This summer I was privileged to speak at several conferences about the relevance of Apocalypse commentaries of early Christianity for contemporary discussions in eschatology.

The first conference paper is “External Evidence for an Early Date of Revelation.” The date that John wrote the Book of Revelation is often debated. Some hold that he wrote in the 60s AD, while many hold that it comes from the 90s. This paper provides ten different traditions in early Christianity that support a date before 70 AD. A version of this paper will make up Chapter One of a forthcoming book entitled Revelation and the Early Church. For a copy of the conference paper, click here.

The second lecture is entitled “The Overwhelming Presence of Nero in Early Apocalypse Commentaries.” It shows how many early and medieval commentators saw the emperor Nero signified in the visions of the Apocalypse. These include him as the beast who makes war with the saints and whose name is linked to the number of the beast. For a copy of that conference paper, click here.

The third lecture is “Insights Related to New Covenant Theology from Revelation Commentaries of the Early Church.” It highlights the “now-not yet” principle of interpreting Biblical prophecy and the fact that the Book of Revelation contains recapitulation, or repetition. Furthermore, it address how many early Christian writers interpreted the “book of life.” It also addresses whether or not early Christian writers believed that the “budding of the fig tree” in Matthew 24 symbolized the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. For a copy of that conference paper, click here.

I hope you find something helpful or useful in these papers. I also hope your summer went well, and that the new school year finds you in good health and with God’s blessing.

Sincerely,
Frank