The Dual Interpretations of the Millennial Kingdom in Early Modern Christian Apocalypticism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17820162 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yixiao Sun (0009-0005-2272-9067, Nankai University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 50-50 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-21 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Humanities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2076-0787 • E-ISSN: 2076-0787 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/h15030050 |
| OpenAlex | W7140083221 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
Millenarianism originated from apocalyptic literature in Judaism, emphasizing that the “Messiah” would establish a “millennial kingdom” on earth ruled by the Jews. This ideology became a theoretical weapon for Jews to resist imperial tyranny during classical antiquity and was later embraced by early Christian theology. By the early modern period, with the intense unfolding of the Reformation and social upheavals, the theory of the “millennial kingdom” re-emerged as a mainstream topic in Christian theology. Regarding the nature of the “millennial kingdom” and how it would be realized, early modern Christian factions split into two interpretive camps. One emphasized the spiritual attributes of the “millennial kingdom”, while the other stressed its material aspects, advocating the violent establishment of a political entity on earth ruled by Christians. These two distinct interpretive models ultimately converged on the issue of colonial expansion, transforming millenarianism into a theoretical tool to justify overseas expansion
Apocalypticism · Early Modern Europe · Ideology · Kingdom · Mainstream · Millenarianism · Politics · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought
| Highly cited | No |
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