From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Mon Aug 28 1995 - 09:17:39 EDT
At 8:33 AM 8/27/95, Jan.Haugland@uib.no wrote:
> ....................... The destruction of the temple and the second coming
>would occur at the same time. Jesus is not anywhere talking about two events
>separated by many years. The whole NT is emphasising that the second coming
>would occur within the lifespan of those people he were talking to. The
>disciples asked Jesus when the "end of the age" would be. Jesus explained,
>and it all came to pass in 70AD.
I was going just to let this pass but I couldn't. While I agree that the
Synoptic gospels all have Jesus-sayings indicating that the "Coming" of the
Son of Man will take place within the lifetimes of those hearing Jesus, I
think it is a gross overstatement to say that this is the teaching of "the
whole NT," and I think there is considerable evidence indicating that in
Matthew and Luke the "Coming" is conceived as distanced from the
destruction of the temple and Jerusalem by an indefinite period of time,
one that in Luke appears to be rather lengthy, in fact. In John's gospel,
if I understand its eschatology aright, the "Coming" actually coincides
with the resurrection epiphanies of Jesus on Easter Sunday.
So could you explain, please, what you mean by saying that 'The whole NT is
emphasising that the second coming would occur within the lifespan of those
people he were talking to. The disciples asked Jesus when the "end of the
age" would be. Jesus explained, and it all came to pass in 70AD?'
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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