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Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come, 2nd Edition
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$ 24.42
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| Item Number |
159434 |
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Item Description...
Product Description
In this engrossing book, the author of the classic work The Pursuit of the Millennium investigates the origins of apocalyptic faith--the belief in a perfect future, when the forces of good are victorious over the forces of evil. Norman Cohn takes us back two thousand years to the world views of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India, the innovations of Iranian and Jewish prophets and sages, and the earliest Christian imaginings of heaven on earth, and he illuminates a major turning point in the history of human consciousness. For this second edition, the final chapter on Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians has been wholly rewritten and extended.
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Item Specifications...
Pages 256
Dimensions: Length: 0.75" Width: 5" Height: 7.5"
Weight: 0.5 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Publisher Yale University Press
ISBN 0300090889
EAN 9780300090888
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Availability 4 units.
Availability accurate as of May 26, 2012 10:26.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Momence, IL.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | introductory, brief, excellent Mar 9, 2005 |
This is an elementary introduction to ancient religion, focusing on the issues in the title: cosmos, chaos, and the world to come. It considers ancient Egyptian religion, Mesopotamian religion, Vedic religion, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and very early Christianity--all extremely briefly, focusing only on the issue of the cosmic struggle against chaos, and the development of the apocalyptic worldview. If you are only slightly aware of what all that could mean, this book will entertain you greatly. I am well aware of all of them, and I learned little beyond details from this book, and yet I enjoyed reading it very much.
However, if you want depth on any of these topics, there are other books for you. For Zoroastrianism, begin with Mary Boyce. For early Christianity, begin with E. P. Sanders and move on to Ehrman. For ancient Mediterranean religion, begin with "Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide." And consider "The Other God."
Cohn's argument that Zoroastrianism had a huge influence on ancient Judaism and Christianity, is in my opinion unquestionable, and yet neither emphasized nor even recognized in academic circles, nor widely known among the general public. Somehow it is perceived as embarrassing to Judaism, and yet I think that is ridiculous: after all, the influence on modern Judaism is minute, and who does Zoroastrianism threaten? Jesus, Paul, Hillel and the author(s) of Daniel were still Jews, even if influenced by Zoroastrianism. In fact, in my opinion, they are far more interesting! Similarly, isn't Christianity more interesting precisely because it assimilated so much "pagan" influence? So I hope this book is read widely and its argument more popularly acknowledged. | | | | Excellent read Sep 23, 2003 |
| This is a brief but fascinating journey through the history of ancient apocalyptic faith. Cohn takes us to the very roots of civilization, explaining how the traditional cycles of life coincided with religious belief. The cycles of death and rebirth, day and night, summer and winter, mixed in with occasional droughts, floods, and enemy invasion mirrored religious belief in an ordered cosmos that was originally formed by the gods out of a pre-existent chaos. Cosmos wasn't absolutely secure however; chaos was always a threat to the daily ordered life of each civilization, so the benevolent gods continuously fought the "chaos monsters" that constantly threatened the ordered world. Complex pantheons and creation myths arose out of these beliefs and sacrifices and gifts were brought to the gods to give them strength and worship in their enduring battle of protection of the people against chaos. Cohn takes us to the earliest religious beliefs of Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Vedic Indians, and the Zoroastrians describing their beliefs, interconnectedness, innovations, and future implications. He safely credits Zoroaster for the innovation of the first apocalyptic faith, the belief in a consummation of the never ending fight against chaos wherein the supreme god, Ahura Mazda would one day finally and forever defeat the gods of chaos; an age of prosperity, order, and goodness would then be ushered in. Cohn then proceeds to Judaism and the specific experiences of the Israelites, particularly related to the Babylonian exile, when elite Jews discovered the compelling apocalyptic of Zoroastrianism and adapted it to their own faith in Yahweh. Christians co-opted and greatly expanded these beliefs with a firm conviction of a coming apocalypse and an elaborate cosmic battle myth at the end of the age. Cohn doesn't waste words; there is a lot of information in these 240 pages, each sentence is filled with fascinating facts. I found his writing style slightly unconventional and it was difficult for me to absorb at times, I am re-reading several sections. I also wish Cohn would have addressed Islam and completed the apocalyptic story of the Middle Eastern religious faiths. A very good read. | | | | Fascinating Apr 24, 2003 |
| I am a longstanding fan of Cohn's writings. I read this book in a day, finding it extremely lucid and informative. It brought the cosmologies of the ancient world alive, showing how their underlying themes make sense to everyday lives of the time. | | |  | Another Fine Cohn Concoction Jan 9, 2002 |
| Norman Cohn contines his exemplary work as a historian of religious history with Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come (The Ancient Roots of Apolcalytic Faith). This book begins a little drier than his previous works but picks up speed nicely with his discussions of Zorastrianism, Judaism, and very early Christianity while showing the connections between the former and the latter two in terms of its prophetic, apocalyptic writings. This book makes a nice companion piece to this author's earlier and seminal work on millenniarism during the medieval period. A fine addition to the Cohn canon. | | | | A truly wonderful book Oct 23, 2001 |
| Surely the best book available if you want to get a insight into the ideas that led to the development of Christianity. | | | Write your own review about Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come, 2nd Edition
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