John Lightfoot Preterism

[arapahoepark]

Lightfoot has been a major influence in Preterism with his commentary on the NT through the Talmud. I am wondering if there was any debate on this at Westminster Assembly with him or was it pretty much regarded as non controversial that the Olivet discourse was (mostly) was referring to 70 AD there? I have seen a sermon or two in which he regards Rev. 21-22 as referring to the church age that has come (as opposed to new heaven and earth). He seems to affirm a second coming and that Revelation is to be read as the church age though.

 

[MW]

Lightfoot can be difficult to label because he could make distinctions that others would not make and he did not provide a system for his views. He could give a preterist interpretation and still hold to an historicist position. On Rev. 20 he seemed to give a partially idealist and partially historicist view. The church-interpretation of the new earth had been popularised by Mede. It is not uncommon among the Puritans, but it didn't seem to win the day either.

 

[arapahoepark]

Lightfoot can be difficult to label because he could make distinctions that others would not make and he did not provide a system for his views. He could give a preterist interpretation and still hold to an historicist position. On Rev. 20 he seemed to give a partially idealist and partially historicist view. The church-interpretation of the new earth had been popularised by Mede. It is not uncommon among the Puritans, but it didn't seem to win the day either.

Thank you very much!
Did he discuss eschatology at the Westminster Assembly (is that in the minutes?) Any debate on it? Just curious.

 

[MW]

Thank you very much!
Did he discuss eschatology at the Westminster Assembly (is that in the minutes?) Any debate on it? Just curious.

There is discussion on the church and its government and its relation to the civil magistrate (which includes elements of what we now call inaugurated eschatology), but nothing of which I am aware with regard to preterism, historicism, etc. It may be there but I haven't noticed it. The Fast sermons before Parliament have a number of interesting apocalyptic features which were characteristic of the times. These have not made their way into the Confession or Catechisms, which I take to be a good thing.