The day-year principle denotes a way of analysis of the prophecy of Bible, where a day in apocalyptic prophecy is many a time considered to symbolize a year of real time. It has been made use of mainly by the historicist school of prophetic interpretation, which supported this interpretation. The principle was first applied in the Christian description by Tychonius, who construed the three and a half days of Revelation to be, three and a half years in actual. He interpreted it as three years and six months. This happened in the year 380 AD.

Although, it is not a very accepted principle amongst modern scholars, yet was hailed by most of the Protestant Reformers. As it is, it is supported by groups like the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses today. It was during the Fifth century, when Faustus of Riez, came up with a similar interpretation of Revelation 11:9, stating that, three and a half days, refers to three years and six months.

It was then Primasius, who also supported the principle, stating that, it was probable to interpret the three and a half days as three and a half years. Similarly, in the ninth century, similar interpretations in regard to Revelation 11:9 were furnished by Christian scholars like Berengaud, Anspert, Haymo, as well as Arethas.

Now, unlike earlier scholars, Primasius referred directly to prior Biblical passages for supporting the principle, by referral to Numbers 14:34 for supporting his interpretation of the three and a half days of Revelation 11:9, as three and a half years.

It is interesting to find only a few of the early proponents, to actually comment on the three days and a half of the Revelation. As it is, the first application of the day-year principle to longer time periods, took place in the ninth century. The theory goes that the Jewish Karaite scholar Benjamin Nahawandi, analyzed the time periods of Daniel; and interpreted it to be pointing out to the arrival of the Messiah in the year 1010 AD.

The day-year principle was consequently accepted by other Jewish thinkers, as well as medieval Catholic theologians. As it is, the Joachimites, on the basis of this principle, predicted the end of the Christian era by the year1260 AD. Thereby, many Protestant Reformers endorsed the day-year principle. However, it has since then not been in the best of lights, amongst most of the Catholics, as well as Protestants.

The principle of day-year has been used by the successors of the Adventist movement, along with the Christadelphians, apart from a few others. It however, was unable to garner enough support within the mainstream evangelical Christian society, or the institutional Christian churches, like the Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, or the Anglicans.

Tags: Day-year principle, historicist school of prophetic, prophecy of bible