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From its earliest beginnings, the Christian community looked at history in terms of a divine plan. Human beings had been created in the image of God, but were sinful and in need of redemption. In the "fullness of time," God had sent his Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth, to atone for the sins of the world. Satan's dominion was at its end. Jesus would return from heaven shortly to destroy the present, corrupt age. Although the Apostle Paul spoke of the risen Christ as dwelling within the heart of the believer, Christians nonetheless awaited the day when Jesus would be "revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God" (II Thessalonians 1:6-8; see also Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 3:17; Galatians 2:20).

This "second coming" of Christ -- often times referred to by the Greek term parousia, meaning "coming" or "presence" -- was expected to occur within the first generation of Christians. The earliest Christian writings, evangelism, and ecclesiastical structure reflected this assumption. As the years passed, however, it began to dawn on many Christians that this idea, which had been at the center of early Christian thinking, was not coming to fruition. As the first century came to a close, the Christian community began to change dramatically in order to adapt to this new situation, infusing the Church with a new focus and structure that would shape the development of Christianity for centuries to come. The delay of the parousia, then, in a very real sense, is the history of the Church.

Early Christian Apocalyptic Writings

Christian authors of the first century drew upon contemporary Jewish eschatological images and writings in discribing the parousia, thus developing their own distinctly Christian apocalyptic works. These included adaptations of the fourth book of Ezra and the Ascension of Isaiah, as well as the extremely influential Shepherd of Hermes, the Apocalypse of Peter, and many others. Two of the most influential apocalyptic writings of the early Church were eventually included in the Christian cannon of Scripture: the book of Daniel, written perhaps in the second century B.C., and the controversial book of Revelation. Indeed, the concept of an immanent coming of God was popular within the first century. In fact, many scholars agree that Jesus himself was greatly influenced by Jewish apocalyptic teachings, and expected the world to end within his lifetime.

	"Many scholars agree that Jesus himself was greatly influenced by Jewish apocalyptic teachings, and expected the world to end within his lifetime."

Later Christian writings would conclude that the end of the world -- the coming of the kingdom of God -- would include Jesus' own future return to "gather his elect from the four winds" (Mark 9:1, 13:27; also Mark 8:38).

Although the gospels warn that no one knows the exact time and date of the second coming, the early Christians certainly did not expect it to occur in the distant future. Jesus seemed to indicate that it would occur within the lifetime of those who had heard him preach, continually admonishing his audience to be alert and ready (Mark 13:32-37, Luke 12:35-37). Paul thought that the end would occur within his own lifetime, stating that "we will not all die, but we will all be changed in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" (I Corinthians 15:51-52). However, as the years passed and the end did not come, Christians began to have questions about the fate of those who had already passed-away. Paul addresses this particular point in his letter to the Thessalonians, claiming that "we who are alive . . . will by no means precede those who have died." Some even began to worry that the end would not come at all. The author of II Peter in the middle of the second century notes that "in the last days, scoffers will come . . . saying 'Where is the promise of his coming?'" But Christians should not be anxious because "with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. God is not slow about his promise."

New Questions and Developments

As the decades passed, Christians began to have additional questions, not only about the parousia, but about other theological matters. A central concern in the the first century was the proper place and role of prophecy. Although prophets and prophetesses in the first century were quite common, the Church began to suppress prophecy in the second century as the Christian community came to the conclusion that Jesus was the fulfillment of all revelation. So too, Christians began to argue whether Gentile (non-Jewish) converts should be required to follow Jewish rituals and diety laws. Paul was adamant that Gentile Christians should not have to follow Jewish customs, and devoted large parts of his letters to arguing against those who did. Since Paul expected Jesus' imminent return, his major concern was most likely simply to win as many adherents to the Christian faith as possible. Requiring Gentile converts to follow Jewish customs would have served as a unnecessary stumbling block to salvation, and may have turned non-Jews away from the faith altogether. One can only speculate that, if Paul was not in such a hurry to gain converts, things may have progressed differently. A council in Jerusalem was finally called to decide the matter, and a compromise decisions was reached.

