Ralph Josselin and eschatology: the anxious millenarian

Though the diary of the Essex puritan Ralph Josselin is a very familiar source, one core feature has remained almost totally overlooked. This article redresses that neglect. Josselin believed the British civil wars possessed eschatological significance, and set out to interpret them in the light of biblical prophecies. Close analysis of the text reveals how the political flux of the period repeatedly nullified his theories, making his emotions swing between deep anxiety and millennial hope, and invading his dreams. The diary provides a unique insight into the apocalyptic excitement of the period, and its impact on an ordinary rural minister and his family.