Regnum Caelorum: Patterns of Future Hope in Early Christianity

Did the early Christians believe that the righteous "went to heaven" at death, or did they believe a subterranean refreshment awaited the saints? Did most Christians look for a millennium on earth, a thousand-year, glorious reign of Christ to ensue upon his second coming and to precede the
last judgement, or did they cling to the hope that Christ would judge the world and distribute eternal rewards immediately upon his return? By demonstrating the links between "global" and "individual" eschatological notions in the period from the New Testament to Dionysius of Alexandria, this book
reveals two competing patterns of eschatological teaching which vied for acceptance in the fledgling Church.