The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

X. A. D. 1000 Expectancy of End of World

About the time of the Council of Rheims, when the hint was thrown out that the Antichrist might be sitting on the papal throne, the day of judgment at the world’s end was anticipated by many. This expectation was based, perhaps, on a literal reckoning of Augustine’s indefinite thousand-year period which placed the devil’s binding at the first advent of Christ. And incidentally, it was the same Gerbert, secretary of that Council of Rheims, who, as Sylvester II ⁵⁹ occupied the pontifical chair at the passing of the fateful year a. d. 1000. This very name, Sylvester II, carries the mind back to Sylvester I and the tem poral power of Rome gained through the forged Donation of Constantine to Sylvester I. PFF1 587.2

By reckoning the millennium from the incarnation, the appearance of Antichrist at its close seemed, to such, to be fixed for about the year 1000. Baronius states that this expectancy “was published in Gaul, first preached in Paris, and then circulated throughout the world, believed by many, indeed accepted with reverence by the more simple, but disapproved by the more learned.” ⁶⁰ PFF1 588.1

Augustine had left the terminus of the thousand years somewhat indefinite, the period being considered a round number or a symbol of the Christian Era. Some reckoned it from the birth of Christ, others from His death; ⁶¹ but a. d. 1000 was roughly the terminus if it was to be taken as a definite period. Soon after its close, news of the conquest of Jerusalem by the Turks, in 1009, caused fear and consternation to not a few who supposed the end to be upon them. Likewise with the terrible famine of 1033-considered to be approximately a thousand years after the death of Christ. Between these dates- 1000 and 1033-there was much tension and unusual religious activity. And the majority felt greatly relieved when the time had passed uneventfully. PFF1 588.2

As Baronius has noted, the approach of the year 1000 caused apprehension and consternation to a great number of simple souls. It could have been connected with the misconceptions growing out of Augustine’s theory of the millennial reign of Christ, which would end, they presumed, about the year 1000. Or, just as likely, it may have originated with the idea that the world would continue for six thousand years. This idea was widespread, for it had been taught long before by the ancient Persians. Then it found entrance into the Jewish Apocrypha, and later into their Cabalistic literature. And this, in turn, was taken over by the millenarians and other early Christian groups. Such notions had not been forgotten as men approached such a fateful turning point. And the dismal expectancy might have been a blending of both concepts. PFF1 588.3

1. AGITATION CENTERS IN FRANCE

Abbo of Fleury declares that in his youth he had heard a preacher in Paris speaking of the coming of Antichrist about the year 1000, ⁶² and of the fearful times associated with this event. Baronius cites the witness of the abbot of Fleury to Robert, king of France, thus: PFF1 589.1

“When in my youth, I heard a sermon preached in church before the people of Paris, about the end of the world. In that sermon it was said that as soon as the thousandth year had ended, Antichrist would come, and soon afterwards the universal judgment would follow. To the best of my power I opposed this preaching from the Gospels, the Apocalypse, and the Book of Daniel.... The rumor had filled almost the whole earth.” ⁶³ PFF1 589.2

In 960 a certain hermit, by the name of Bernard of Thuringia, appeared before an assembly of nobles and princes in Wiirzburg to warn them of the soon-approaching end. ⁶⁴ Furthermore, we are told of a hymn that was sung at the end of the tenth century, emphasizing the approaching day of wrath ⁶⁵ We know, moreover, that there was great religious excitement, in the province of Lorraine, a decade or so before that eventful year, because it was conjectured that the Annunciation would fall on Good Friday, an aspect which led many to think that the world’s end was at hand, ⁶⁶ but this event was already due in the year 992. PFF1 589.3

The star witness of the times, on this expectation, was an old monk, Raoul Glaber. He has been cited time and again by later historians, although he was rather gullible about accepting gossip, and his chronicle only alludes to events of a local nature. ⁶⁷ Among the calamities of his time, which he describes, we find the following statement in his fourth book: “People believed that the orders of seasons, and the laws of nature, which until then had governed the world, had forever relapsed into eternal chaos and they feared that the end of humanity had come ⁶⁸ PFF1 589.4

But this refers to the great famine of the year 1033, which was so severe that it gave rise to the wildest panic. We therefore see that during these decades here and there minds were highly agitated and concerned. It is clear, however, that there was no such widespread panic-embracing all France, much less the whole of Christendom in its grip—which some writers of the last two centuries have sought to picture. For example, Hagenbach refers to the “almost universal expectation of the approaching end of the world, which was to take place about the year 1000.” Thus he quotes from Lucke: PFF1 590.1

“The notion began to spread in the Christian world, with the approach of the year 1000, that, in accordance with Scripture, the millennial kingdom would come to a close at the completion of the first period of a thousand years after Christ; that, further, Antichrist would then appear, and the end of the world take place”. ⁶⁹ PFF1 590.2

Milman and Mosheim state practically the same. Similarly with Luden in the German, as also Michelet and Lausser in the French. PFF1 590.3

2. NOT FOSTERED BY CHURCH DIGNITARIES

Moreover, it was not the official church of the time that sounded the alarm; nor did she lay any general plans that could be construed as inspired by the idea of a soon-approaching climax. Some have argued that, in 909, the dignitaries of the church at the Council of Trosley (or Troli), in France, had become convinced of the approaching end because the minutes carried the preamble, “Appropinquante mundi termino” (as the end of the world is approaching). But it can easily be established that this expression belongs to the old formula collection of Marculf, and had been in use back as far as in the sixth and seventh centuries, and also continued to be employed after the year 1000 passed. ⁷⁰ It was, however, used only in France, and not in Italy or Germany. ⁷¹ PFF1 590.4

There is evidence, furthermore, that the Council of Rome, in 998, imposed upon Robert, the king of France, a penance of seven years ⁷² Assuredly they did not expect to have it cut short by the soon-coming day of judgment. Neither Pope Sylvester II, the former Bishop Gerbert of Rheims, nor the youthful emperor Otto III, were particularly perturbed by this year of expected doom. On the contrary, they were laying long-range plans for the renovation of the old Roman Empire. ⁷³ PFF1 591.1

We must therefore come to the conclusion that any expectation of the coming of Antichrist, the loosing of Satan, and the judgment day occurring in connection with or around the year 1000, was not fostered by the hierarchy of the church or by the doctors of divinity, but found its chief expression among larger or smaller groups of the laity, especially in France. Needless to say, the year 1000 passed without any remarkable occurrence. PFF1 591.2

3. AN UNJUSTIFIED AND UNPROPHETIC FEAR

The firmament did not depart as a scroll, and the graves remained unopened. The millennial year 1000 passed without any awful mundane catastrophe, any obvious loosing of Satan, or spectacular manifestation of Antichrist as popularly expected. This would also tend to shake any confidence in the theory of a current ecclesiastical millennium. Later the passing of the twelfth century opened to expositors the opportunity of applying the year-day principle to the prophesied three and a half times of Antichrist, as of 1260 prophetic days, or literal years, without putting the second advent far into the future. ⁷⁴ About the year 1260 we really find a much greater expectancy for the coming of the Lord and of a new age than in the year 1000. We shall deal with this important date at greater length, in its place. PFF1 591.3