Bibliography: Early Apocalyptic Preterism (150BC-AD150)

The next line, however, begins, “Its interpretation concerns the Kittim….” The modern theory had already been propounded by interpretation by the ancient community two thousand years earlier!

 


EARLY APOCALYPTIC PRETERISM
JEWISH & CHRISTIAN WRITINGS FROM 150 B.C. TO A.D. 150
Robinson’s Dates Used When Able

FIRST PART OF THE LITERATURE SUITE:

  1. EARLY APOCALYPTIC PRETERISM (150 B.C.-A.D. 150)
  2. THE DOMINANCE OF PRETERISM (A.D. 150-1500)
  3. FREE ONLINE BOOKS  (A.D. 1500-2018)
  4. ALL PDF FILES IN THE PRETERIST ARCHIVE

SEE ALSO:


(EC) – A) Views espoused by all Christian sources during the first thousand years of church history, during which the only systematizing being done was in Catholic and Orthodox circles. B) This class includes all the earliest church fathers, historians and pseudepigraphic writers, dating back to the writings of the New Testament. C) Sources could be considered “Historicist” or “Futurist” but very rarely “Preterist” in any developed way (Eusebius would be the most likely to be considered Preterist).  (Broadest in Years, Broadest in Doctrine – First Thousand Years of Church History – Pret-related comments color-coded with “Historical Preterism” due to similarities)


PRETERISM AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
(150 B.C. – A.D. 68)


THE TRANSMISSION OF PRETERIST DOCTRINE FROM THE IMMEDIATE PRE-CHRISTIAN PERIOD: Expectation of a “Romano-Judaic Eschaton” in First Century BC/AD Judaism as Revealed in the Dead Sea Scrolls:

And we recognize that some of the blessings and curses have come, (24) those written in the Bo[ok of Mo]ses; therefore this is the End of Days (4Q397 – 399)

The Dead Sea Scrolls and other archeological finds are pouring light onto the period of time reckoned by Preterists as “the last days”: AD30-70. When fleeing Jerusalem during the Roman siege, scribes sealed numerous texts into the caves of the southwest Dead Sea area. A portion of these was first discovered in 1947, with many more finds since then. Below are excerpts from the various scrolls. They collectively teach that they lived in “the end of days” and that a ruler was coming out of the East who would rule the world. Josephus and others reckoned this figure with Roman general Vespasian, who was indeed hailed Emperor by his legions while still in Palestine. Regardless, the glory of Christ’s throne outshines that of Vespasian to this day, and shows no sign of diminishing. The “War Scroll” pits the Romans against Israel, using the term “Kittim” or “Chaldea” to refer to the Roman Empire. The “Roman-Judean” end times view expressed in the Dead Sea Scrolls is also precisely what was taught by Daniel, Jesus, the first century Christians, and is also what is believed by Preterist Christians today.

‘Kittim’ as ‘the Romans’ – This interpretation is an early example of precise preterist interpretation from the pre-Christian era. The coming destruction at the hands of a ‘heathen power’ was an ancient message, dating to before Moses’ declarations in Deuteronomy 28. This ‘heathen power’ being identified specifically as Rome (Kittim) is, stunningly, found in Septuagint Daniel and the Habakkuk Commentary, among other instances found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.  This quote from the “Habakkuk Scroll” dates “prior to 63 B.C.”:

Pesher on Habakkuk 1:6
“For, behold, I raise up the Kasdim, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the eretz, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.” Comment: “Its interpretation concerns the Kittim”

Pesher on Habakkuk 1:11
“Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.” Comment: “Interpreted, [this concerns] the commanders of the Kittim who, on the counsel of [the] House of Guilt, pass one in front of the other; one after another [their] commanders come to lay waste the earth.”

