Progressive Revelation
God unveiling himself by stages, leading humanity forward like a patient teacher
Progressive revelation is the understanding that God disclosed himself gradually through the unfolding stages of salvation history. Irenaeus described this as a divine pedagogy, God teaching humanity according to its capacity, and the Cappadocian Fathers developed the theme. On this teaching the historic traditions broadly agree: revelation builds across the ages, reaching its fullness in Christ rather than arriving all at once.
How it traveled
- HebrewsRome · c. 67 CEexplains
- LukeRome · c. 84 CEexplains
- Against Heresies: Book IVLyons · c. 202 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and ThessaloniansConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- City of GodHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- Reply to Faustus the ManichæanHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- On the Catechising of the UninstructedHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the GospelGeneva · c. 1564 CEexplains
- Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic ChurchGeneva · c. 1564 CEexplains
- A History of the Work of RedemptionNorthampton, Massachusetts · c. 1758 CEexplains
Key passages(20)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 27 [XV.]—Grace, Concealed in the Old Testament, is Revealed in the New. This grace hid itself under a veil in the Old Testament, but it has been revealed in the New Testament according to the
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
CHRIST, THOUGH KNOWN TO THE JEWS UNDER THE LAW, YET ONLY MANIFESTED UNDER THE GOSPEL. There are three principal heads in this chapter. I. Preparatory to a consideration of the knowledge of Christ, an
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A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
IX. God was pleased, during this time, to give a further revelation of Christ the Redeemer in the predictions of him. Three prophecies deserve particular notice. The first is that of Balaam, Numb. xxi
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Inquiry Concerning Qualification for Communion · Jonathan Edwards
(1.) Although the people in Egypt before the first passover, probably made no explicit public profession at all, either of their humiliation for their former idolatry or of present devotedness of hear
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Letters of St. Augustin · Augustine of Hippo
12. Therefore, from the beginning of the human race, whosoever believed in Him, and in any way knew Him, and lived in a pious and just manner according to His precepts, was undoubtedly saved by Him, i
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
19. The most remarkable passage of all is that of Job: “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day Job 19:25–27). Those who would make a display of their acuteness, pret
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO TESTAMENTS. This chapter consists principally of three parts. I. Five points of difference between the Old and the New Testament, sec. 1–11. II. The last of these point
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
6. There is nothing contrary to this in the fact, that in the Christian Church scarcely one is to be found who, in excellence of faith, can be compared to Abraham, and that the Prophets were so distin
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God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
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Reply to Faustus the Manichæan · Augustine of Hippo
9. If we are asked why we do not worship God as the Hebrew fathers of the Old Testament worshipped Him, we reply that God has taught us differently by the New Testament fathers, and yet in no oppositi
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians · John Chrysostom
Although these things are really fit subjects for enquiry: yet not for a meddling curiosity: for this is not for enquiry at all. For I will tell you the reason I spoke of. For suppose human nature as
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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews · John Chrysostom
Homily I. Hebrews i. 1, 2 “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the Prophets, hath at the end of the daysspoken unto us by His Son whom He hath appoin
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On the Catechising of the Uninstructed · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 27.—Of the Prophecies of the Old Testament in Their Visible Fulfillment in the Church. 53. “For all those things, which at present you witness in the Church of God, and which you see to be ta
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
2. By the Gospel, I understand the clear manifestation of the mystery of Christ. I confess, indeed, that inasmuch as the term Gospel is applied by Paul to the doctrine of faith (2 Tim. 4:10), it inclu
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The Harmony of the Gospels · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter XXXV.—Of the Fact that the Mystery of a Mediator Was Made Known to Those Who Lived in Ancient Times by the Agency of Prophecy, as It is Now Declared to Us in the Gospel. 53. Wherefore, seeing
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A History of the Work of Redemption · Jonathan Edwards
But in the midst of this God smote them with blindness; and the next morning the city and the country about it was overthrown in a most terrible storm of fire and brimstone; which dreadful destruction
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Against Heresies: Book IV · Irenaeus of Lyons
1. But that it was not only the prophets and many righteous men, who, foreseeing through the Holy Spirit His advent, prayed that they might attain to that period in which they should see their Lord fa
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
20. Now these have been different at different times, according to the dispensation which the Lord has seen meet to employ in manifesting himself to men. Circumcision was enjoined on Abraham and his p
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
4. Another distinction between the Old and New Testaments is in the types, the former exhibiting only the image of truth, while the reality was absent, the shadow instead of the substance, the latter
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Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the Gospel · John Calvin
9. Out of the third distinction a fourth arises. In Scripture, the term bondage is applied to the Old Testaments because it begets fear, and the term freedom to the New, because productive of confiden
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