Apocalyptic Movements in Contemporary Politics: Christian and Jewish Zionism

267 Pages·2014·1.46 MB·English

by  Carlo Aldrovandi (auth.)

Apocalyptic Movements in Contemporary Politics
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Apocalyptic Movements in
Contemporary Politics
Christian and Jewish Zionism
Carlo Aldrovandi
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
© Carlo Aldrovandi 2014
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-0-230-28041-0
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication
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permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
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may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
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work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2014 by
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ISBN 978-1-349-32761-4 ISBN 978-1-137-31684-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137316844
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To Maria Antonia Calderan and Enrico Aldrovandi, with love
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction: Political Religions and Theo-Politics 1
1 Meaning at the End 11
The eschaton 13
The abolition of history 14
The everlasting Covenant 15
‘Now already,’ but ‘not yet’ 19
Defining the Apocalypse 22
The Zoroastrian lore 27
Birth pangs 29
Origins is the goal 32
2 Millenarianism, Messianism and Absolute Politics 36
Messianism 38
Palingenesis 42
Pre- and postmillennialism 45
Apocalyptic and naturalistic messianism 49
An eschaton beyond reach 52
A creative tension 54
Forcing the End 55
The transitional phase 58
3 Jewish Religious Zionism 62
A revolutionary c ounter- s ociety 65
An anti- messianic undertaking 70
The Haredi world 75
The Religious Zionist synthesis 79
The Kookist triangle 80
The Lurianic lore 82
Saving God 84
A perfect symmetry 85
Saints despite themselves 88
Eretz Yisrael 92
A medium of religious performance 96
The Messianic Age 99
A ‘Torahcratic republic’ 101
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viii Contents
Between June 1967 and October 1973 105
Gush Emunim as a revitalization movement 108
The ‘McJihad’ paradox 111
Normalization 116
Yamit 119
The apocalyptic turn 121
4 US Christian Zionism 129
Dispensationalism 135
The cult of the text 137
Dual Covenant 142
Restorationism 143
Purging Eretz Yisrael 145
The seeds of Amalek 150
People who must dwell alone 155
Jacob’s troubles 156
Vertical escapism 157
The Armageddon complex 160
Jerusalem as a thermometer 161
Utopian peace 162
Giving up on the world 164
Participatory shift 167
The politics of the Apocalypse 169
Pastor Hagee’s two hats 175
Adversus Ioudaeos 181
An ironic o ver- assurance 192
5 Cultural Apocalypse 195
A nation tottering on the brink of chaos 196
A new ‘plausibility structure’ 201
Axis of evil 206
The end of the Apocalypse? 217
Conclusion: Two Parallel Lines 221
Notes 228
Select Bibliography 250
Index 253
Acknowledgements
This book was originally written as a PhD thesis undertaken at the
Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University. I would first like
to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Jim Whitman, who
guided me through the entire process and from whose help, generos-
ity and encouragement I have profited enormously over many years.
I must make special mention of the Consortium for Peace Studies at
Calgary University, for supporting the early stage of my research and
for its hospitality. In the production of this book, I was very fortunate
to receive excellent professional assistance from Naomi Robinson and
Palgrave Macmillan. Above all, my thanks go to my wife, Sophie:
without her care, love and sense of humour, this book would not have
been possible.
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