Person

Hippolytus of Rome

Early Christian writer (died c. 235) whose Commentary on Daniel is among the oldest surviving attempts to date the end from Scripture.

Hippolytus was a Christian presbyter and writer active in Rome in the late second and early third centuries. He is best known today for his Commentary on Daniel, usually dated to about 204, which survives in Greek and several translations.

His chronology matters to this timeline because it shows that calculating the end from the age of the world is far older than the modern Rapture debate. Details of his life, including his disputes with Roman bishops, are uncertain in places and are discussed by patristic scholars.

Predictions in this timeline

c. 500 Hippolytus of Rome expects the end around the year 500 Hippolytus of Rome · Date passed In his Commentary on Daniel (about 204), Hippolytus reasoned that Christ was born 5,500 years after creation and that the world would last 6,000 years, placing the end about 500 years after Christ's birth.