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Title: Christian of Stavelot on Matthew 24:42, and the Tradition that the World Will End on a March 25th
Author(s): VAN METER, David C.
Journal: Recherches de Théologie et Philosophie Médiévales
Volume: 63    Date: 1996   
Pages: 68-92
DOI: 10.2143/RTPM.63.0.525863

Abstract :
For those who are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ in glory, the admonition articulated in Matthew 24:42 has always been of paramount importance. Not only are we counseled to remain ever vigilant, but the intellectual boundaries within which we may abide in our expectation are also carefully delineated, for it is here that Christ most firmly establishes his mandate that we profess a radical agnosticism regarding the time-tables of sacred history. Nonetheless, since the days of the Church Fathers there have been some who, for a variety of reasons, have sought to arrive at a more certain — or at least more refined — understanding of the timing of the Parousia, most often through a combination of exegesis and numerology. To a certain degree, Christian of Stavelot's comments on Matthew 24:42 must be considered among these attempts.

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