The Pursuit of the Millennium by Norman Cohn
A tradition of prophecy was carried over from antiquity and revived during the Middle Ages. In accordance with this tradition, humanity would experience a millennium of suffering- and sin-free bliss on earth. This is the tale of those fanaticisms, which attests to their continued existence in the present day.
The Pursuit of the Millennium by Norman Cohn
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Nearing 50 years old, Cohn’s “Pursuit of the Millennium” has held up well and has earned its place as a classic. It deals with prophets from middle age Europe who convinced people that the end of the world was near and that they had been chosen by God to cleanse the world in preparation for the Kingdom of the Last Days, as well as pantheistic mystical anarchists who thought they could do no wrong because they had accessed their divine essences. Some may view its subject matter as esoteric. Even history enthusiasts rarely know these numbers in the majority of cases.
Thomas Müntzer, the commander of the insurrectionist peasants who perished in the Battle of Frankenhausen, and John of Leyden, the tailor who established a totalitarian kingdom of saints in Münster, are among the few who still pop up. A former priest or violent hermit who believes he is in the end times and has been chosen by God or a god to lead the righteous and good in a final, apocalyptic war against the Antichrist and his followers in order to usher in the millennium of the saints predicted by John the Divine before the end of the world is a bit repetitive for the revolutionary millenarians.
Finding some supporters, the hermit or defrocked priest is eventually able to seize control of a town or a fortress, which he transforms into a stronghold with the aid of the rootless rabble. Then he starts robbing the wealthy (nobles and clergy) and purging the undeserving. After a brutal battle, the knights are able to catch the prophet and his prominent followers, who are typically tortured before being burned alive or decapitated. Eventually, the powers that be get their act together and send forth an army of knights. It is strange that the kind of people that are drawn to this type of leader will continually rise up to follow them even if they are consistently defeated and humiliated.
Cohn’s work accurately and fully conveys the events. He demonstrates how some areas were more susceptible to the millenarian prophets than others. These multiplied throughout the Northwestern region of Europe. He also demonstrates how logical goals were often held by the impoverished, who used pressure to obtain certain rights in an effort to better their lot. Only a small percentage of people, typically uprooted individuals without a firmly established role, have experienced the allure of millenarian revolutions.
