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To: blue-duncan; HarleyD; 1000 silverlings; DAVEY CROCKETT; Dr. Eckleburg; ladyinred
Justin Martyr (AD 100-165): according to Crutchfield, Justin believed in four phases of human history in God's program. The first was from Adam to Abraham; the second was from Abraham to Moses; the third was from Moses to Christ; and the fourth was from Christ to the eternal state.

Read more carefully. Actually he does not assign Justin to that group. Crutchfield writes:

It was of course true then, as now, that the basic division between the Old and New Testaments—God’s programs before and after Christ—were recognized. But it is also true that several of the fathers held to the concept of a multi-staged (or dispensational) dealing of God with humanity based loosely upon a cycle of failure and the consequent need for new revelation which aided an individual’s endeavor to please God in obedient faith. Some fathers set forth at least four such dispensations while others come very close to making nearly the same divisions proposed by modern dispensationalists. In the writings of Irenaeus, Victorinus of Petau, and Methodius, the number of dispensations is artificially restricted to four because of the quadriplex types adduced from both nature and Scripture which they felt required it.
IOW, when you scratch the surface you discover that these men arrived at a four-fold division in God's economy by spiritualizing and allegorizing the "quadriplex types adduced from both nature and Scripture". They did not arrive at such divisions by a "literal" approach to the Scriptures.

Crutchfield does not identify who he means when he says "while others come very close to making nearly the same divisions proposed by modern dispensationalists."

I didn't want you to miss that one.

54 posted on 09/11/2006 7:07:03 PM PDT by topcat54
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To: topcat54; All

Thanks much for the ping, keep them coming.


56 posted on 09/11/2006 9:27:08 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT (John 16:...33In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.")
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