Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius / An Alexandrian World Chronicle

Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library #14

by Pseudo-Methodius, Benjamin Garstad (Translator)

This volume contains two texts that crossed the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity. The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius was one of the first works composed in response to the Arab invasions and the establishment of the Muslim empire in the seventh century. In a matter of decades, it was translated from its original Syriac into Greek and from Greek into Latin. (Both the Greek and Latin texts are presented here.) The Apocalypse enjoyed immense popularity throughout the Middle Ages, informing expectations of the end of the world, responses to strange and exotic invaders like the Mongols and Turks, and even the legendary versions of the life of Alexander the Great. An Alexandrian World Chronicle (Excerpta Latina Barbari) was considered important by no less a humanist than Joseph Scaliger. He recognized it as a representative of an early stage in the Christian chronicle tradition that would dominate medieval historiography. The original Greek text may have been a diplomatic gift from the court of Justinian to a potential ally among Frankish royalty, translated two centuries later by the Franks themselves in their efforts to convert the pagan Saxons. In addition to presenting a universal chronicle with a comprehensive ethnography and geography, the Excerpta offer a Euhemeristic narrative of the gods and another account of Alexander.

Genres: History

464 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2012

Reviews

[Rob Chappell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been waiting for an edition and translation of the Pseudo-Methodius AND the Alexandrian World Chronicle for a long time -- and then they just appeared in the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library series! I was very excited and couldn't wait to receive the book in the mail. Three years later, these works continue to fascinate me -- and what a bonus to have the original Greek & Latin texts facing the English translations thereof!

The texts themselves are quite fascinating and well worth the read. They give great insight into the mindset of Christians in the Middle East during the 6th & 7th centuries CE. After having read and re-read this book, I now understand how many medieval Christians in Europe and the Middle East viewed the past and the future and how they interpreted the present state of the world through the lenses of the past and future.

This is a great resource book for any scholar or student of the Middle Ages, Christian history, and the history of ideas. There are many stories in its pages that could be expanded into longer narratives, so this would also be a great read for writers of fiction. All in all, a mesmerizing trip through the medieval mind, with texts that still influence Christian thought to this day.

[Dan Yingst]

Shockingly dull. One expects a book filled with Gogs and Magogs and one of the first accounts of the Arab conquests to be fascinating, but it all struck me as standard issue stuff, and chronicles are basically boring by default. Alas.

[Stella Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy. Read in one sitting. Great translation work and fascinating text purporting to be a work of an early church father but actually written much later to explain Muslim invasion as a precursor to the apocalypse.

[Simon]

Only read the apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius (short text)

[Isaac Kofsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love religious apocalypse texts, and it was really interesting how this story folded into the historical events of the time it was written.

[Lulu]

The Apocalypse: Its precise date is difficult to ascertain; dates proposed by recent historians fall within the range 644 - 692 AD. Formerly dated to earlier in the 7th cent., it is now thought to date from about 692, during the reign of ʿAbd al-Malik (685–705).