Apropierea și întârzierea parousiei la părinții ante- și post-niceeni – partea I

Nearness and Delay of Parousia in Ante- and Post-Nicene Fathers – Part I

Abstract

Nearness and delay of the parousia for ante and post-Nicene fathers, part one, is an article about how the apostolic and the early Church Fathers perceive the second coming of Jesus in terms of closeness and delay. As strange as it may seem, most solutions to the postponement of the parousia in the 19th and the 20th centuries did not delve into these ancient authors. But they deserve attention since they were the first to face the non-appearance of Jesus at the expected time. Some of the reasons why before Nicaea it was believed that the end is near include: the testimony of scripture, tradition, the signs of the times, persecutions, and sectarian proclamations. The delay was also seen possible due to ideas such as the chiliasm, assumed allegorical language of scripture, and the necessity of maturation of good and evil.