As with theology, some Christians began to question the evolving Church structure and authority. As the Christian community grew both numerically and geographically, it became necessary for the Church to expand its leadership. Not everyone accepted the new leaders, however. Paul, for example, repeatedly had to defend his claim of apostleship (I Corinthians 9; see also II Corinthians 12:11-13; Romans 11:13, etc.). It appears that the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus originally started out as the sole leadership of the Church. Judas, the apostle who had betrayed Jesus into the hands of the civil authorities, had committed suicide. Yet, the "college of the twelve" was maintained through the initiation of a new apostle, Mathias (Acts 1:12-26). It is highly likely that the early Church, in continuing the college of the twelve, wished to maintain this particular power structure. But with the delay of the parousia, and the Church's missionary activities reaching a point where the twelve could no longer maintain direction over the local congregations, the structure was abandoned. In order to meet new needs, evangelists such as Paul and prominent leaders such as James, the brother of Jesus, were given expanded positions of authority over specific areas of the Church. The term "apostle," too, seems to have been applied much more loosely in the writings of the 50's, and positions of leadership, such as bishops, presbyters and deacons, began to emerge (Romans 16:7; I Timothy 3, etc.). With the death of many of the apostles, the power structure was inalterably changed, and the Church began to adapt to the new post-apostolic era. Power was to be vested in a larger group of bishops, with various patriarchs in major Christian centers holding the greatest prestige and influence.

While there was at least some form of Church authority from the very beginning, the formation of Christian Scripture seems to have been a rather late development. At first there does not seem to have been a need to preserve the sayings and deeds of Jesus in written form. The Galilean carpenter apparently did not write down anything on his own, and the early Church was content to pass down his sayings and deeds through oral tradition. With the cataclysmic end of the world expected to occur in the near future, and the apostles still alive to assure the accuracy of the story, there would have been little need to stop and write down the sayings. As the apostles began to die in the mid- to late first century, however, it became apparent to some of their disciples that the gospel message would have to be preserved and codified. "Sayings gospels," such as the theoretical "Q," may have been produced at a rather early date. But many scholars think the Gospel of Mark, the first of the canonical gospels, was not written until the 70's. The gospels of Matthew, Luke and John were written even later, near the end of the first and the beginning of the second century. Christian Scripture as a whole would not be officially set until the fifth century. Once again, one can only speculate that, if the early Church had seen its mission as long-term, then this process of canonization may have occurred much earlier.

As Christianity began to expand into the Greco-Roman world, emphasis on the parousia seemed to fade. In part, this can be explained simply in terms of its extended delay. However, as Christian apologists, such as Irenaeus, Ignatius, and Justin Martyr, began to focus more on Christianity's affinity with Greek philosophy -- particularly Neo-Platonism -- Jesus' second coming was given less emphasis. The idea was still considered, but given new dimensions and philosophical insights. For example, in the theology of Origen, the eschatological end of the world was interpreted in terms of a "return to God," or apocastasis. When Constantine ended persecution of Christians in the early part of the fourth century, and made Christianity a favored religion within the Roman Empire, many no longer anticipated God's triumphal return. Indeed, it had already occurred: the Empire was Christian!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think that we can say with a great deal of certainty that the delay of the parousia resulted in a fundamental change within Christianity in terms of theology, authority, and Scripture. The early Church expected Jesus to return within their generation, and operated within that assumption. As one looks at the end of the first century, however, when the apostles began to die and the need for a change from oral to written tradition emerged, the Church began to shift towards a more 'permanent' structure. To put it in more informal terms, they saw that they were in it for 'the long haul.' Church authority changed and Scripture was written and formalized. To be sure, there have been periods in Christian history since the first century when the idea of Jesus' immanent return reached near hysteric proportions (e.g., at the turn of the first millennium and during the Millerite movement in America in the late nineteenth century). Indeed, the delay of the parousia still seems to be shaping Christianity even into our own day. One can only speculate what new changes will occur as we approach the year 2000.