Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/568

 550 MILLENNIUM MILLEPORE liimself a believer in the millennium, knew many orthodox Christians who were not ; yet none of the apostolic fathers openly opposed it. The first opponent of whom we know was the Roman presbyter Caius, who designated the doctrine as an invention of the arch-heretic Cerinthus. Origen first gave a more rational idea of the millennium, which according to him would consist in the reign of Christian truth throughout the world, and in the volun- tary submission paid to it by all secular pow- ers. This view was upheld by the Alexandrine school. Still the old view continued to find advocates during the 3d century, among whom Tertullian, Nepos, bishop of Arsinoe, and Me- thodius, bishop of Tyre, were prominent. In the 4th century, though it had still many ad- herents among the people, it found no longer any advocate of note among the Christian writers ; yet Jerome, who did not believe in it himself, did not dare to condemn it. From the 5th century millenarianism began to die out. It was temporarily revived, toward the close of the 10th century, by the popular be- lief in the approaching end of the world, and at later periods by the abbot Joachim de Floris, the Spirituals, the Apostolic Order, Peter de Oliva, and other heretics of the middle ages ; but it never regained great strength. The ref- ormation of the 16th century gave a new im- pulse to millenarian views. Common opinion identified the pope with Antichrist, and re- garded the expected downfall of papacy as foreshadowing the approach of the millennium. But when the Anabaptists assumed about 1534 to erect the new Zion, both the Lutheran and Reformed churches declared themselves against this caricature of the old Christian doctrine. Yet it was preached with enthusiasm by many sects and theologians of the 16th and 17th centuries, among whom were Weigel and the Moravian bishop Comenius in Germany, Jurieu in France, the Labadists in the Netherlands, and Joseph Mede and Jane Lead (died 1704) in England.^-Johann Albrecht Bengel reintro- duced millenarianism into Protestant theology, where it has ever since been advocated by many prominent theologians. The ingenious prelate Oetinger (died 1782) brought it into connection with his favorite theosophic views. Hahn (founder of a pietistic sect in Wurtem- berg), Stilling, Lavater, and Hass gave it a wide circulation among the lower classes of the people in Germany and Switzerland. -With Rothe (Theologische EtJiik, vol. ii.) millena- rianism forms an organic link in his theo- sophic system. In opposition to the " spiritual- ism " of modern exegesis, it has been advoca- ted, with exegetical arguments, by Hoffmann, Delitzsch, Kurtz, Hebart, and others; while Thi.Tsch, Nitzsch, P. Lange, and Ebrard sup- ported it from a dogmatical as well as an exe- gL'tk-al standpoint. Svedenborg taught that the last judgment took place in 1757, and that the New church or church of the New Jeru- salem had actually been formed both in heaven and on earth. After Germany, England and America have been the chief fields of modern chiliasm. The " Catholic Apostolic Church," organized by Edward Irving, laid great stress on the belief that the kingdom of glory was very near. Millenarian views lie at the founda- tion of Mormonism, the people who hold that belief calling themselves " Latter Day Saints " in reference to the near approach of the last day. The sect commonly called Shakers style themselves the "Millennial Church." In the United States a great agitation was called forth by the preaching of William Miller, who sought to prove from the Scriptures that the second advent of Christ would occur about 1843. He not only found numerous believers in most denominations, but also occasioned the organ- ization of a new denomination of Advent- ists. One of the most noted of recent millena- rians is the Englishman Dr. John Gumming, who placed the end of the " present dispensa- tion" in 1866 or 1867, and then in 1868. In November, 1870, he published " The Seventh Vial," to prove that all the prophecies con- cerning the millennium have been fulfilled. Millenarian views in various periods of the Christian church differ widely respecting most points, except the duration of the millennium, which nearly all of them fix at 1,000 years. The beginning of the millennium was fixed by Hippolytus at the year 500, by Jurieu at 1785, by Bengel at 1836, and by others at other dates. Many agree in expecting it between 1879 and 1887. Commonly the earth is believed to be the only place of the millennium, and Jerusa- lem its central point of union. Many still hold the view of Origen (see above), and of Marten- sen (Christliche Dogmatilc, 1850), that it de- notes the period of highest earthly prosperity of the church in the spiritual return of Christ to the earth. A good history of millenarian- ism in the Christian church is still a desid- eratum, as the works published do not ex- haust the subject. See Corrodi, Kritische Ge- schicJite des Chiliasmus (Frankfort, 1781); and D. T. Taylor, " The Voice of the Church on the Coming and Kingdom of the Redeemer: a History of the Doctrine of the Reign of Christ upon Earth," revised by Hastings (2d ed., Peacedale, R. I., 1855). MILLEPEDE. See CENTIPEDE. MILLEPORE (millepora, Linn.), a genus of hydroid medusae. The animals live in com- munities, which take on various arborescent and incrusting shapes ; they deposit much car- bonate of lime in their tissues, so that the medusa stock is in outward appearance almost solid, with minute pores on the surface which contain the animals. A cross section of this stony skeleton shows that the minute individ- uals of the community constantly grow out- ward in the direction of their longitudinal axis, forming as they proceed long calcareous tubes, which are so intimately cemented together as to make a compact mass. Across these tubes, at short intervals, are formed little transverse