‘Taken to the Lord’: Did Pseudo-Ephraem Really Teach the Rapture?

ABSTRACT

The so-called Rapture remains a controversial subject. The main debate revolves around the doctrine of John Darby (1800–1882) who taught that Christ would transfer the church to heaven in a secret coming. Was this his own invention or had it already been taught in early Christianity, only to be recovered in later centuries? Dispensationalists Tim LaHaye, Thomas ice and Grant Jeffrey (d. 2012) claim that a sermon teaching the Rapture originated in the fourth century C.E. It was delivered by the church father Ephraem of Nisibis, but was Published soon after in the name of Pseudo-Ephraem. However, the fact that the Apocalypse of Ephraem of Nisibis was replicated centuries later by Pseudo-Ephraem has led to confusion about identities of the two persons and the dating of the manuscript. In addressing the question of the authorship of the sermon, this article examines the political and religious milieu and mind-set of Ephraem of Nisibis and Pseudo-Ephraem respectively within late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

Keywords:

• Chiliasm
• Ephraem of Nisibis
• Grant Jeffrey
• Pseudo-Ephraem
• Thomas Ice
• Tim LaHaye
• Rapture