Preterism

[Daniel_Marsh]

What are the most detailed commentaries and books on Preterism? What are the rules of hermeneutics for Preterism?

 

[Fidelis]

From a Catholic perspective, as far as commentaries go, I’d recommend the Navarre Bible commentaries on the Book of Revelation, and The Major Prophets.

For Catholic books on this subject, I’d recommend starting with “The Lamb’s Supper” by Scott Hahn and “Rapture” by David Curie.Curie’s book is especially exhaustive.

An interesting non-Catholic book on this subject is “End Times Fiction” by Gary DeMar. I also thought Hank Hannegrafs preterist novel, “The Last Disciple” was also worth reading.

 

[Fidelis]

As far as a preterist heumenetic, I’d say it operates from several premises:

1. “Prophecy” is defined in two broad senses, secondarily and in certain events as a prediction of the future, but primarily as the proclamation of the word of God for a certain time and place. In other words, not everything (or even most of what is) said by the prophets in the prophetic books and elsewhere is a prediction of the future. Beyond that, and for most believers, the primary meaning is historical and moral.
2. Most, if not all, of the futuristic prophecies of the Old Testament, were either fulfilled in OT times or with the coming of Christ. For example, while a futurist may see the Book of Daniel as a blueprint for the end of time, preterists mostly see it as pointing to the first coming of Christ and his kingdom (see Curies book for an extensive treatment of this).
3. The Book of Revelation, the Olivet Discourse, and the references by Paul to the Parousia are seen to have been written before the destruction of Jerusalem and it is this event with which they are primarily concerned. There may be a broad moral and spiritual application to believers of other times, but at any rate, are not seen as a blow by blow blueprint for the Dipensationalist understanding of the End Times.

Hope this helps.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

I need to get some good preterist books. Since I am unemployed and living in a difficult time health wise, I can’t affoard to buy them, so off to the library I go tomorrow.