The
Problem with Preterism
It
is Built on the Sand of the Neronic Date
Ask
a preterist about preterism and he will talk about Nero, the
fall of Jerusalem and Matthew 24.
But
ask an historicist about preterism and he will argue that the
book of Revelation was written in A.D. 96 during the reign of
Emperor Domitian.
The
Early Fathers Agreed
John
was Banished by Domitian
"Early
Christian tradition is almost unanimous in assigning the
Apocalypse to the last years of Domitian." Henry Barclay
Swete
Two
Persecutions
Comparison
Provides Key Insights
The
persecutions under Nero and Domitian differed in scope. Nero's
persecutions were limited to Rome whereas Domintian persecuted
Christians throughout the empire.
Further,
there is no historical record that Nero banished
anyone. We read of imprisonment, confiscation, hunting to
death with dogs, crucifixion, beheading, drenching with oil
and then setting on fire but, banishment is never mentioned.
The
First Seal of Revelation
The
Golden Age of the Roman Empire
And
I
saw a white horse:
and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto
him: and he
went forth conquering,
and
to conquer. Rev 6:2
The
Roman Empire had been in a steady decline until John completed
writing the book of Revelation. Then Domitian was
assassinated. Suddenly its fortunes changed under the
leadership of "the five good emperors."
The
first seal's symbols signify victory and prosperity which no
one could have foreseen before Nerva became emperor. Click on
the link below to see how dramatically John's prophecy was
fulfilled.
The
Cambridge "Greats" Behind the Neronic Date
Henry
Barclay Swete vs. the Big Three
"Notwithstanding
the external and internal evidence which supports the
Domitianic date, the great Cambridge theologians of the last
century were unanimous in regarding the Apocalypse as a work
of the reign of Nero." Henry Barclay Swete.
Henry
Barclay Swete (1835-1917) was Regius Professor of Divinity at
Cambridge. He was considered an authority on the dating of the
Apocalypse.
The
great Cambridge theologians Swete refers to above are the
familiar trio Lightfoot, Hort and Westcott. These men
were very influential in the generation before him at
Cambridge and he knew them well.
In
1911 he published a special edition of his classic Commentary
on the Apocalypse to refute Dr. Hort on the date of the
Apocalypse. Swete acknowledges the weight of the "threefold
cord of scholarly opinion" of these men but makes three
interesting observations:
They
had not done any serious work on the subject.
They
did not challenge the testimony of the early fathers.
Their
arguments on "internal evidence" were not
substantiative.
Known
for his modesty, Swete nevertheless took a bold stand for the
Domitian dating while downplaying the "authority" of
his Cambridge predecessors.
Swete,
Henry Barclay, Commentary on the Apocalypse, Macmillan,
London, 1911, 3rd ed., pp 99-110.
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