MAPPING THE END: THE APOCALYPSE IN MEDIEVAL CARTOGRAPHY

Medieval cartographic materials disclose in their portrait of the world a clear emphasis on the coming End of the World: mankind has reached the western limits of the earth; the tribes of Gog and Magog, enclosed by Alexander the Great, are impatient to invade the inhabited world; Enoch and Elijah ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Literature & theology 2012-12, Vol.26 (4), p.400-416
Main Author: Scafi, Alessandro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bible
Cartography
Christian history
Christianity
Eschatology
Eternity
Heaven
Paradise
World maps
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Summary:Medieval cartographic materials disclose in their portrait of the world a clear emphasis on the coming End of the World: mankind has reached the western limits of the earth; the tribes of Gog and Magog, enclosed by Alexander the Great, are impatient to invade the inhabited world; Enoch and Elijah are waiting patiently in paradise, ready to face death and the Last Things. The angels warn us that the Last Judgment is near; Christ is coming to judge the world. The visual imagery offered by cartographic material sheds light on the complex conception of time and space that developed in medieval Christianity and that emerges from contemporary theological texts.
ISSN:0269-1205
1477-4623
DOI:10.1093/litthe/frs049