This interpretation carried into the Christian era.  In fact, Jerome changed ‘Kittim’ to ‘Romans’ in his translation.   Following that translation is a comment from the Geneva Bible:

“Kittim” in Daniel 11:30
“For the Romans shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do [his pleasure]: he shall even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.”  Comment:  Daniel 11:30 (h) That is, the Romaine power shal come – MORE ON KITTIM AT BOTTOM OF PAGE


THE IMMEDIATE PRE-CHRISTIAN ERA
(150 B.C. – A.D. 30)



FROM THE “APOSTOLIC  ERA”
AD 30 – 70



FROM THE “SILENT ERA”
70 – 150


  • Bibliography: Early Church Fathers
  • 0075: BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas
  • -0085: Shepherd of Hermas
  • 0067-100: The Odes of Solomon –  Because He is my Sun and His rays have lifted me up and His light hath dispelled all darkness from my face. In Him I have acquired eyes and have seen His holy day. I have put on incorruption through His name: and have put off corruption by His grace. Death hath been destroyed before my face: and Sheol bath been abolished by my word
  • 0070-0160: “Peter”, The Gospel of Peter (the Preaching of Peter)
  • 0100-0150: “Peter”, The Apocalypse of Peter
  • 0100-0150: “James”, The Secret Book of James – Therefore I say to you, become full and leave no place within you empty, since the Coming One is able to mock you.
  • 0100-0160: Gospel of the Ebionites
  • 0100-0160: Gospel of the Nazoreans
  • 0110: Ignatius of Antioch, Various – It is absurd to speak of Jesus Christ with the tongue, and to cherish in the mind a Judaism which has now come to an end.
  • 0150: Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew

OTHER (LIKELY) NON-CHRISTIAN WORKS FROM THIS PERIOD


A CLOSER LOOK AT PESHER HABAKKUK

  • Habakkuk 1:11 – Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god.” Comment: “Interpreted, [this concerns] the commanders of the Kittim who, on the counsel of [the] House of Guilt, pass one in front of the other; one after another [their] commanders come to lay waste the earth.

Refugees from Jerusalem’s besiegement stored numerous documents east of the city near Qumran. Also found are likely Essene sect scrolls (Calvinistic Apocalypticism). They are all of utmost significance for first century studies, and are highly preteristic — the commentaries (persherim) on Daniel and Habakkuk found among the documents remarkably identify the Romans with the apocalyptic nation referred to as “Chaldea” or “Kittim” in Numbers 24:24 and Daniel 11:30, making it the earliest known Preterist commentary (pre 68 B.C.)

This point is quite important, for if the Kittim of the Dead Sea Scrolls is to be identified with Rome, then according to their interpretation, the full scope of biblical prophecy ends with reference to Rome. This is pre-christian preterism indeed!

  • Numbers 24:24 (Balaam’s prophecy) “But ships will come from the coast of Kittim to subdue Ashur and subdue ‘Ever, but they too will come to destruction. 25 Then Bil’am got up, left and returned to his home; and Balak too went his way..”
  • Daniel 11:30 (Daniel’s prophecy) “For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do [his pleasure]: he shall even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant. [Rendered In the Latin Vulgate (A.D.405): 11:30 Et veniet super eum Trieres, et Romani: Daniel 11:30 “For the Romans shall come against him]
  • Habakkuk 1:6 (Habakkuk’s prophecy) – For, behold, I raise up the Kasdim, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the eretz, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs. (Jewish Names Bible)

The first scholar to investigate the scrolls seemed likewise excited by this possibility: “The new leather fragment now provided a first-century B.C.-A.D. testimony to the accuracy of the text as it has been preserved – Kasidim was clearly in the text used by the copyist. The next line, however, begins, “Its interpretation concerns the Kittim….” The modern theory had already been propounded by interpretation by the ancient community two thousand years earlier!” – John C. Trever, The Untold Story of Qumran

F.F. Bruce: New Testament History (Kittim is Rome) “They believed that the iniquities of the Wicked Priest and his associates would bring the judgement of God upon them. As time went on, they came to see clearly who would be the instruments of God’s judgement. God was raising up the ‘Kittim’ for this purpose, and by the ‘Kittim’, as has been said above, they probably meant the Romans. It was indeed the Romans who, by their occupation of Judaea in 63 B.C., put an end to Hasmonaean domination; but the Qumran community could see the shape of things to come before that date. They also saw that the Romans would exceed the terms of their commission and incur the divine judgement themselves because of their impiety and rapacity.”

