The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3
IV. Croly-Confines 1260 Years to Papacy (533-1793)
The first strong voice to be lifted against the Futurist innovation was that of GEORGE CROLY (1780-1860), Irish author and expositor. He was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he distinguished himself as a classical scholar and public speaker. After receiving his M.A. degree he was ordained in 1804, and installed in a curacy in northern Ireland. The obscurity of his situation was distasteful to him, however, and he moved to London and devoted himself chiefly to literary pursuits. He became critic writer on the New Times and was a contributor to the Literary Gazette and Black-wood’s Magazine. PFF3 544.1
The editor of the Gazette sought to procure Croly a church preferment, but his efforts failed, because Croly was confounded with a converted Roman Catholic priest of nearly the same name. Croly accordingly continued to devote himself to literature, producing Paris in 1815, Angel of the World, May Fair (1820), Tales of St. Bernard, (1822), and many others. His collected poems were published in 1830. 49 But his scholarly commentary on The Apocalypse of St. John was issued in the midst of it all-in 1827. Later, in 1848, as rector of the Church of St. Steven, Walbrook, he wrote Popery the Antichrist. In this, Croly took note of the serious attempt “of late” to “take the brand of Antichrist from Popery” by applying it either to the past or the future. 50 Then he epitomized the main arguments of his larger work. PFF3 544.2
Croly’s Apocalypse of St. John, bore the comprehensive subtitle, “Prophecy of the Rise, Progress, and Fall of the Church of Rome; the Inquisition; the Revolution of France, the universal war; and the final triumph of Christianity.” The Preface-stated, “Christianity declared the one true Mediator; Popery was its corruption, by substituting many false mediators for the true.” 51 Here are the leading features of the Croly ex position. PFF3 544.3
1. SLAYING OF Two WITNESSES ENDS 1260 YEARS
Croly’s interest was aroused by the slaying of the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11, in connection with the “abjuration of religion by a government and people,” which event was to come at the conclusion of the 1260 years. This he believed to have occurred in 1793. Reckoning back 1260 years, he was brought to 533. Noting Bishop Newton and Dr. Mann of Charter-House, he turned to Baronius and found “Justinian’s grant of supremacy to the pope” formally fixed to that period, while the subsequent “grant of Phocas,” in 606, was “nothing beyond confirmation of the grant of Justinian.” 52 PFF3 545.1
2. 1260 YEARS PLACED FROM 533 TO 1793
Croly observes that the reason for the frequent adoption of the 606 date “seemed to be its convenient coincidence with the rise of Mahometanism.” 53 Laying aside the commentators, Croly tied his interpretation to this 533-1793 placing of the 1260-year epoch. Later he found that many others had done the same. 54 PFF3 545.2
3. MAKES SEALS, TRUMPETS, AND VIALS CONTEMPORANEOUS
Croly makes the seals, trumpets, and vials “nearly contemporaneous,” and excludes the Greek Empire and the Mohammedan invasion. 55 The ten days of persecution in the Smyrnian period are the “ten years’ persecution” from 303 to 313, as “days are in prophetic language years.” 56 The seals spread over the entire Christian Era, 57 with the third seal (the black horse and the balances) as “the prophecy of the popedom” from the sixth century on, 58 and the fourth seal as the French Revolution, climaxing in 1793. 59 The sixth seal is set forth as “the prophecy of the universal war. 60 Beginning the trumpets, however, in the thirteenth century, Croly confines them to the papal affliction of the church. 61 PFF3 545.3
4. Two WITNESSES THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
Croly denominates Revelation 10 as “The Propagation of the Gospel,” and interprets the “little Book” as the Bible. 62 He notes the various predictions of the 1260-year period, 63 and considers the Two Witnesses the Old and New Testaments. 64 He gives details and documentation for the 533 date-the circumstances and specifications of the Justinian letter to Pope John, the letter to Epiphanius, Archbishop of Constantinople, announcing the primacy of the Roman bishop, and the supporting statements of the rest of the Code. 65 These conclusions follow: PFF3 546.1
“The supremacy of the Pope had by those mandates and edicts received the fullest sanction that could be given by the authority of the master of the Roman world. But the yoke sat uneasily on the Bishop of Constantinople; and on the death of Justinian the supremacy was utterly denied.” 66 PFF3 546.2
“That Phocas repressed the claim of the Bishop of Constantinople is beyond a doubt. But the highest authorities among the civilians and annalists of Rome spurn the idea that Phocas was the founder of the supremacy of Rome; they ascend to Justinian as the only legitimate source, and rightly date the title from the memorable year 533.” 67 PFF3 546.3
Croly recites the events of 1793, which set aside the pro visions of 533, giving a detailed depiction. 68 PFF3 546.4
5. FRANCE THE TENTH PART; THREE AND A HALF DAYS(1793-97)
The “political earthquake” of Revelation 11, and the fall of the “tenth part” of the city, is applied to the upheaval in France. 69 And the era of the stupendous triumph of the Bible is portrayed, after the three and a half years of its repression in France, “from November, 1793 till June, 1797.” 70 PFF3 546.5
6. SYMBOLS OF TRUE AND FALSE CHURCH
Croly calls Revelation 12 “the vision of the church” under pagan and then papal persecution. 71 During the latter the church is fed 1260 years in the wilderness place prepared of God, 72 or from 533 to 1793. The floods are persecution, under the crusades and the Inquisition. 73 In Revelation 13 the Papacy is “shown in its full action,” 74 receiving the ancient capital of paganism and its power and authority. The two-horned beast is set forth as the Inquisition under the Dominican order. 75 with the number 666 as the year of the birth of the Inquisition, i.e., A.D. 533 + 666 -1198, when the Inquisition was launched. 76 PFF3 546.6
7. TEN HORNS NAMED AND DATED
The ten horns are those named by Machiavelli and Bishop Lloyd-the Huns (356), Ostrogoths (377), Visigoths (378), Franks (407), Vandals (407), Sueves and Alans (107). Burgundians (407), Heruli and Turingi (476), Saxons and Angles (476), and Lombards (526), 77 according with the kings of Daniel 7. PFF3 547.1
8. ANGELIC MESSAGES ARE STEPS TO TRIUMPH
Revelation 14 is portrayed as “the church triumphant.” 78 The angelic messages portray the steps by which the triumph is accomplished -the Bible evidence that “the time of the final catastrophe is at hand, ‘the hour of His judgment is come.’” 79 PFF3 547.2
9. FALL OF PAPAL ROME PORTRAVED
Revelation 17 portrays the “fall of papal Rome.” 80 The fallen woman is “corrupted Christendom,” “stained and intoxicated with the blood of the people of God.” 81 The seven heads are the “seven hills” of Rome, and the ten kingdoms are contemporaneous, and shall turn against popedom. 82 The thousand years is “entirely future,” 83 with Revelation 21 and 22 as “the church triumphant.” 84 PFF3 547.3
The remaining portion of the treatise (pages 286-470) is historical, tracing first the pagan persecutions, 85 then the barbarian invasions, 86 and next the details of the rise and dominance of the Papacy. 87 Then follow details of the Inquisition, 88 and lastly the French Revolution. 89 In this, much detailed data of importance is given, with the climax in the seizure of Pius VI in February, 1798, his banishment, and his death in exile. 90 Such was the scope of this impressive treatise by a lawyer-preacher outside the special circle of study groups and heralds of the advent. PFF3 547.4