood in contrast with rise of a persecuting mentality among the Christian ruling elite of medieval Europe, who increasingly sought to identify, marginalize, and sometimes violently oppress non‐Christian and non‐orthodox communities. These scholarly discussions of apocalyptic conversion have extended to include the Western Christian belief that not just the Jews, but also pagans, Muslims, and even non‐Western Christians would convert during the earthly Sabbath age that would precede the apocalypse. The resulting field of inquiry into medieval apocalyptic thought promises further insights into the ways that Christian scenarios for the ‘end of days’ might complicate narratives of religious persecution, violence, and conversion.

Antichrist as (Anti)Charisma: Reflections on Weber and the ‘Son of Perdition’

“…To some extent Boyer is correct, although such apocalyptic philo-Judaism in fact predates modernity. As pointed about by Robert Lerner [28], Anna Sapir Abulafia [29], E. Randolph Daniel [30] and others [31], certain medieval Christians starting with highly influential twelfth-century apocalyptic thinker Joachim of Fiore (1132-1202) placed a remarkable emphasis on the irenic conversion of the Jews at the end of time, suggesting that they would resume their place as God's Chosen People, perhaps even retaining some element of the distinct identity as Jews in the millennial kingdom ( [32], pp. 100-24).…”