6
figure into the beliefs of the early church concerning chiliasm, the church fathers believed
that there was more of a scriptural basis for the belief than just Revelation 20. This will
become clear later as the early church writers reveal their thoughts on the matter.
To summarize then, chiliasm is essentially a synonym for millenialism, the belief
that Christ will return to earth and rule a literal kingdom for a one thousand years at some
future time.
Perspectives on Chiliasm
In the early centuries of the Christian church, chiliasm was a common but not
universally held belief. While some held and promoted it, others opposed it. Some of
those who held the view were heroes, and others who did were perceived as villains. This
has proven true through the ages of church history even to the present.
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The Perspective of Proponents
Proponents of chiliasm had a high level of agreement concerning the basis for
their belief. In reading the fathers, there is are two clear tendencies that emerge as the
basis for faith in chiliasm.
The first tendency is the assumption of a parallel between the original creation of
the world in six days and the consummation of world history in six "days". The
5
J.D. Douglas, Ed., The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974)
6
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, p.966 cites Isaac Newton's
sympathies toward Millenarianism. He wrote of the subject in his work Observations on
the Prophesies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John , published posthumously in
1733. One the other hand, the Jehovah's Witnesses sect, commonly recognized as a cult
by most Christians, has some common belief with the ancient millenarians.