The Feast of Saint Abraham: Medieval Millenarians and the Jews

Abstract

Robert E. Lerner uncovers a strain of medieval millennial thought that conceived of a peaceful place for Jews at end of time. Its proponents maintained that the candelabra of Church would return to Synagogue and that millennial Church would celebrate feasts of Saint and Saint David. Rejecting common assumption that all millenarians were of necessity anti-Jewish, Lerner reveals a Christian prophetic tradition that foresaw a world in which Jews and Gentiles would come together to mutual benefit. As imagined by twelfth century Calabrian Abbot Joachim of Fiore, God's plan, entailed a march of progress from Abraham until wondrous transformation of human life upon defeat of Antichrist. While march of progress transpired on earth, a spiritual movement impelled God's chosen ones to heaven in phases, on a stairway to paradise. The divine plan had first entrusted Jews with adherence to letter of Old Testament; then it had entrusted Gentiles with more spiritual New Testament. At culmination of history, God would endow both Jews and Gentiles with a full understanding of both testaments. The word of God would return to people from whence it came, and Jews would be converted peacefully instead of damned.

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