history on a recurring basis as part of the sovereign outworking of God’s purpose in history.6 Idealism grew out of the allegorical method of interpreting Scripture, upheld by Origen and Clement, and gained traction through the amillennial view held by Augustine. This is probably the predominant view today among scholars. The main appeal of idealism seems to be the desire of its proponents to relate the message of the book to readers in every period of history. However, this aspiration is offset