[imardmd1]

This article pinpoints the event on the historical time line in which the "sacral society" concept quashed the Apostolic New Testament doctrinal view of eschatology for almost two thousand years, due to the many documented errors of the fallible early "church father" theologians. That effect has been partially offset by the effective reintroduction of premillennium doctrine since the mid-1800s and its incorporation in evangelical commentaries and literature.

[IronJack]

This is going to antagonize the anti-sola-scripturists.

[Rashputin]

". . .reintroductionof premillennium doctrine since the mid-1800s and its incorporation in evangelical commentaries and literature."

ROTFLOL

"Reintroduction" like the reintroduction of a whole new set of books by the "Rat With a Hat" and the writings of Ellen G White that peddle the same set of lies all the other "premillennial" hucksters and gullible sheep peddle.

Anyone who believes His Word was even partially hidden for eighteen hundred years is by definition saying Jesus Christ lied when He said the Holy Spirit would guide His sheep to all Truth and His Church would be a shining city on a hill for all to see.

Sola Yourselfa disguisred as "Scripture Alone" without fail leads to the worship of Self Alone.

[Petrosius]

So the early Church was reliable in telling us what were the books of the Bible but not in telling us what they meant?

[Petrosius]

We as evangelicals emphatically agree with Hodge that “the true method of theology… assumes that the Bible contains all the facts or truths which form the contents of theology.”

At least Hodge admits that this is only an assumption and not based on the Bible itself. Indeed it is anti-Biblical. It is only because our Lord established a teaching church founded upon the apostles that their writings, by their acceptance by the Church, are accorded the status of Scripture.

The fact that something was taught in the first century does not make it right (unless taught in the canonical Scriptures)…

The fact that there are canonical Scriptures is only because the authoritative teaching Church established by Jesus Christ had declared them so.

In the two centuries that led up to the edict, two crucial interpretive errors found their way into the church that made conditions ripe for the paradigm shift incident to the Edict of Milan. The second century fathers failed to keep clear the biblical distinction between Israel and the church. Then, the third century fathers abandoned a more-or-less literal method of interpreting the Bible in favor of Origen’s allegorical-spiritualized hermeneutic.

And by what authority does the author have to declare these errors?

[wmfights]

Good read, thanks.

[Just mythoughts]

To find later

[editor-surveyor]

>> “From a political perspective, Constantine’s Edict of Milan, issued in AD 313, constituted the formal beginning of a major paradigm shift that signaled the end of the ancient world and the beginning of the medieval period. That edict legitimated Christianity and impressed upon it the Empire’s stamp of approval.” <<

.
Lots of oatmeal there, but essentially all that Conastantine did was use the power of government to outlaw Yeshua’s Way, and replace it with his own dismal Paganism.

Everything that Coinstantine’s church holds is completely contrary to the scriptures that Yeshua constantly quoted when he would say “It is written...”

And no “Church Father” survived into the second century. Paganism and Gnosticism blended together to the point that by the early 4th century there were no church leaders remaining that were sufficiently grounded in the scriptures to offer any resistance to Constantine’s pagans.

[metmom]

Revelation 3:14-22 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

[boatbums]

It is undeniable that pagan Greek philosophy influenced many of the early church “fathers” - some for the worse. The truth is that God ALWAYS has a remnant that does not bow the knee to Baal/Rome.

[Lee N. Field]

Oh, yeah. It’s all Constantine’s fault. That gets tiresome.

[Salvation]

Now for the trtuh:

The Time Machine Challenge (Protestants / Catholics / Church Fathers)
The Apostolic Fathers, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus (Ecumenical)
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: Prayer is Answering the Word of God [Ecumenical]
On the Apostolic Fathers
Fathers vs. the Evangelicals
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: These Words are the Word of God [Ecumenical]
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: The Two Meanings of the Bible [Ecumenical]
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: Guide to the Discovery of Scripture [Ecumenical]
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: Every page of the Bible is a Hymn to Christ [Ecumenical]

