Who invented Preterism?
The short answer is Jesus Christ; Jesus (followed by all his disciples) was the one teaching a first-century Second Coming. The long answer is that Preterism has always been a minor voice throughout Church history. Church fathers like Eusebius of Caesarea, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great and many others were either Preterists or showed strong Preteristic tendencies. In the more recent history, James Stuart Russell (no relation to Jehovah’s Witness founder Charles Taze Russell) was a great influence when he published the book The Parousia. Max King was another major influence in the development of Preterism with his books The Spirit of Prophecy and The Cross and the Parousia. Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry and Gary DeMar, while not fully subscribing to Preterist eschatology also show strong Preteristic tendencies in their writings.
