On March 30, 1202, Joachim of Fiore died. A roaming prophet and possibly
the Middle Ages' most famous apocalypticist, Fiore's writings
(Exposition of Revelation, The Book of Figures) saw the Apocalypse of John as
literal prophecy, in opposition to Saint Augustine's long-predominant spiritual view. According to Fiore the Second Coming was to occur within his own lifetime,
or by 1260 at the latest. Though condemned by the Church for his
radicalism, Fiore's works were highly influential, inspiring the
"Spiritual Franciscan" movement. The Spiritual Franciscans embraced extreme poverty and rebelled against Church authority, going even so far in many cases as to identify the Roman Church with
the Beast of Revelation.
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On March 30, 1925, Rudolph Steiner
died. He founded the school of "Anthroposophy", claiming that we live in
the "Kali Yuga", or Hindu last age. The end of the world was expected
to arrive in the early part of the twentieth century.