John Dominic Crosson “The Romans were not singled out as much in their (Essene) secterian documents, although against them, in their so-called War Scroll, they were preparing to fight the ultimate apocalyptic battle. This was to take place at the end time, when Sons of Light, the members of the group, were to clash with the Sons of Darkness, the Romans, code-named the Kittim. A battle against Rome did take place eventually, when the Roman general and soon-to-be emperor Vespasian marched through the area on his way to Jerusalem in the early summer of 68 C.E. But the Qumran Essenes’ final battle did not end as the War Scroll imagined. What de Vaux labeled and archeologists still call Phase II of the site ended in fiery destruction, with Roman arrowheads scattered around the site. In their final desperate act, the members took and hid their sacred scrolls in nearby caves, rolled up in storage jars with bowls and lids, and they were not discovered again until a Bedouin shepherd stumbled upon them in 1947.” (Excavating Jesus, p. 158)

Jones, Robert C. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity (1999) ““Kittim” Commentary on Habakkuk 1:17: “This means the Kittim, who cause many to perish by the sword – youths, men, and old men; women and little children – and on the fruit of the womb have no mercy.” (Burrows, p. 367) War Scroll: And the dominion of the Kittim shall come to an end, so that wickedness shall be laid low without any remnant; and there shall be no survivor of the sons of darkness.” (Burrows, p. 390)


FROM EARLYCHRISTIANWRITINGS.COM


30-60 Passion Narrative
40-80 Lost Sayings Gospel Q
50-60 1 Thessalonians
50-60 Philippians
50-60 Galatians
50-60 1 Corinthians
50-60 2 Corinthians
50-60 Romans
50-60 Philemon
50-80 Colossians
50-90 Signs Gospel
50-95 Book of Hebrews
50-120 Didache
50-140 Gospel of Thomas
50-140 Oxyrhynchus 1224 Gospel
50-150 Apocalypse of Adam
50-150 Eugnostos the Blessed
50-200 Sophia of Jesus Christ
65-80 Gospel of Mark
70-100 Epistle of James
70-120 Egerton Gospel
70-160 Gospel of Peter
70-160 Secret Mark
70-200 Fayyum Fragment
70-200 Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
73-200 Mara Bar Serapion
80-100 2 Thessalonians
80-100 Ephesians
80-100 Gospel of Matthew
80-110 1 Peter
80-120 Epistle of Barnabas
80-130 Gospel of Luke
80-130 Acts of the Apostles
80-140 1 Clement
80-150 Gospel of the Egyptians
80-150 Gospel of the Hebrews
80-250 Christian Sibyllines
90-95 Revelation
90-120 Gospel of John
90-120 1 John
90-120 2 John
90-120 3 John
90-120 Epistle of Jude
93 Flavius Josephus
100-150 1 Timothy
100-150 2 Timothy
100-150 Titus
100-150 Apocalypse of Peter
100-150 Secret Book of James
100-150 Preaching of Peter
100-160 Gospel of the Ebionites
100-160 Gospel of the Nazoreans
100-160 Shepherd of Hermas
100-160 2 Peter
100-200 Odes of Solomon
100-200 Gospel of Eve
100-230 Thunder, Perfect Mind
101-220 Book of Elchasai
105-115 Ignatius of Antioch
110-140 Polycarp to the Philippians
110-140 Papias
110-160 Oxyrhynchus 840 Gospel
110-160 Traditions of Matthias
111-112 Pliny the Younger
115 Suetonius
115 Tacitus
120-130 Quadratus of Athens
120-130 Apology of Aristides
120-140 Basilides
120-140 Naassene Fragment
120-160 Valentinus
120-180 Apocryphon of John
120-180 Gospel of Mary
120-180 Dialogue of the Savior
120-180 Gospel of the Savior
120-180 2nd Apocalypse of James

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *