The Apocalypsis Nova – Narrating Prophecy and Reform Theology on the Eve of the Reformation

In early sixteenth-century Rome, the Apocalypsis Nova , a prophetic text allegedly written by the Franciscan friar Amadeus Mendez da Silva, captivated the attention of scholars and churchmen alike. Readers were fascinated by its occult appeal and its calls for reform within the Roman Church. While the early discourses about the text are intriguing in themselves, the actual contents are even more puzzling. In addition to broad scholastic and Mariological discussions, the Apocalypsis Nova presents certain theological positions now associated with Protestant theology, such as a call for Eucharist under both kinds (bread and wine) and an emphasis on justification by God’s grace. The authoritative revelations in the text stand in stark contrast to its literary ambiguities, creating a paradoxical dynamic that undoubtedly enhanced the text’s appeal to its contemporaries. This is evident not only in the large number of copies that were made of the text, but in the extensive annotations found within them. This paper aims to illuminate the Apocalypsis Nova as an example of the complex theological discourses of reform that preceded the Reformation(s).