‘The Rhetoric of Catastrophe in Eleventh-Century Medieval Ireland: The Case of the Second Vision of Adomnán’, in: Catastrophes and the Apocalyptic in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, ed. by Robert E. Bjork, ASMAR 43 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2019), pp. 1-14.
There is plenty scholarly contention about the rhetoric of apocalypticism and opinions are divided about which elements to include or dismiss. One of those elements is the concept of a catastrophic end (‘the Apocalypse’). The association between the catastrophic and apocalyptic anxiety is pervasive especially in studies of medieval apocalyptic movements and the interpretation of (perceived) apocalyptic portents. This article* seeks to explore the question: when is a prophecy of catastrophe not apocalyptic?
* This article is the print version of a paper presented at the 20th annual conference of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, held in Scottsdale AZ, in February 2014. I gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, enabling me to write and present this paper.
Purchase ASMAR 43 from Brepols here, or
download: The Rhetoric of Catastrophe