Archives for December 2014

The Premillennialism of Justin Martyr

Perhaps the most overtly premillennial ante-Nicene Church father was Justin Martyr.  He was a Gentile born around 114 and was martyred in 165 A.D.   He was a follower of Plato until he became a disciple of Jesus.  Justin identified the Gospel as the only true philosophy and became an evangelist, proclaiming that truth.[1]  It would […]

The Premillennialism of Papias

Alongside Polycarp, Papias was a student of the apostle John.  He was the bishop of Hierpolis in Phrygia and was martyred in 163 AD (around the same time that Polycarp was martyred).  In addition to enjoying friendship with the apostle John, Papias intimately knew several others who had been alive to interact with Jesus and […]

The Premillennialism of Barnabas

The Epistle of Barnabas was written around 100 A.D. and is attributed to one Barnabas.  Tradition identifies the writer as an Alexandrian Jew living during the time of Trajan and Hadrian.  His name may have actually been Barnabas, though it is just as likely that the epistle was named after an apostle to give it […]