Forming the Future When Time Is Running Short: Late Medieval Prophets as Political Advisors
Medieval Latin Christians knew that time would end at a certain point: medieval Latin rulers knew that it was up to them to make good use of the rest of time in order to recommend themselves for the Last Judgement; medieval Latin prophets (i.e. visionaries as well as inspired interpreters of biblical and more recent prophetic texts) were the experts in reading the signs of the time and advising rulers on their tasks. As a special way of interpreting the past in order to define the position of the present in the world history of salvation and to find solutions to the future prophetic texts that stand between historiography and theological treatises, on the one hand, and sermons and memoranda on the other, at Erlangen - where, due to the Kolleg, I will find rich possibilities of exchange - I wish to define more clearly what a Latin medieval prophet really was and what prophecy and the neighbouring text genres had in common or how they differed. My findings will be included in my ongoing research on "Prophecy as a Code for Moral, Social, and Political Propaganda".