Millennialism

Tyconius, Exposition of the Apocalypse

June 20, 2017 by Frank Leave a Comment

My English translation of Tyconius’s Exposition of the Apocalypse has been published. It is in Volume 134 of the Fathers of the Church series. I hope you get a copy and enjoy reading his explanations of the Book of Revelation.

Tyconius wrote this Exposition about 380 AD. It is useful in many ways. He interpreted John’s visions to make them relevant for the church of all times, similar to modern “idealist” interpretations. He also believed that some passages in Revelation were symbolic of the future persecution of Antichrist, the Second Coming, and the Last Judgment.

He believed that the Book of Revelation is recapitulatory, rather than visions of events that reflect chronological order. On some familiar passages and themes, Tyconius saw the 144,000 as a symbol of the whole church. Likewise, the two witnesses are symbolic of the church prophesying in both testaments. Those sitting on thrones and reigning for a thousand years represent the present reign of the saints; and the first resurrection “is in this life through forgiveness of sins.”

The introduction and notes to the translation of Tyconius were written by David Charles Robinson of Toronto.

For a review of our book in Augustinian Studies 50:2 (2019), click here.

To order Tyconius of Carthage, Exposition of the Apocalypse from Amazon, click here.

I leave you with an encouragement from a Syriac commentator: “Let us spiritually refresh ourselves in the Apocalypse of the Son of God which is very dear and wonderful.”

Early Latin Commentaries on the Apocalypse

January 16, 2017 by Frank Leave a Comment

Early Latin Commentaries on the Apocalypse contains translations of two Hiberno-Latin commentaries on the Book of Revelation from the seventh and eighth centuries. They are the pseudo-Jerome Handbook on the Apocalypse of the Apostle John and On the Mysteries of the Apocalypse of John found in the anonymous eighth-century Reference Bible. These commentaries use earlier Latin commentaries, such as those of Victorinus and Tyconius, as source material. However, they contain unique interpretations of the Book of Revelation. The Handbook has the number of the beast (Rev 13:18) as 666, 000, which the author says may be the number of Antichrist’s army or disciples. It also says that they are heretics who interpret the thousand years of Rev 20 in a carnal manner and who think that Christ has not already bound the devil. On the Mysteries implies that Nero was reigning when John wrote the Apocalypse (On Rev 17:10), and that the mark of the beast will be a slight counterfeit of the Chi-Rho symbol for Christ.

Early Latin Commentaries on the Apocalypse by Francis X. Gumerlock is reasonably priced and available on Amazon. To purchase a copy, click here.

To read a review of Early Latin Commentaries on the Apocalypse by Dr. James Palmer of the University of St. Andrews, click here.

The Rapture in the Apocalypse of Elijah

August 13, 2014 by Frank 1 Comment

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.

Julian of Toledo on the World to Come

July 19, 2010 by Frank Leave a Comment

I am elated about the forthcoming translation of Julian of Toledo’s Prognosticum Futuri Saeculi (Foreknowledge of the World to Come) by Tommaso Stancati.

Julian of Toledo (d. 690), a seventh-century Spanish bishop, was the first theologian to compile a systematic treatise on Christian eschatology. Drawing upon the wisdom of the fathers, Julian treats life after death, the resurrection, Last Judgment, the eternal state and many related questions. Plowing through this sizable treatise in Latin, printed in the Patrologia Latina series and more recently in the Corpus Christianorum series, is no easy task. But thanks to Stancati, it will soon be available in English as Volume 63 in the Ancient Christian Writers series by Paulist Press. Its projected release date is September 2010.

Outlines of the chapters of Stancati’s book are found at www.prognosticum.info. The introduction by Stancati reveals that Prognosticum began as a dialogue between Julian and Idalius of Barcelona. He also comments upon the library of Julian and discusses Prognosticum as an anti-apocalyptic work.

The actual Prognosticum is divided like this:
Book 1: The Mystery of Death
Book 2: The Intermediate Eschatology
Book 3: Human corporeality has an eternal destiny

In Book 2, I look forward to reading about his distinction between the two paradises (presumably earthly and heavenly), what he has to say about apparitions of the dead, and his interpretation of Rev 20 that not only the martyrs but all the saints will reign with Christ.

In Book 3, I look forward to reading what he had to say about our ignorance of the date of the Parousia, and what he believed about the place and time of the Judgment. Other subheadings that interest me are “The Christological modalities of the Parousia,” “The great sign of the cross will precede Christ the judge,” The Parousia is one but diversified,” “The vision of glorious Christ will be ocular and bodily,” and “The ‘when’ of the Parousia.”

The book of 624 pages is listed in the Paulist Press catalog at $49.95. To me it will be well worth the money.

2012: Will It Be the End?

August 13, 2009 by Frank Leave a Comment

There is a lot of chatter about the year 2012 as the year when the world will end. It has something to do with the Mayan calendar. In fact, the Barnes and Noble near my house had a whole display of books about this supposedly fateful year. Frequently I am asked what I think of the matter.

When people set dates for the end of the world, I point them to the words of our Lord Jesus who said, “No one knows the day or the hour.” (Matt 24) In Acts, before Jesus ascended to heaven, he told his disciples, “It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has set by his own authority.” I think we should take these words seriously. Jesus knew what he was talking about: It is not for us to know.

We know from the teaching of the apostles that sometime in the future Christ will come, the dead will be raised, the Last Judgment will take place, and his kingdom will have no end. This is the church’s blessed hope. But the exact day or year is unknown. We are encouraged by the Lord in Matt 24 to be vigilant and ready. At the same time we are to be working in the Lord’s vineyard, being salt and light in the world.

If the Lord decides to come within the next few years, even so “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22). Nevertheless, I have planted trees in the front yard in hope of having a shady lawn in ten years, and have arranged the finances with consideration of being a senior citizen in the not so distant future.

In the late 1990s, a lot of people thought Christ was coming back in the year 2000. There were even people who moved to Israel to get a front row seat, so to speak. At that time I wrote The Day and the Hour. It goes through church history from the first century to the present, listing the predictions for Christ’s coming that never came to pass. The whole point of it is to illustrate that Jesus knew what he was talking about when he said, “No one knows the day or the hour.” If you don’t already have a copy, it’s still in print and is very reasonably priced. Here’s a quote from it by Cardinal Newman, who wrote in the late 1800s:

“Enthusiasts, sectaries, wild presumptuous men…have pointed out the exact year and day in which He would come. Not so His humble followers.”

Peace in Christ,
Frank