Ad fontes! To the sources!
Another issue that Fred's comments have me thinking about is, how do we understand the "Little Apocalypse" in Matt. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 (must be important, if all three synoptics have it)? Is it about future events, or was it fulfilled in the First Century AD, such as in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70? The latter view is current among a number of people of the "preterist" persuasion (don't confuse all preterists with the "full preterist" heresy which puts the return of Christ & everything back at AD 70, which leaves me wondering, "how did Christ return without anyone at the time noticing?").
I also had an interesting chat about the end times recently with my new Seventh-Day Adventist pastor friend (they, of course have some rather distinctive & strong views about the end times), who had never heard such an idea as Mt. 24 being fulfilled, even partially, in AD 70, and wondered where anyone got that idea. On the other hand, the Adventists (a distinctive form of "historicism/futurism" in prophecy) are definitely agreed with the preterists that there are no future prophecies to be fulfilled in connection with Israel, other than Jewish people coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
Anyway, rather than pondering this on my own, I decided I'd better do what my prof said and go "to the sources". There's nothing like primary sources, and I believe Chesterton said something about tradition being "giving the dead a vote", so I wondered, "when did early Christians believe Mt. 24 would be (or was) fulfilled?" The Didache, chapter 16, contains an apocalyptic section very similar to Mt. 24, Mk 13, and Lk 21:
16:1 Watch concerning your life; let not your lamps be quenched or your loins be loosed, but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour at which our Lord cometh.
(cf. Mk 13:35,37; Mt. 24:42,44; Lk 12:35,40)
16:2 But be ye gathered together frequently, seeking what is suitable for your souls; for the whole time of your faith shall profit you not, unless ye be found perfect in the last time.
16:3 For in the last days false prophets and seducers shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate;
16:4 and because iniquity aboundeth they shall hate each other, and persecute each other, and deliver each other up; and then shall the Deceiver of the world appear as the Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands; and he shall do unlawful things, such as have never happened since the beginning of the world. (cf. Mt 24:10-12, Mk 13:22)
16:5 Then shall the creation of man come to the fiery trial of proof, and many shall be offended and shall perish; but they who remain in their faith shall be saved by the rock of offence itself. (Mt. 24:10,13)
16:6 And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first the sign of the appearance in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead (Mt. 24:30
16:7 -- not of all, but as it has been said, The Lord shall come and all his saints with him; (Mt. 24:31; I Cor. 15:52; I Thess. 4:12; Zech. 14:5; I Thess. 3:13)
16:8 then shall the world behold the Lord coming on the clouds of heaven.
(cf. Mt. 24:30)
According to Holmes (on my sidebar), pp. 247-248, dates from AD 50 to the third century have been proposed for the Didache, though the UBS Greek NT & the Nestle-Aland list it as a second century work. So it's likely that Christians after AD 70 were viewing these apocalyptic events as future events, though the uncertainties in dating the Didache mean that it isn't absolutely proven.
Another thing about the Didache - note that Chapter 1 quotes the "Sermon on the Mount" (Mt. 5ff) as if it is indeed a guide for present-day Christians (that present day being when the Didache was composed, probably in the second century). That means that the early Christians were not dispensationalists! At least not the kind that say that the Sermon on the Mount is not intended for the Church Age, but for the future Millennium (some dispensationalists divvy up the Bible in astonishing ways, listing in great detail which parts of the Bible are for our time, and which aren't).
I also had an interesting chat about the end times recently with my new Seventh-Day Adventist pastor friend (they, of course have some rather distinctive & strong views about the end times), who had never heard such an idea as Mt. 24 being fulfilled, even partially, in AD 70, and wondered where anyone got that idea. On the other hand, the Adventists (a distinctive form of "historicism/futurism" in prophecy) are definitely agreed with the preterists that there are no future prophecies to be fulfilled in connection with Israel, other than Jewish people coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
Anyway, rather than pondering this on my own, I decided I'd better do what my prof said and go "to the sources". There's nothing like primary sources, and I believe Chesterton said something about tradition being "giving the dead a vote", so I wondered, "when did early Christians believe Mt. 24 would be (or was) fulfilled?" The Didache, chapter 16, contains an apocalyptic section very similar to Mt. 24, Mk 13, and Lk 21:
16:1 Watch concerning your life; let not your lamps be quenched or your loins be loosed, but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour at which our Lord cometh.
