Preterists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Those who interpret biblical prophecies as having already been fulfilled in historical events, typically in the first century
2. Adherents of the theological view that the events foretold in Scripture, especially in Revelation, occurred in ancient times rather than in the future
3. Scholars and believers who hold that prophetic passages in the Bible refer to past occurrences and have already come to pass

Etymology: "Preterists" is the plural of "preterist," a word built from "preter-" and the suffix "-ist," the latter marking a person who holds a particular belief or follows a particular doctrine. The "preter-" element comes from Latin "praeter," meaning "beyond" or "past," which is also the source of "preterite," the grammatical term for the past tense. The sense that matters here is the theological one. Preterists are people who hold that prophecies in texts such as the Book of Revelation were fulfilled in the past, usually in the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, rather than predicting events still to come. The word thus names a view about time: the prophetic future has already happened, so the "past" is where the fulfillment lies.