A Prophecy of Empire: The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius from Late Antique Mesopotamia to the Global Medieval Imagination (1) (Christianity in Late Antiquity)

By: Christopher J. Bonura

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Synopsis: The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius was one of the medieval world’s most popular and widely translated texts. Composed in Syriac in Mesopotamia in the seventh century, this supposed revelation presented a new, salvific role for the Roman Empire, whose last emperor, it prophesied, would help bring about the end of the ages. In this first book-length study of Pseudo-Methodius, Christopher J. Bonura uncovers the under-appreciated Syriac origins of this apocalyptic tract, revealing it as a remarkable response to political realities faced by Christians living under a new Islamic regime. Tracing the spread of Pseudo-Methodius from the early medieval Mediterranean to its dissemination via the printing presses of early modern Europe, Bonura then demonstrates how different cultures used this new vision of empire’s role in the end times to reconfigure their own realities. The book also features a new, complete, and annotated English translation of the Syriac text of Pseudo-Methodius.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 372 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9780520418264
Related ISBNs:: 9780520418257
Publisher:: University of California Press
Date of Addition:: 11/04/25
Copyrighted By:: Christopher Bonura
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Religion and Spirituality, Language Arts
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.