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A Prophecy of Empire
The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius from Late Antique Mesopotamia to the Global Medieval Imagination
Series: Christianity in Late Antiquity
Brief Description
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...
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A Prophecy of Empire
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Description
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 the 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.
Series: Christianity in Late Antiquity
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A Prophecy of Empire
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....Hardback$29200Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780520418257
Publisher: University of California Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 04 November 2025
Country: United States
Imprint: University of California Press
Illustration: 11 b-w figures, 2 maps, 2 tables
Audience: Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 372
About the Author
Christopher J. Bonura is Assistant Professor of History at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland.
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