Apocalyptic eschatology, astrology, prophecy, and the image of the Turks in seventeenth-century england"

On altıncı ve on yedinci yüzyıl Avrupasında dünyanın sonuna ilişkin vahiylerin yorumlanması, tam adıyla Eski Ahit'in Danyal Kitabı ve Yani Ahit'in Vahiyler Kitabı'na dayanan apokaliptik eskatoloji, astroloji ve politik kehanetler ile güçlü bir ilişki içerisinde olmuştur. Her ne kadar kıta Avrupası ile kıyaslandığında ortaçağ sonu ve erken Tudor döneminde İngiltere'de dikkate değer bir astroloji geleneği olmasa da, on altıncı yüzyılın ortalarından itibaren apokaliptik cs~ katolji dilini yoğun olarak kullanan bir astrolojik kehanet geleneği ortaya çıkmaya başlamıştır. On yedinci yüzyılda, bilhassa da İç Savaş döneminde, sosyo-poütik arkaplana ve baskı teknolojilerindeki ilerlemelere paralel olarak, almanaklar içerisinde sunulan astroloji ve kehanet metinleri İngiltere'de oldukça yaygınlaşmış ve popülerleşmiştir. Avrupa'da Kutsal Kitaplar'daki kıyamet gününe ilişkin kehanetlerin yorumlanmasında ve astrolojik kehanetlerde Türkler her zaman önemli bir yere sahip omuştur. Osmanlı genişlemesinin yarattığı tehdidin Almanya gibi ülkelere coğrafi yakınlığından ve Reformasyon hareketinin anaakım .söylemlerinin etkisiyle, Almanya'da yazılan astroloji ve kehanet metinlerinde Türkler gözle görünür bir öneme sahip olmuş ve Türklerin imajı apokaliptik eskatoloji terimleri kullamlarak yapılandırılmıştır. Her ne kadar İngiltere Osmanlı tehdidinden güvenli bir mesafede bulunsa da, birçok Avrupa, özellikle de Almanya kaynaklı metinler tercümeler vasıtasıyla İngiltere okuyucu pazarına ulaşmış ve farklı kesimler için faydalı propaganda araçları olarak kullanılmışlardır. Dahası, on yedinci yüzyılda İngiliz astrologlar da Avrupa'nın Osmanlı İle olan mücadelesine ilişkin astrolojik metinler üretmişlerdir. Tüm bunlara uygun olarak, bu makalede astroloji ve kehanet geleneğinin İngiltere'de on altıncı yüzyılın ortalarından itibaren gelişimine ve bu geleneğe ait metinlerde Türk İmgesinin yapılandırılmasında apokaliptik eskatoloji dilinin kullanılışına ilişkin özlü bir açıklamanın ardından, on yedinci yüzyıl İngiliz okuyucusu için erişilebilir olan bazı astroloji ve kehanet metinlerinin bir okuması sunularak, bu metinlerde Türk imgesinin, bilhassa da Deccal gibi, apokaliptik eskatoloji terimleri kullanılarak nasıl yapılandırılmış olduğu gösterilmektedir. Örneklendirme için kullanılan metinler 'doğal olaylar,' 'mucizevi olaylar,' ve 'astrolojik tahminler ve kehanetler' olarak üç tematİk başlık altında ele alınmıştır. Metinlerin incelenmesi esnasında, dönemin popüler edebiyatının önemli bir kısmını teşkil eden bu metinlerin neredeyse tamamının okuyucuyu etkilemek için çarpıcı anlatılara ve tasvirlere yer verdiği gözlemlenmiştir. Popülerlikleri de dikkate alındığında, bu metinlerin on yedinci yüzyıl İngiliz toplumunda şeytani bir Türk imgesinin ouşturulmasına ve yayılmasına katkıda bulunduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

On yedinci yüzyıl ingilteresinde apokaliptik eskatoloji, astroloji, kehanet ve Türk imgesi

The study of the revelations about the end of the world, namely apocalyptic eschatology based on the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelations in the New Testament, had strong ties with astrology and political prophecy in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe. Even though England had a less distinct tradition of astrology in the late Medieval and early Tudor ages when compared to the Continental one, from the mid-sixteenth century onwards, the practice of astrological prognostications, which was significantly imbued in the language of apocalyptic eschatology, began to emerge. In the seventeenth century, especially during the Civil War, there was a wide circulation and popularization of astrological and prophetic texts, mainly in the form of almanacs, in England due to socio-political context and technological developments in printing. From the beginnings of the interpretation of the apocalyptic prophecies in the Holy Scriptures together with astrological predictions in Europe, the Turks were one of the main concerns. As a result of the geographical proximity of the threat of Ottoman expansion to continental countries like Germany and due to the mainstream discourse of Reformation politics, in astrological and prophetic texts produced in Germany there was a highly-visible preoccupation with the Turks, whose image was constructed in terms of apocalyptic eschatology. Even though England was at a safe distance from the perceived Ottoman threat, European, especially German, texts found their way into the English market through translations as they provided useful propaganda material for various parties. Moreover, later in the seventeenth century, some English astrologers also wrote astrological accounts of the European encounter with the Ottomans. Accordingly, after giving a brief overview on the development of astrology and prophecy in England from the mid-sixteenth century onwards and on the uses of the language of apocalyptic cschatology for the construction of the image of the Turks, this article offers a reading of some prophetic and astrological texts that were available to seventeenth-century English reader with respect to the representation of the Turks in terms of apocalyptic eschatofogy, more specifically, as Antichristian, if not the Antichrist. The manuscripts that are studied for the illustration represent the thematic categories roughly divided as 'natural phenomena,' "miraculous happenings,' and 'astrological prognostications and prophecies.' In the study of the texts, it is observed that, embodying a large portion of the popular literature of their time, almost all of these texts employ sensationalism to capture and maintain reader's attention. It is concluded that, due to their popularity, these texts contributed to the construction and dissemination of a diabolic image of the Turks in seventeenth-century English public imagination.

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