Revelation’s Date and Irenaeus’ Statement
In the previous posts I have been focusing on Revelation’s date. I believe it was written prior to the destruction of the temple. John was in fact writing about that event. Consequently, postmillennialism is not rebutted by pointing to Revelation’s great judgment scenes.
Undoubtedly the most commonly used and strongest external objection to the early date of Revelation is the famous statement by Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 180) in book 5 of his Against Heresies. This statement is very early and seems clear and to the point. It occurs at the end of a section in which he is dealing with the identification of Revelation’s “666,” which Irenaeus applies to the Antichrist:
We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign. [1]
Nevertheless, several problems reduce the usefulness of this statement for late date advocacy.
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