«There are several reasons why Ante-Nicene writers might appear inconsistent in their eschatology. First is the danger of elaborating at length on eschatological prophecy. Justin notes that when Christians spoke of a coming kingdom, the Roman emperors assumed "without inquiry "that they meant a human kingdom and, therefore, wrongly believed the Christians to be politically subversive." Second, these writers often seem to want to avoid controversy over nonessentials. Justin, for instance, is careful to preface his comments on the millennial kingdom with the concession that there are many "who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians," and who do not believe in an earthly millennium. Finally, there is a tendency among the Ante-Nicene fathers to choose "proof texts" only from among those works already considered authoritative to the ones to whom they write.»
«Eschatological Inconsistency in the Ante-Nicene Fathers»
[Εσχατολογική Ασυνέπεια στους Προνικαϊκούς Πατέρες],
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Andrews University Press,
Spring/Άνοιξη 2001, Vol./Τόμ. 39, No./Αρ. 1, p./σ. 129.
[English/Αγγλικά, PDF]
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