The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: The Four Gospels [Ecumenical]
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: The Scriptures are one book in Christ [Ecumenical]
The Early Church Fathers on Scripture: The Nourishing Bread of Scripture [Ecumenical]
The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures: Reading Scripture with the Early Church Fathers [Ecumenical]
Fathers of the Church
Abortion and the Early Church [Fathers] (Catholic & Orthodox Caucus)
Why do Catholics always talk about the Early Church Fathers (Apostolic Fathers)?[Ecumenical]
The Church Fathers' Marian Interpretation of the Old Testament (Catholic Caucus)
Writings of the Fathers of the Church
THE CHURCH FATHERS: A DOOR TO ROME (fundamentalist warns saying they sound too Catholic)

Were the Church Fathers Closer to Protestantism Than to Catholicism?
The Faith of Our Fathers
The Early Church Fathers on the Assumption [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Look to the Church Fathers to Shed Light on Modern Problems, Writes the Pope
Origen: The Privileged Path to Knowing God Is Love
On Origen of Alexandria: He Was a True Teacher (April 25, 2007)
St. Clement of Alexandria: One of the Great Promoters of Dialogue Between Faith and Reason (April 18, 2007)
St. Irenaeus of Lyons: The First Great Theologian of the Church (March 28, 2007)
Early Church Fathers - Worship on Sabbath or Sunday
St. Justin Martyr: He Considered Christianity the “True Philosophy” (March 21, 2007)

Truly a Doctor of Unity (St. Ignatius of Antioch) (March 14, 2007)
On St. Clement of Rome -The Church Has a Sacramental, Not Political Structure (March 7, 2007)
Quotes from the Early Church Fathers
The Early Church Fathers on Baptism - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Contraception - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Justification - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on the Immaculate Conception - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Confession / Reconciliation - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on The Real Presence - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus

The Early Church Fathers on Intercession of the Saints - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Hell - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on The Primacy of Peter/Rome (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
The Early Church Fathers on The Mother of God - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Salvation Outside the Church [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Early Church Fathers on Purgatory - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on Apostolic Succession - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Early Church Fathers on (Oral) Tradition - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Early Church Fathers on The Church (Catholic Caucus)
The Early Church Fathers

[Iscool]

The lesson for us is that we must continually guard against interpreting the Bible according to current events—a point often lost on some of dispensational millennialism’s more popular proponents.

I don't agree with this, yet...

Much prophecy was given in the OT (and New) and much has come to pass, fulfilled...While no one from OT times seems to recognize there would be (at least) 2 appearances of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, it wasn't made clear that it would be 2 events, until the first one took place and Jesus left...

I believe there are things in the bible that have not and will not be revealed until those events happen and then will lead those in attendance to get back into scripture and see things we never saw...

[GiovannaNicoletta]

Excellent article imardmd1! Thanks for posting!

[narses]

imardmd1 wrote: “This article pinpoints the event on the historical time line in which the “sacral society” concept quashed the Apostolic New Testament doctrinal view of eschatology for almost two thousand years, due to the many documented errors of the fallible early “church father” theologians. That effect has been partially offset by the effective reintroduction of premillennium doctrine since the mid-1800s and its incorporation in evangelical commentaries and literature.”

So “for almost two thousand years,...” God has denied us His Word and His Church? That sounds like the odd Mormon view of the Bible.

[xzins]

I am an unabashed premillennial.

I do not think being part of a hierarchical church means that premillennialism is not present. It just means that it’s in the minority. For whatever reason, hierarchies particularly seem to gravitate toward more allegorical interpretations. Perhaps it’s because they are simply less troublesome.

My research has convinced me that premillennialism was the position of the earliest church.

I totally reject full preterism, and I’m not very fond of any partial preterism that overstates 70 AD.

[sovereigngrace]

Contrary to what many modern Dispensationalist apologists argue, the early church writers were not mainly Premillennialist. In fact, the doctrine, which seems to have had its origin in Asia Minor, was mainly limited to that area for many yrs.

The only early writers that held what modern-day Premils believe was Commodianus (Africa), Victorinus (Pettau, Hungary), Lactantius (Africa).