3 - 4 pm (CET)

Venue:

Einstein Center Chronoi

Otto-von-Simson-Straße 7, 14195 Berlin

Dr. András Kraft

Apocalyptic literature is concerned with the period that precedes the final consummation. It is marked by an ambivalent tendency that professes to await the imminent end, on the one hand, and seeks to delay it, on the other. This ambivalence is partly a function of the medium of the written word, which is designed for posteriority and thus favors the retardation of the eschaton. It is also a generic necessity, given that the apocalyptic worldview becomes redundant once the end has arrived.

This talk discusses the ambivalence of hastening and delaying the end in Byzantine apocalypses from three perspectives: from within the texts, from within the textual tradition, and from within the manuscript transmission. First, narratological techniques of acceleration and delay are examined, such as narrative speed and time-related motifs. Second, different redactions of Byzantine apocalyptica are surveyed to show how textual additions and omissions can influence the reader’s conception of eschatological time. Third, it is argued that the manuscript transmission is an additional factor that shapes the perception of temporal velocities.

Participants can join the online Chronoi Talk by clicking on the following link:

https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin/j.php?MTID=mea3f301bec63317b3c452837060a0ce4

The conference room can be accessed using the following methods:

• Joining directly in your browser; simply click the link above, and look for a button with this option near the bottom of the webpage.

• Downloading the program to your computer (instructions can be found by following the meeting link)

• Using the smartphone app called "Cisco Webex Meetings."

You are welcome to enter the online conference room up to 15 minutes in advance of the start time.