Illuminatus! trilogy

Lleminawc

So I just re-read Illuminatus! by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson and picked up a few more things than I did 20 years ago ... Such as that each of the main chapters is named after one of the Sephirot, and the Appendices are numbered with Hebrew letters. Does this relate in any systematic way to the contents of the chapters/appendices or is it all just part of the joke?

And what does it mean exactly to immanentize the Eschaton?
 

Scion

"Immanentize the Eschaton" means to hurry along the Apocalypse.

They're being silly with language a little bit... Immanence is a theological concept about the presence of divinity within all creation and and the Eschaton is the final telos of the world... its end position. So the phrase means to literally and actively reveal/bring about the final fate of the world which is already present in all things.
 

Ross G Caldwell

"Immanent Eschatology" is actually a real theological concept -

"Immanent Eschatology: Sometimes called preterism, is the doctrine that everything necessary for salvation has already been accomplished, so there are no further prophecies to be fulfilled. In the theology of some churches, notably those of the Orthodox East, the "end" of history is held to be fully embodied in the liturgy."

http://www.mille.org/welcome/glossary.html

Some people interpret Luke 17:20-21 as an immanent eschatological statement by Jesus -
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
(KJV)

Ross
 

Lleminawc

hehe, I just got a spam mail that said "Don't immanentize the eschaton!" in the subject line.

You get a better class of spammers these days.
 

Lillie

Well cool!