(Update: Based on the research and discussion below, the answer is basically Tertullian and Origen)
Book I of the Christian Sibyllines from the first few centuries AD appears to describe the foundation of the church of the Christians who follow the New Covenant, then the leading of the church by the apostles, then maybe the killing or suppression of the apostles by governments, then the defeat of the Judean rebels and looting of Judea by Rome's armies, all of which happened in the 1st century:
Phillip Long summarizes the passage this way on his Reading Acts blog:
Reading this passage made me consider whether other early Christian writings contained this concept. It's tough to say that prophecy really totally ceased in the first century, since for instance early Christians considered Melito of Sardis in the 2nd century to be a prophet.
James Ash writes about Origen's position in "The Decline of Ecstatic Prophecy in the Early Church" (http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/37/37.2/37.2.2.pdf):
In the "Cessation of the Charismata", Benjamin Warfield writes:
Unfortunately, I didn't find other early Christian writers expressing this idea of a Cessation of Prophets occurring during the Christian period.
Book I of the Christian Sibyllines from the first few centuries AD appears to describe the foundation of the church of the Christians who follow the New Covenant, then the leading of the church by the apostles, then maybe the killing or suppression of the apostles by governments, then the defeat of the Judean rebels and looting of Judea by Rome's armies, all of which happened in the 1st century:
Charlesworth ascribes the looting by the Romans in the final verse above to what occurred under Vespasian in c. 70 AD. Peter, Paul, and James had been killed earlier, in c.62-63 AD. So I get the sense that the passage means that the "prophets" ceased (eg. with the deaths of leading apostles like Paul, Peter, and James), then a Roman leader (ie. Vespasian) destroyed and looted the Temple.But when he [ie. apparently Christ] comes to light again in three days
and shows a model to men and teaches all things,
he will mount on clouds and journey to the house of heaven
leaving to the world the account of the gospel.
Named after him, a new shoot will sprout
from the nations, of those who follow the law of the Great One.
But also after these things there will be wise leaders,
and then there will be thereafter a cessation of prophets.
Then when the Hebrews reap the bad harvest,
a Roman king will ravage much gold and silver.
Phillip Long summarizes the passage this way on his Reading Acts blog:
After three days the Son of God will raise from the “house of Adonis” (i.e., Hades) and return to heaven on the clouds (376-382). The Christian church is described as a “new shoot” named after him (Christians) sprouting for the nations lead by wise leaders but with a cessation of prophets (lines 383-386). The section ends with a dire prediction of the destruction of the Jews at the hands of the Romans because they have committed an evil deed in rejecting the son of God (lines 387-400).
The Christian Interpolation – Sibylline Oracle, Book 1.324-400
Reading this passage made me consider whether other early Christian writings contained this concept. It's tough to say that prophecy really totally ceased in the first century, since for instance early Christians considered Melito of Sardis in the 2nd century to be a prophet.
James Ash writes about Origen's position in "The Decline of Ecstatic Prophecy in the Early Church" (http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/37/37.2/37.2.2.pdf):
In spite of the fact that there are no Christian prophets in Origen, there exists something not unlike the charisma of prophecy: "And there are still preserved among Christians traces of that Holy Spirit which appeared in the form of a dove. They expel evil spirits, and perform many cures, and foresee certain events (hörosi tina peri mellontön), according to the will of the Logos."139 This "foreseeing" is not called prophecy, to be sure. And the word "traces" does imply some kind of decline. But Harnack's verdict that Origen "looks back to a period after which the Spirit's gifts in the Church ceased"140 represents an exaggeration of Origen's position.
In the "Cessation of the Charismata", Benjamin Warfield writes:
Tertullian reverts to the matter. He is engaged specifically in contrasting the Apostles with their "companions," that is, their immediate successors in the church, with a view to rebuking the deference which was being paid to the Shepherd of Hennas. Among the contrasts which obtained between them, he says that the Apostles possessed spiritual powers peculiar to themselves, that is to say, not shared by their successors. He illustrates this, among other things, by declaring, "For they raised the dead."
Unfortunately, I didn't find other early Christian writers expressing this idea of a Cessation of Prophets occurring during the Christian period.
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