Frank

The Rapture in the Apocalypse of Elijah

August 13, 2014 by Frank 2 Comments

Some people claim that the teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture is a recent construction of John Nelson Darby, and has only been taught in the Christian Church for the past two hundred years. In other
words, it is a novel doctrine whose historicity is questionable. However, I came across an early Christian text, the Apocalypse of Elijah, which appears to have teaching similar to modern pretribulationism.

The Apocalypse of Elijah is a third century text from a group of millennarian Christians in Egypt. Their document claims that when the Antichrist is persecuting the saints, Christ will have compassion on his people and send angels to carry them to the “holy land” where they will eat from the tree of life, wear white robes, and be safe from Antichrist’s wrath. After that transport occurs, all sorts of catastrophes happen on earth, including the murder of the two witnesses. Later, says the text, Christ returns with his saints and they reign on earth for a thousand years.
Rapture in the Apocalypse of Elijah, Gumerlock 1

In an article published by the journal Bibliotheca Sacra, I explain the provenance of the Apocalypse of Elijah, discuss its rapture passage, and compare and contrast its views with those of modern pretribulationists. Regardless of your position on when those “who are alive…will be caught up… to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess 4:16-17), I hope you enjoy reading about this text, which, in my opinion, deserves a place in the discussion over the history of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching.

To read the article, click here.

I Will Show Wonders in Heaven

August 5, 2014 by Frank Leave a Comment

NEW ARTICLES: Under the sidebar “Published Articles by the Author” are two new articles. The first is “I Will Show Wonders in the Heaven Above” published in Trinity Journal. It examines the eschatology of an eighteenth century Baptist community in Pennsylvania, called Ephrata, and how they viewed certain comets, which had appeared at that time, as signals of end time events.

The second is “Arnobius the Younger against the Predestined One” published recently in Augustinian Studies. Arnobius had many negative things to say in his Psalms commentary and Praedestinatus about a certain person whom he called pejoratively “predestined one.” This article makes a case that his predestinarian opponent was the defender of Saint Augustine, Prosper of Aquitaine, who resided in Rome at the same time as Arnobius.

NEW CONFERENCE PAPERS: Four new conference papers were posted recently on this website. These include papers on the theology of grace of Prosper of Aquitaine, the interpretation of the 144,000 in Revelation 7 & 14, an 8th century predestination controversy in Spain, and an early Christological heresy called Nestorianism.

FORTHCOMING is my review IN Augustinian Studies of the first English translation of Fulgentius of Ruspe’s “On the Truth of Predestination” in the Fathers of the Church series.

CURRENT PROJECTS: On the Latin to English translation of Tyconius’ Exposition of the Apocalypse, I have finished the translation, and am going over it one more time. David Robinson is working on the introduction and footnotes. I have also finished translations of the Apocalypse commentary in the Reference Bible, another by pseudo-Jerome, and one by Theodulph of Orleans, all from around 650-810 AD. I am going over them one more time, and then I need to write the introduction, before sending it to publication.

Fulgentius of Ruspe & Newly Translated Texts

June 28, 2014 by Frank Leave a Comment

I am elated to announce the forthcoming publication in Fathers of the Church of important writings of Fulgentius of Ruspe (d. 533) never before published in English. The translators are Donald Fairbairn, professor of Early Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, and his colleague Rob Roy McGregor.

McGregor and Fairbairn’s translation of Fulgentius’ Letter 17 is most welcome. This letter is really a treatise, sixty-seven chapters in length, on Christology and the theology of grace.

Also included in the forthcoming volume are Fulgentius’ three books On the Truth of Predestination and Grace. These were very influential upon early medieval authors like Isidore of Seville and Gottschalk of Orbais. In fact in the late 700s Pope Hadrian was trying to settle a dispute in Spain about predestination, and said the problem would be solved if they just understood the views of Fulgentius.

McGregor and Fairbairn’s volume of translated texts of Fulgentius was published in 2013 in the Fathers of the Church series of Catholic University of America Press. For my review of their book, published in Augustinian Studies in 2014, go to the sidebar of this website, scroll down to the bottom and look for it under “Books Reviewed by the Author.”

For more information about Fulgentius’ theology of grace, see my Fulgentius of Ruspe on the Saving Will of God now available in paperback from Mellen Press for half the price of the hardcover.

Best,
Frank