New Jerusalem and Christian Hope
Early Christians taught that the New Jerusalem is the believers’ future hope, tied to resurrection and God’s final renewal of all things. Writers like Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and Methodius linked this hope to Revelation, Hebrews, and Galatians. Some described it as a future earthly city after the resurrection, while others stressed its heavenly meaning. Together, they show a strong and wide early Christian hope centered on the city God prepares.
99 early-church witnesses · 180 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about the New Jerusalem and Christian Hope?
Early Christians taught that the New Jerusalem is a real future city from God, tied to resurrection, final renewal, and the hope of believers. Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and Methodius all speak of the heavenly or above Jerusalem as the believers’ hope, with several linking it to Revelation 21, Hebrews 12, and Galatians 4.
The witness is broad and mostly consistent, though some writers read the city more literally as a future earthly Jerusalem after the resurrection, while others stress its heavenly or spiritual meaning. Bible passages on New Jerusalem, heavenly Jerusalem, and the city to come are the main backbone of the topic, and the early Christian writings build on those texts rather than replacing them.
Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christians often connected New Jerusalem with resurrection, final judgment, and the world made new.
- Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Origen, and Clement of Alexandria all use the language of Jerusalem above, heavenly Jerusalem, or the city to come.
- Some writers expected a future Jerusalem on earth after the resurrection, while others spoke of a heavenly city already prepared by God.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians believe the New Jerusalem would come down from heaven?
The strongest witnesses say the holy city, New Jerusalem, comes down from heaven and is connected with the final renewal of all things. Irenaeus and Tertullian both use Revelation in this future-facing way.
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Hebrews 12:22 Direct teaching
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
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Galatians 4:26 Direct teaching
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Direct teaching
“for God,” it is said, “will show to the whole earth that is under heaven thy glory.” But in the times of the kingdom, the earth has been called again by Christ [to its pristine condition], and Jerusalem rebuilt after the pattern of the Jerusalem above, of which the prophet Isaiah says, “Behold, I have depicted thy walls upon my hands, and thou art always in my sight.” And the apostle, too, writing to the Galatians, says in like manner, “But the Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” He does not say this with any thought of an erratic Æon, or of any other power which departed from the Pleroma, or of Prunicus, but of the Jerusalem which has been delineated on [God’s] hands.
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Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Direct teaching
...s Epistles he says, "But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, and to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the Church of the first-born which is written in heaven." If, then, there are certain souls in this world who are called Israel, and a city in heaven which is called Jerusalem, it follows that those cities said to belong to the nation of Israel have the heavenly Jerusalem as their metropolis. And, in agreement with this, we understand as referring to the whole of Judah, of which also we are of the opinion that the prophets have spoken in certain mystical narratives, any predictions delivered either regarding Judea or Jerusalem, or invasions of any kind, which the sacred histories declare to have happened to Judea or Jerusalem. Whatever, then, is either narrated or predicted of Jerusalem must, if we accept the words of Paul as those of Christ speaking in him, be understood as spoken in conformity with his opinion regarding that city which he calls the heavenly Jerusalem, and all those places or cities which are said to be cities of the holy land, of which Jerusalem is the metropolis. For we are to suppose that it i
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
And a little after, But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
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Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Direct teaching
Again, the apostle teaches regarding Jerusalem as follows: The Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
We have heard, too, that the Jerusalem above is walled with sacred stones;
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Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Supporting witness
Jerusalem, the heavenly assembly, and church of the first-born that are written in heaven;
More related quotations from this section 3 shown
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
You have come, says he, unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
and as soon as we are regenerated, we are honoured by receiving the good news of the hope of rest, even the Jerusalem above, in which it is written that milk and honey fall in showers, receiving through what is material the pledge of the sacred food.
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Methodius, Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna Supporting witness
...her with the whole body of the Church, since we are present with them in spirit and are keeping the holy feast with the Father and the brothers most honored there. Hail, city of the Great King, in which the mysteries of our salvation are brought to completion. Hail, heaven on earth, Zion, the city that is forever faithful to the Lord. Hail, and shine, Jerusalem, for your light has come: the Eternal Light, the everlasting Light, the Supreme Light, the Immaterial Light, the Light of one substance with God the Father, the Light that is in the Spirit, and in which is the Father; the Light that lights the ages; the Light that gives light to earthly and heavenly things, Christ our true God. Hail, city sacred and chosen of the Lord. Keep your feast days with joy, for they will not multiply so as to grow old and pass away. Hail, most blessed city, for glorious things are spoken of you. Your priest shall be clothed with righteousness, your saints shall shout for joy, and your poor shall be filled with bread. Hail! Rejoice, Jerusalem, for the Lord reigns in your midst. That Lord, I say, who in His simple and immaterial Deity entered our nature, and from the virgin's womb became incarnate
Did early Christians think the heavenly Jerusalem is our mother or present home?
Several early writers interpret the Jerusalem above as the heavenly city belonging to believers, using Galatians 4:26 and Hebrews 12:22. Clement and Origen speak of this city as a real heavenly reality, not merely the earthly city of Jerusalem.