(cf. Mk 13:35,37; Mt. 24:42,44; Lk 12:35,40)
16:2 But be ye gathered together frequently, seeking what is suitable for your souls; for the whole time of your faith shall profit you not, unless ye be found perfect in the last time.
16:3 For in the last days false prophets and seducers shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate;
16:4 and because iniquity aboundeth they shall hate each other, and persecute each other, and deliver each other up; and then shall the Deceiver of the world appear as the Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands; and he shall do unlawful things, such as have never happened since the beginning of the world. (cf. Mt 24:10-12, Mk 13:22)
16:5 Then shall the creation of man come to the fiery trial of proof, and many shall be offended and shall perish; but they who remain in their faith shall be saved by the rock of offence itself. (Mt. 24:10,13)
16:6 And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first the sign of the appearance in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead (Mt. 24:30
16:7 -- not of all, but as it has been said, The Lord shall come and all his saints with him; (Mt. 24:31; I Cor. 15:52; I Thess. 4:12; Zech. 14:5; I Thess. 3:13)
16:8 then shall the world behold the Lord coming on the clouds of heaven.
(cf. Mt. 24:30)
According to Holmes (on my sidebar), pp. 247-248, dates from AD 50 to the third century have been proposed for the Didache, though the UBS Greek NT & the Nestle-Aland list it as a second century work. So it's likely that Christians after AD 70 were viewing these apocalyptic events as future events, though the uncertainties in dating the Didache mean that it isn't absolutely proven.
Another thing about the Didache - note that Chapter 1 quotes the "Sermon on the Mount" (Mt. 5ff) as if it is indeed a guide for present-day Christians (that present day being when the Didache was composed, probably in the second century). That means that the early Christians were not dispensationalists! At least not the kind that say that the Sermon on the Mount is not intended for the Church Age, but for the future Millennium (some dispensationalists divvy up the Bible in astonishing ways, listing in great detail which parts of the Bible are for our time, and which aren't).
1 Comments:
As far as what you're saying about the 70th week of Daniel being fulfilled right after Christ came in the 69th week, I see no reason not to agree with you.
As for Scripture over against extra-biblical sources, I don't quote them as authorities in doctrine. As much as I flirt with influences from Orthodoxy, etc., about the role of tradition, I'm really still a pretty good Protestant as far as looking to the Bible as the final authority.
But works such as the Didache, writings of early post-apostolic Christians, are an excellent piece of evidence of what the early Christians were thinking, and how they understood the portions of Scripture they had. Josephus is indispensible as far as historical knowledge of events c. AD 70, and I'm looking forward to "eventually" reading him extensively, which I expect to do in my Jewish Studies program. But we're looking not just at a Jewish historical question, but a Christian doctrinal one: what did Christians within one century after AD 70 believe about Mt. 24? The Didache is an excellent piece of evidence, since it was much used and quoted during that time, and the apocalyptic section is heavily dependent upon Mt. 24, etc. It looks to me, then, like many Christians at the time were looking at it as a prophecy of yet-future events. They could have been wrong, of course. The Didache is not the Bible, though a huge percentage of it consists of Bible quotations.
As to the term "Little Apocalypse", it means nothing other than that it's only one chapter long in each version we have (Mt 24, Mk 13, Lk 21). The term has no bearing on the importance of the subject matter, or what historical period is being prophesied about. It's just like "Minor Prophets", reflecting the length, not the significance, of the writing.
I'll look forward to seeing your thoughts on Daniel 12:12. To tell you the truth, I have more questions than answers about what it means, which may seem funny for someone who puts in his blog title. I agree that those who "persevere" in the verse persevere by faith. I guess what I'm saying by putting it in the blog title is that understanding this and other prophecies is a faith journey for me, one that requires perseverance, because it involves tribulation.
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