Theocracy in Massachusetts. Reformation and Separation in Early Puritan New England
| Author: | Zakai, Avihu | |
| Year: | 1994 | |
| Pages: | 412 | |
| ISBN: | 0-7734-9970-9 978-0-7734-9970-6 | |
| Price: | $259.95 + shipping | |
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This volume explores the eschatological and millennial dimension in the Puritan mind, to show that out of a unique apocalyptic interpretation of history Puritans were not only able to justify their migration to America with sacred, providential history, but also able to define the meaning of their holy experiment in the course of salvation history. As the Puritan emigrants themselves perceived it, their errand into the wilderness was not simply a utopian search for religious reformation but an earthly stand against the power of Satan and Antichrist.
Reviews
"Zakai's emphasis on theocracy and separatism places his work in direct opposition to much of mainstream Puritan historiography. A slightly different view of the Puritan experiment emerges when these millennial themes are employed as the primary interpretive grid. . . . But his interpretation should certainly force us to think more about the millennial impuses behind New England religious thought." - Religious Studies Review