Regnum Caelorum: Patterns of Millennial Thought in Early Christianity

by Charles E. Hill

Overview

Regnum Caelorum is a groundbreaking book that explores the largely overlooked connection in early Christian thought between understandings of the millennium and the intermediate state of the soul after death. Charles Hill traces Christian views of the soul's fate in Jewish texts, the New Testament, and in early Christian writers through the mid-third century A.D. His findings lead to a provocative new assessment of the development of Christian eschatology that corrects many misconceptions of earlier scholarly research. This second edition updates and substantially expands Hill's highly respected original work published by Oxford.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802846341
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/17/2001
Edition description:	REVISED
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.78(d)

About the Author

Associate professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

Choice
"A major contribution to the field of early Christian studies. Highly recommended."

Richard A. Muller in Westminster Theological Journal
"A stimulating piece of historial detective work and a significant and balanced reconstruction of patristic eschatological materials."

Expository Times
"A well-written and well-documented survey of millenarianism in the early church."

Brian Daley in Journal of Theological Studies
"Hill's study is abundantly and carefully documented, and is provided with a thorough bibliography covering most secondary works written over the last century that are relevant to the subject. The book is densely but lucidly written, tightly argued, learned, original, and painstakingly thorough—a model of well-focused and well-informed patristic scholarship."

Philip Rousseau in Journal of Ecclesiastical History
"The argument of the book is exciting. . . If Hill is right, Christians were distancing themselves from their Jewish brethren at the earliest opportunity and in the deepest possible way."

Stuart G. Hall in Theology
"Hill corrects familiar expositions of texts. . . Students of New Testament, church history, and systematics should take note."

From the Publisher