Editing Hippolytus of Rome (section)

== Eschatology ==
Hippolytus is an important figure in the development of [[Christian eschatology]]. In his biblical compendium and topical study ''On Christ and the Antichrist'' and in his ''Commentary on the Prophet Daniel'' Hippolytus gave his interpretation of the second advent of Christ.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1583543 |jstor=1583543 |title=The Delay of the Parousia in Hippolytus |last1=Dunbar |first1=David G. | journal=Vigiliae Christianae |date=1983 |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=313-327 |doi=10.1163/157007283X00205}}</ref>

With the onset of persecutions during the reign of [[Septimius Severus]], many early Christian writers treated topics of apocalyptic eschatology. ''On Christ and the Antichrist'' is one of the earliest works. It is thought Hippolytus was generally influenced by [[Irenaeus]].<ref>Dunbar, David G.; ''The Eschatology of Hippolytus of Rome'', (Ann Arbor, University Press, 1979)</ref> However, unlike Irenaeus, Hippolytus focuses on the meaning of prophecy for the Church in his own time. Of the dogmatic works, ''On [[Christ]] and the [[Antichrist]]'' survives in a complete state and was probably written about 202.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Hippolytus follows the long-established usage in interpreting Daniel's seventy prophetic weeks to be weeks of literal years. Hippolytus gave an explanation of Daniel's paralleling prophecies of chapters 2 and 7, which he, as with the other fathers, specifically relates to the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. His interpretation of events and their significance is Christological.<ref name="Daley">[https://books.google.com/books?id=S6NOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA39 Daley, Brian; ''The Hope of the Early Church - A Handbook of Patristic Eschatology'', CUP, 1991] {{ISBN|9780521352581}}</ref>

Hippolytus did not subscribe to the belief that the [[Second Coming]] was imminent.<ref name="Cummings">[https://books.google.com/books?id=pkVCYrN8tL4C Cummings, Owen F., ''Eucharistic Doctors - A Theological History'', Paulist Press, 2005] {{ISBN|9780809142439}}</ref> In his commentary on Daniel he criticizes those who predict the Second Coming in the near future and then says that six thousand years must pass from Creation before the Second Coming. He also says that Christ was born 5500 years after Adam, so 500 years have to pass from the birth of Christ "to the consummation of the six thousand years, and in this way the end will be".<ref>"Απο γενεσεως ουν Χριστου δει ψηφιζειν πεντακοσια ετη τα επιλοιπα εις συμπληρωσιν των εξακισχιλιων ετων, και ουτως εσται το τελος" [https://web.archive.org/web/20101208010347/http://www.bbaw.de/bbaw/Forschung/Forschungsprojekte/gcs/bilder/daniel.pdf Του Αγιου Ιππολυτου Εις Τον Δανιηλ], {{cite book |last1=Hippolytus |title=Commentary on Daniel |url=https://www.preteristarchive.com/Books/pdf/0205_hippolytus_commentary-on-daniel_2010.pdf |access-date=22 June 2020 |archive-date=31 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231092425/http://preteristarchive.com/Books/pdf/0205_hippolytus_commentary-on-daniel_2010.pdf |url-status=dead}} Book 4, Paragraphs 23 and 24.</ref>