> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Bunbury
> Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 1999 9:24 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: RE: history and apocalyptic prophecy - was Book of Revelation
> topics
>
>
> At 12:19 PM 10/6/99 -0400, Michael F. Hynes wrote:
> >All we can do is have faith that at the
> >level of the transcendent our experiences do indeed have
> meaning. The locus
> >classicus of all this is R.A. Markus, Saeculum: History and
> Society in the
> >Theology of St. Augustine (Cambridge, 1970). Augustine's views won out in
> >large measure because of the power and cogency of his argument.
>
> And perhaps in small measure because historicist apocalypticism no longer
> served an institutionalized church that enjoyed increasing social
> dominance?
>
> Tom Long
>
Tom, it may be true that Augustine's position ultimately served
institutional interests, but the issue here is the motivations of
individuals who made up the "institutionalized church." Now that it served
these interests (and for the sake of argument I'll concede the point) may be
clear from 20-20 hindsight but was by no means obvious to those who adopted
the Augustinian position, unless, of course, they happened to possess a
crystal ball. What they were in a position to do was to evaluate the
relative merits of Augustine's argument and these were considerable. I know
of no one who adopted rather cynically Augustine's reasoning because it
served some institutional interest. Perhaps you can offer evidence (besides
hindsight) that this was not the case.
Mike
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