Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalypse in the Beatus of Liébana

ORR FORUM 

Tue. Sept. 29 - Waiting for the End of the World
Dr. Wendell Smith
12 p.m. in Patterson Bay, Laird Hall

Waiting for the End of the World: Apocalypse in the Beatus of Liébana

An eighth-century Spanish monk named Beatus of Liébana wrote theCommentarium in Apocalpysin, the seed text that established the language, and a great deal of the imagery, with which the Middle Ages understood the Apocalypse. For the Apocalyptic tradition founded by Beatus, what did imagining the end of the world have to do with Christian debates about whether Jesus Christ was human?  To what extent were representations of the impending end of the world simply a metaphor for life as a minority Christian in a land ruled by Muslims? And what can the Beatus manuscripts’ vision of Armageddon tell us about how we imagine the world will end today?

Wendell P. Smith is Associate Professor of Spanish at Wilson College. His research interests include the genre of chivalric romance and colonialism, and how these intersect with the tri-cultural (Christian/Muslim/Jewish) environment of Medieval and Early Modern Spain.  His work on Beatus of Liébana grows from a recent article on the ideological implications of global cartography entitled "'Ver mundo': Enchanted Boats, Atlases and Imperial Magic in the Second Part of Don Quijote." When not at his computer, he likes to run trails with his Australian Shepherd, Mia, and garden.

Supported by the Orr Forum, proud sponsor of the Return of the Apocalyptic lecture series