Ioahim Florskiy Italian Cistercian monk, visionary-prophet, considered the founder of medieval chiliasm. Country: Italy

Biography of Joachim of Fiore

Joachim of Fiore, also known as Joachim of Flora, was an Italian Cistercian monk, visionary prophet, and the founder of medieval Joachimism. He was born in Calabria, Italy (then part of the Kingdom of Sicily), in the village of Celico, near Cosenza, to a notary named Mauro and his wife Gemma. In approximately 1169, he embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he experienced a spiritual crisis and lost interest in worldly life. Upon his return, he lived as a hermit for several years before becoming an itinerant preacher. He later joined the Cistercian Abbey of Sambucina near Luzzi in Calabria, where he focused on preaching to the laity.

Around 1191, Joachim founded a monastery in the mountains of Calabria, which became the stronghold of a new, stricter movement within the Cistercian Order called the Florensians. His major works include "Concordia Veteris et Novi Testamenti" (Concordance of the Old and New Testaments) and "Commentary on the Book of Revelation" (Expositio in Apocalypsin).

Joachim of Fiore divided all of human history into three periods:
1) The Age of the Father (from Abraham to John the Baptist)
2) The Age of the Son (from John the Baptist to the present)
3) The Age of the Holy Spirit (from 1260 onwards)

Joachim taught about the coming of the Third Testament, associated with the dominion of monasticism. His teachings were condemned by Catholic Councils. According to Joachim's doctrine, the transition of humanity to each period of its history is linked to a gradual spiritualization of its relationship with God. Joachim considered the existence of the Catholic Church to be part of the second period, while the third period would bring about a renewed Church without the shortcomings of the previous one. Joachim also associated the third period with the establishment of a thousand-year Kingdom of God on Earth. These ideas were condemned by the Church. Joachim's teachings gained popularity among Franciscan Spirituals, Apostolic Brethren, and several other movements labeled as heresies.