# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_October 1857_S300
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

300   The Chiliasm of Certain Distinguished Church Fathers in the First Centuries.

shall no more be there children who do not attain their days, or old men who do not fulfill their years. For a hundred-year-old shall be a youth, but the hundred-year-old sinner shall die and be accursed. And they shall build houses and dwell in them themselves, and shall plant vineyards and themselves eat the fruits thereof and drink the wine: they shall not build that others may dwell, they shall not plant that others may eat. For the days of my people shall be as the days of a tree. The works of their labors shall be multiplied. My chosen ones shall not labor in vain, nor shall they beget children for a curse, for they shall be a righteous seed blessed of the Lord, and their grandchildren with them. And it shall come to pass, before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will say: what is it? Then wolves and lambs shall feed together, and the lion shall eat chaff like an ox, but the serpent earth like bread. They shall not act wickedly, nor suffer harm on my holy mountain, says the Lord." — In these words, I say, we see the thousand years mystically indicated, because it is said therein: "For the days of my people shall be as the days of a tree, the works of their labors shall be multiplied." For since it was said to Adam that on the day he ate of the tree he would also die, we know that he did not complete a thousand years. We also know that that saying, the day of the Lord is as a thousand years, belongs here. And a certain man among us, whose name was John, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, foretold in the Revelation which was shown him that those who believe in our Christ would spend a thousand years in Jerusalem, and that thereafter the general and eternal resurrection of all together and the judgment would take place. This our Lord also said, that they shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, but shall be like the angels, as children of God of the resurrection."

It is easy to see that Justin wrongly applies to his thousand-year kingdom biblical passages that treat of the regnum gloriæ.

(The chiliasm of Irenaeus, which is especially sensual, we unfortunately cannot present in his own words, which alone would suit our purpose, since his works are not yet in our library.)

Tertullian († 120; he was formerly an orator and advocate, after his conversion a presbyter at Carthage, but went over to Montanism about 201) says adv. Marc. III, 24: We confess a kingdom promised to us again on earth, but before heaven, in another condition, namely after the resurrection, for a thousand years, in the city of Jerusalem prepared by God and come down from heaven, which the apostle also designates as our mother that is above; and in declaring that our politeuma, that is, our citizenship, is in heaven, he reckons this to be an altogether heavenly city. Ezekiel also knew this city and John saw it, and the word of the new prophetess, who belongs to our faith (the Montanist), also bears witness to it."