ABSTRACT
Talk of mission is usually treated as something archaic and a symptom of irrationality, especially in foreign policy, which is secularised and underscored by pragmatism. This attitude to messianism means that it does not appear in studies on the activity of states as an issue worthy of deep analysis. However, thought on the activity of states in mission categories does still occasionally appear as a part of how the world is seen and understood. A panoramic look at mission in the imperial policies of European countries reminds people of the inspiration they all shared – the image of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, it makes it possible to observe the process of mutual learning and imitation which was under way between the individual agents. The complexity of links between mission and empire prompted the author to coin the term “phantom messianism” on the model of “phantom pain” which is experienced in missing limb. The term “empire” currently has a pejorative meaning.
