There is a certain brand of religious scholarship that...

There is a certain brand of religious scholarship that emphatically states that historical context must be considered when examining the eschatological texts of any religious tradition. Professor Aziz Sachedina of the University of Virginia is one such scholar. Dr. Sachedina believes that, for believers of most major faiths, the political and social turmoil of the day was written in form of prophecy, specifically in a narrative evoking vengeance against the oppressor.

Such a hope is the natural outcome among groups who have been wronged and oppressed; the need for a deliverer becomes imperative. For Shi'ia Muslims, the oppression of the caliphs and their administrators added much to the events foretold in apocalyptic traditions, just as the oppression of the early Christians influenced early writers to put their hope in a messiah who would not only universalize the faith but would put down their oppressors.

It would seem, then, that the degree of violence of the eschatological texts runs parallel to the amount of oppression experienced by the oppressed group: the deeper the oppression, the darker the apocalyptic vision.

An illustration of this concept may be found in the Bihar regarding the return of the Prophet: "With the believers, those who falsified his mission and doubted it will also return so that proper vengeance for their disbelief can be exacted from them." This sentiment is further evidenced in the condolences that Shi'ites offer each other on the occasion of the Ashura: "May God grant us great rewards for our bereavement caused by the martyrdom of alp-Husayn (peace by upon him), and make us among those will exact vengeance for his blood with his friend the Imam al-Mahdi, from among the descendents of Muhammad (peace be upon him)." For Christians, this sentiment is evidenced by several Old and New Testament passages including Deuteronomy 32:43 which states: "Rejoice, oh you nations, with his people.

For He will avenge the blood of His servants and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people." Previous…