Agustine: a Dispensationalist? or an Amillennialist?

Oldfish said:

Hi everyone,

Agutsine has always been considered playing a key rule on the development of Amillennialism, some even portray him as the father of Amillennialism, such as:



However, according to my recent study of his The City of God, which is reconized as the key work that shows how Augustine turned from Despensationalism to Amillennialism. The key passage is XX.7, as the following:



therefore, he believed:



Millennium as the Kingdom of Christ shall not be taken literally, but spirutually, the '1000 years' or Millennium represents 'the whole duration of this world' rather than 1000 years.

If so, as our understanding of Eschotology, one who conffesses Amillennialism will also denies Dispensationalism and embrasses Covenant Theology. However, at the end of the City of God, on XXII.30, Agustine proclaimed:



Well, according to this passage, Augustine recognized '8' ages/dispensations: from Adam to Deluge, from Deluge to Abraham, from Abraham to David, David to captivity, captivity to birth of Christ, the Present age, Sabath (Millennium) and an eternal eighth day. This division clearly belongs to the Classical Dispensationalism.

So, I am quite confused, shall Agustine be classified as 'Amillennialist Covenant Theologian' or 'Amillennialist Dispensationalist'?

Any thought?

Thanks,

Peter

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From my understanding Amillennialist Covenant Theologian.

Oldfish said:

Well, by reading the City of God, he seems to be Dispensationalist. This really bothers me.

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Dispensationalism was a bit different then . Futurism has now been woven into it.

Oldfish said:

Any thought?

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So nothing good comes reading those works.

Oldfish said:

Hi everyone,

Agutsine has always been considered playing a key rule on the development of Amillennialism, some even portray him as the father of Amillennialism, such as:



However, according to my recent study of his The City of God, which is reconized as the key work that shows how Augustine turned from Despensationalism to Amillennialism. The key passage is XX.7, as the following:



therefore, he believed:



Millennium as the Kingdom of Christ shall not be taken literally, but spirutually, the '1000 years' or Millennium represents 'the whole duration of this world' rather than 1000 years.

If so, as our understanding of Eschotology, one who conffesses Amillennialism will also denies Dispensationalism and embrasses Covenant Theology. However, at the end of the City of God, on XXII.30, Agustine proclaimed:



Well, according to this passage, Augustine recognized '8' ages/dispensations: from Adam to Deluge, from Deluge to Abraham, from Abraham to David, David to captivity, captivity to birth of Christ, the Present age, Sabath (Millennium) and an eternal eighth day. This division clearly belongs to the Classical Dispensationalism.

So, I am quite confused, shall Agustine be classified as 'Amillennialist Covenant Theologian' or 'Amillennialist Dispensationalist'?

Any thought?

Thanks,

Peter

Click to expand...

Augustine was a pre-mil at first, later he became amil. I believe he was influenced by Oregon on this (whether he was right or not is for another discussion).

Oldfish said:

Hi everyone,

Agutsine has always been considered playing a key rule on the development of Amillennialism, some even portray him as the father of Amillennialism, such as:



However, according to my recent study of his The City of God, which is reconized as the key work that shows how Augustine turned from Despensationalism to Amillennialism. The key passage is XX.7, as the following:



therefore, he believed:



Millennium as the Kingdom of Christ shall not be taken literally, but spirutually, the '1000 years' or Millennium represents 'the whole duration of this world' rather than 1000 years.

If so, as our understanding of Eschotology, one who conffesses Amillennialism will also denies Dispensationalism and embrasses Covenant Theology. However, at the end of the City of God, on XXII.30, Agustine proclaimed:



Well, according to this passage, Augustine recognized '8' ages/dispensations: from Adam to Deluge, from Deluge to Abraham, from Abraham to David, David to captivity, captivity to birth of Christ, the Present age, Sabath (Millennium) and an eternal eighth day. This division clearly belongs to the Classical Dispensationalism.

So, I am quite confused, shall Agustine be classified as 'Amillennialist Covenant Theologian' or 'Amillennialist Dispensationalist'?

Any thought?

Thanks,

Peter

Click to expand...

Yes, St. Augustine sort of "fathered" historical Amillennialism. And he likely drew upon Origen and other teachers of the symbolic method of interpreting Scripture.

Augustine obviously viewed the sequence of "periods" in history as extended "days," or "dispensations." These "days" seem to be almost literal, but partly symbolic in nature.

But Augustine's Amillennialism is not to be confused with modern Dispensationalism, created by John N. Darby. Darby had somewhat symbolic "eras" too, but much more a literal thousand year period for the 7th and final Millennium. Darby saw a literal thousand year Millennium in the future, after Christ returns, bringing the Israeli nation into her final rest.

In my view, very early on, those who followed the Apostle John began to interpret the "Millennium" literally, as a future thousand years following the Return of Christ. Augustine, on the other hand, seems to have 8 periods that are not strictly thousand year periods, with the 8th period representing our "eternal rest." This eternal rest, though, is not a literal thousand year period.

I haven't studied it out because I read City of God many years ago. Amillennialism tends to view the current NT Age as the biblical "Millennium," representing a 7th Day period of "rest." We rest in Christ's works, in the present NT age, so that we obtain heaven *through him.* It is not our works that achieves this redemption.

However, I'm a Premillennialist. I respect other views nonetheless.

A failed man.

Oldfish said:

Well, by reading the City of God, he seems to be Dispensationalist. This really bothers me.

Click to expand...

Dispensationalism didn't exist back then. It didn't exist until the 1800s. 14 centuries after Augustine lived.

What you're seeing is an aspect of Augustine's allegorical reading of Genesis 1, in which the days of creation are, in part, viewed as a way to divide history. That's an old idea, and was pretty common in antiquity. Often with the idea that each day is a thousand years; and that the whole history of the world will be divided into a period of six thousand years.

This idea lost traction over time. And it's not Dispensationalism.

-CryptoLutheran

Only if we take a black marker to our bible and to what Jesus taught could one come to the conclusion that the Sabbath was not a commandment and not kept by everyone we are told to follow in the NT. In doing so one would be going against God’s Word Pro 30:5-6 and following “self” or ‘traditions of man’ and not the path we are told to take Psa 119:105 Mat 15:3-14.

Post in thread 'The Church started in the wilderness'
The Church started in the wilderness

Forgetting the one commandment that God said Remember-that is holy and blessed by God is not a doctrine of Christ. And if its not of Christ I would be very concerned. No wonder why we are told to come out of our false teachings Rev 18:4 before its too late, because what Christ deems righteous Psa 119:172 Isa 56:1-6 stays righteous Psa 119:142 Rev 22:11