In this book leading scholars contribute comprehensive studies of the religious movements in the late 18th and 19th centuries: the Hassidic movements in Judaism, the Mormon religion, in Christianity, and the Babi-Baha'i faiths in Shi'te Islam. The studies, introduced by the editor's analysis of the underlying common source of this religious activity, lead the reader into a rich world of messianism, millenniarism and eschatological thought fueling the intense modern developments in the three major monotheistic religions.