Abstract

DELUMEAU, Jean. HISTORY OF MILLENNIALISM IN THE WEST. hist.crit. [online]. 2002, n.23, pp.7-20. ISSN 0121-1617.

In this study I embark on a journey through Western Millennialism in which it is necessary to determine, first of all, the meaning of the term "millennialism". In this case, it is not a question of awaiting the occurrence of catastrophes that are supposed to mark the year one thousand or two thousand. Instead, the term, which has been taken in both the strict and symbolic sense, refers to the hope of a thousand years of earthly happiness. This research has taken me from the prophecies of the Old Testament to the New Age and has led me to reconstruct bridges that have historically linked millennialism to utopias and to the ideology of progress.

Keywords : millennialism; utopia; earthly happiness; prophecies; paradise.

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