The Transformation of Early Christianity from an Eschatological to a Socialized Movement: A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Literature in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of PhilosophyEdwards, Lyford P. (Lyford Paterson)
Religion
The Transformation of Early Christianity from an Eschatological to a Socialized Movement: A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Literature in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Edwards, Lyford P. (Lyford Paterson)
Christian sociology -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600; Eschatology -- History of doctrines; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
These three conceptions were variously confused in early Christianity.
All the New Testament writers hold, for instance, to the immediately
imminent Second Advent. How many of them were Chiliasts we have no way
of knowing. The earliest, Christian writing extant outside the New
Testament, which deals with this subject is perhaps Papias, 70-155 A.D.
He is a most materialistic Chiliast and quotes II Baruch as an authentic
utterance of Christ handed to himself by apostolic tradition.[5]
Barnabas is another apostolic Chiliast. He expressly teaches a
millennial reign of Christ on earth. The six days of creation are the
type of six periods of 1000 years each. The seventh day is the
millennium, since with God "one day is as a thousand years." The
earthly, millennial sabbath is to be followed by an eighth and eternal
day in heaven. The Millennium is near at hand. Barnabas does not quote
Revelation. His views can be drawn equally well or better from II Enoch,
I Enoch and other Jewish sources.
The first Chiliast we know of to get into disrepute was the famous
heretic, Cerinthus, (last part of first century). His heresy had nothing
to do with his Chiliasm, as it seems to have been a sort of Judaistic
Gnosticism and Gnosticism in general was not favorable to Chiliasm.
However the fact that so abhorrent a heretic held Chiliastic views did
not help those views in the judgment of later Christians.
About the end of the first century also Chiliasm came into rather
disreputable prominence as a leading doctrine of the Ebionites, a sect
of antitrinitarian Judaistic-Christian heretics. This sect was wide
spread though not particularly numerous and aroused the bitter
antagonism of the orthodox. As in the case of Cerinthus, their heresy
had nothing necessarily to do with Chiliasm. But here again Chiliasm had
the misfortune to get into bad company.
In the middle of the second century Chiliasm appears to have been the
belief of the majority of Christians though it never found formal
expression in any creed. Justin Martyn, 110-165 A.D., tells us that
Christ is to reign with the patriarchs for 1000 years in a rebuilt
Jerusalem. He bases this belief on Rev. XX, 4-5 and says he holds this
doctrine as part of the body of Christian faith. He adds, however, that
"many good and true Christians think otherwise." This later statement is
the more notable as it is the only difference between orthodox
Christians which he mentions. He places the Ebionites outside the
Christian pale.
The first non-Chiliasts we meet with in Christian history are the
Gnostics. Of their actual position on Chiliasm we know practically
nothing except by inference. They did not apparently fight it. They
simply tacitly ignored it. In the long and minute descriptions of
various Gnostic systems that have come down to us nothing is said on the
subject; but the systems as outlined leave no place for the Chiliastic
doctrines.
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