Chiliasm/Millenarianism (or Millennialism) refers to a set of ideas and takes its inspiration from Rev 20:1–6, where the saints who had been beheaded for their testimony to Christ (Christ, Jesus, 01: Survey) reign with him for a 1,000 years (Bietenhard, 1955). During this period Satan (Devil) is confined so that he would not deceive the nations. What is crucial about this passage is that it looks forward to a messianic reign on earth. This was a widely held view that early Christianity inherited from Jewish eschatology (Scho…
Chiliasm(3,402 words)
Cite this page
Rowland, Christopher, “Chiliasm”, in: Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity Online, General Editor David G. Hunter, Paul J.J. van Geest, Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte. Consulted online on 28 September 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2589-7993_EECO_SIM_00000607>
First published online: 2018
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