Prophetic histories: time, theology and theocracy in Solomon Islands

    Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

    Abstract

    On Malaita in Solomon Islands, an evangelical Israelite-inspired movement centres on a distinctive time-consciousness that reads the historical past and present as prophetic signs of an imminent future. This book examines how these ‘prophetic histories’ interweave biblical narrative, theological reflection, local accounts, kastom practice, spiritual journeys and Old-Testament political theory. Michael Maeliau, the movement’s foremost leader, casts the resulting stories as divine messages. His theological reasoning transcends time, space, hierarchy and surface identity to uncover the true essence of Malaita and establish a theocracy on the island. At the movement’s core lies a prophetic order that integrates events, scripture and kastom while foregrounding the agency of God and divine revelations.
    Original languageEnglish
    Place of PublicationNew York ; Oxford, UK
    PublisherBerghahn Books
    Number of pages173
    ISBN (Electronic)9781836952763, 9781836952725
    ISBN (Print)9781836952770
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2026

    Publication series

    NameASAO Studies in Pacific Anthropology
    PublisherBerghahn Books
    Volume16

    Keywords

    • anthropology
    • theocracy
    • Christianity
    • temporality
    • mystery
    • Pacific
    • Melanesia
    • theology

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