The Great Year : Astrology, Millenarianism, and History in the Western Tradition

Description

This is an account of astrological influence on historical theories, and especially on theories of historical cycles and millenarianism from the Middle East to Europe, and from Mesopotamia to the Renaissance, with a final chapter on the legacy of these ideas in more recent times. For many hundreds of years astrology was not a fringe science, but mainstream, and its influence has been enormous. Contents:Pt. I. The Ancient World. 1. The Language Of The Gods: Time And Society In Ancient Mesopotamia. 2. The Loss Of Innocence: Life And Death In The Golden Age. 3. Space, Time And Politics: History As Mathematics In Mesopotamia. 4. The End Of Days: Israel And The Apocalypse. 5. The Kingdom Of The Sun: Cosmology And Number In Hebrew Society. 6. The Eternal Return: Time And Cosmic Order In Ancient Greece. 7. The Great Order: History And Number In Ancient Greece. 8. Squaring The Circle: The Four Seasons Of History. 9. The Imperial Sun: The Cosmic State In Greece And Rome. 10. Heaven On Earth: Christianity And The Millennium. 11. The End Of Times: The Age Of The Messiah Pt. Ii. The Medieval And Modern Worlds. 12. The Longing For Liberation: History As Ritual In Medieval Europe. 13. The Great Renewal: Renaissance And Reformation. 14. The Apocalypse Of Reason: The Astronomical Revolution. 15. The Workers' Paradise: The Last Empire. 16. The Myth Of Progress And The Universal State: Time, Politics And Ritual In The Modern World -- App. 1 Forty As The Number Of Purification -- App. 2 Hebrew Jubilees And The Regulation Of History By Seven -- App. 3 Rome As The Fifth Monarchy -- App. 4 The Beginning Of The Great Year -- App. 5 The Egyptian Sar -- App. 6 The Political Sky. Nicholas Campion. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [527]-666) And Index.