The Delay of the Parousia and the Changed Function of Eschatological Language

Abstract Although the New Testament texts show an awareness of the problems involved with the delay of the parousia, they still defend the legitimacy of the belief in its imminence. A similar pattern can also be found in other early Christian texts. The strategies for coping with and explaining the delay of the parousia change over time, and ultimately the understanding of “imminence” itself is developed. Although belief in the parousia appears to have been fundamental to early Christianity, the significance of this event is transformed from a hope of deliverance to a reason for moral exhortation.