The Return of Jesus in Early Christianity

by John T. Carroll, Alexandra R. Brown (Editor), Claudia J. Setzer (Editor)

In The Return of Jesus in Early Christianity, John T. Carroll and three other scholars describe the origins of this hope in ancient Christian writings and its persistence to the present. Chapters on the New Testament explore the theme of the parousia, or return, of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, in the writings of Paul (a chapter by Alexandra R. Brown), in the Johannine writings, and in the Catholic Epistles. Jeffrey S. Siker describes Christian hope for Jesus' return in the two hundred years after the last New Testament books were written. Claudia J. Setzer relates the Christian hope to Jewish messianic expectations. A final chapter surveys key developments form Augustine through the Reformation to North American developments. Carroll concludes that even at the end of the twentieth century, Christian theology is irreducibly eschatological.

236 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000