Historicism (Christian eschatology)
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Historicism in Christian eschatology is a school of interpretation of the eschatological prophecies of Daniel, Revelation and other passages are seen as finding literal earthly fulfillment through the history of the church age, and especially in relation to the Protestant- Catholic conflicts of the Reformation. A distinct feature of Historicism, which makes it very controversial, is the identification of the Antichrist (1 and 2 John), the Beast (Revelation 13), the Man of sin or Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2) and the Whore of Babylon (Revelation chapter 17) with the Roman Catholic Church, the Papal system and each successive Pope himself (a common position held by protestants in the reformation, which is not prevalent today). The day-year principle, which is unique to historicism, is used to make this assertion.
One famous proponent of historicism, for whom eschatology informed on politics, is Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland and Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Paisley's party is the largest in the region, and many believe that his political philosophy based on his eschatological view was one of the major exacerbations of the political violence that prevailed for so long.
Seventh-day Adventist theology utilizes a form of historicism.
Historicism stands in contrast to Preterism, Futurism and Idealism.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Jon Paulien's articles The End of Historicism? Reflections on the Adventist Approach to Biblical Apocalyptic - part 1, part 2 (PDF) in the Journal of the Adventist Theological Society.
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