Second Coming

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.”

Revelation and the First Century

February 13, 2013 by Frank Leave a Comment

I am happy to announce the publication of my latest book entitled Revelation and the First Century: Preterist Interpretations of the Apocalypse in Ancient Christianity.

The Book of Revelation is a fascinating book filled with wonder, mystery, and triumph. In its visions one sees references to the coming of Antichrist, the last persecution, the last battle, the Second Coming of Christ and the general resurrection accompanying it, the Last Judgment, and everlasting life.

Many people today, however, believe that its visions contain prophecies about historical events that were going to take place shortly, that is, in the first century of Christian history. Those who oppose such a lens for interpreting the visions of the Apocalypse say that this “preterist” view of Revelation is a relatively recent phenomenon not found in early Christianity. Revelation and the First Century challenges that idea by showing that many writers in ancient and medieval Christianity indeed saw references to first century historical persons and events in John’s visions.

For example, some interpreted the “hour of testing” in Rev 3:10 as a time of trial that happened immediately after the death of the emperor Nero. Others saw in the four horsemen of the Apocalypse a description of the deeds of early Roman emperors. Some interpreted the 144,000 sealed in Rev 7 as a picture of Jewish believers in the first century. Others expressed the opinion that Nero was the beast of Rev 13, and that some of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation were fulfilled in the Roman-Judean war of 68-70 AD.

Revelation and the First Century provides citations in English translation from dozens of early commentaries showing just how they often interpreted the visions of the Apocalypse in light of first century historical events.

View the Table of Contents, PDF

To read a review by Jack Kettler, click here.

For those interested in ancient biblical interpretation, the Book of Revelation, eschatology, ancient history, and ecclesiastical history, I trust the book will be an interesting read and a valuable resource.

To order from the publisher, click here.

To order from Amazon, click here.

Hippolytus of Rome’s Commentary on Daniel

November 7, 2009 by Frank Leave a Comment

Hippolytus was a presbyter in the church at Rome about 200 AD. It is he who started the genre of literature we know as biblical commentaries, being the first to write a running commentary on one book of the Bible. The book he chose was the prophet Daniel. Hippolytus’ church was suffering under the persecution of the emperor Septimus Severus, and as a pastor he used the examples of Daniel, Susanna, and the three youths to encourage his congregation to endure the persecution.

There is a new book out by W. Brian Shelton entitled Martyrdom from Exegesis in Hippolytus: An Early Church Presbyter’s Commentary on Daniel. It’s put out by Paternoster Press in their series “Studies in Christian History and Thought.” Since Hippolytus’ commentary is still in Greek and unavailable in English translation, Shelton’s book is the best means of ascertaining the contents of the commentary (unless you read patristic Greek).

I recommend the book for those interested in the subject of persecution and martyrdom in early Christianity, early Christian eschatology, patristic biblical commentaries, or the book of Daniel. It contains some interesting information. For example, Hippolytus’ Daniel commentary tells about a Christian leader in his day who prophesied that the Lord was coming soon, and consequently led his congregation out to the desert to wait for Jesus. People quit their jobs and went along. But when the leader’s prophecy did not come true, they were all humiliated, and returned to their former lives. Hippolytus says that Christians in persecution cannot always expect the Lord to intervene by His coming; it is God’s will for some to endure martyrdom.

Martyrdom from Exegesis is available for purchase from the publisher and Amazon.com.
For a full review of Martyrdom from Exegesis in Hippolytus, refer to the Book Review page.