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Romans 8:24 Supporting witness
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
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Revelation 21:1 Supporting witness
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
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2 Peter 3:13 Supporting witness
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
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Hebrews 11:10 Supporting witness
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
...hope of truth and liberty, we may attain to truth and liberty itself. For the very fact that we are Christians is the substance of faith and hope. But for that hope and faith to attain their result, there is need of patience. For we are not following after present glory, but future glory, according to what Paul the apostle also warns us and says: “We are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he hope for? But if we hope for that which we do not see, then by patience we wait for it,” Romans 8:24-25. Therefore, waiting and patience are needful, so that we may fulfill what we have begun to be, and may receive what we believe and hope for, according to God's own showing. Moreover, in another place, the same apostle instructs the righteous and the doers of good works, and those who lay up for themselves treasures in heaven with the increase of the divine usury, that they also should be patient. He teaches them, saying, “Therefore, while we have time, let us labor in that which is good to all men, but especially to them who are of the household of faith. But let us not faint in well-doing, for in its season we shall reap.” He warns that no man
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
...nts to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life." Romans 6:22 And viewing hope as twofold, that which is expected and that which has been received, he now teaches that the end is the restoration of hope. For, he says, "patience works experience, and experience hope: and hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that is given to us." Romans 5:4-5 Because of this love and the restoration to hope, he says in another place that this rest is laid up for us. You will find something similar in Ezekiel, as follows: "The soul that sins, it shall die. And the man who shall be righteous, and shall do judgment and justice, who has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and has not defiled his neighbor's wife, and has not approached to a woman in the time of her uncleanness (for he does not wish the seed of man to be dishonored), and will not injure a man; will restore the debtor's pledge, and will not take usury; will turn away his hand from wrong; will do true judgment between a man and his neighbor; will walk in my ordinances, and keep my commandments, so as to do
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
...d not convince himself that he would escape being found out. So then, according to Epicurus, if he knew he would not be detected, he would do evil. Such teachings belong to darkness. If someone also keeps from doing wrong because he hopes for the reward God gives for righteous deeds, then on that basis he is not good by his own free choice. For just as fear makes one man just, so reward makes another one just—or rather, makes him seem to be just. But the hope that concerns what comes after death—good hope for the good, and the opposite for the bad—is known not only to those who follow Barbarian wisdom, but also to the Pythagoreans. For they too held out hope as the goal for those who practice philosophy. Socrates also says in the Phaedo that good souls depart from here with a good hope. And again, when speaking against the wicked, he sets against this the statement, "For they live with an evil hope." Heraclitus clearly agrees with him in his writings about men: "There awaits man after death what they neither hope nor think." Therefore Paul writes plainly, "Tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope; and hope makes not ashamed." Romans 5:3-5 For pati
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness
...ry things as much as possible. But when this present form of things passes away, and humankind is renewed and flourishes in an incorruptible state, preventing them from becoming old, then there will be a new heaven and new earth, where the new humanity will remain continually, always engaging with God. And since these things will continue forever without end, Isaiah declares, "For as the new heavens and the new earth which I do make continue in my sight, so shall your descendants and your name remain," says the Lord. According to the elders, those who are deemed worthy of a place in heaven will go there; others will enjoy the delights of paradise, and others will possess the splendor of the city, for everywhere the Saviour will be seen according to how worthy they are to see Him.
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Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness
...ayer to the gods of my country. But, as they did not respond, I called upon those among us known as Christians. Upon investigation, I found a great number and multitude of them and initially acted against them, which was quite inappropriate, as I later understood their power. They began the battle, not with weapons, armor, or bugles, as such preparations are detestable to them because of the God they carry in their conscience. Therefore, it appears that those we think are atheists have God as their guiding force entrenched in their conscience. Throwing themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me but for the entire army, that we might be saved from the current thirst and hunger. We had been without water for five days because there was none, being deep in Germany, in enemy territory. Simultaneously as they threw themselves on the ground and prayed to God (a God unknown to me), water poured from the sky, refreshingly cool upon us but as withering hail upon Rome's enemies. Immediately we acknowledged the presence of God following their prayer—a God unconquerable and indestructible. Based on this, let us pardon such individuals who are Christians, lest they pray for and ac
How did early Christians connect the New Jerusalem with Christian hope?
The sources connect Christian hope to what is laid up in heaven, future glory, and the resurrection of the dead. Cyprian, Clement, and other writers describe believers as waiting in hope for what is still to come.
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Revelation 21:2 Direct teaching
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
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Revelation 21:10 Direct teaching
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Direct teaching
also there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, as a bride adorned for her husband.” “And I heard,” it is said, “a great voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them;
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Direct teaching
And in the Apocalypse John saw this new [Jerusalem] descending upon the new earth.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Direct teaching
... Prunicus, but to the Jerusalem that has been depicted on God's hands. In Revelation, John saw this new Jerusalem coming down upon the new earth. After the times of the kingdom, he says, "I saw a great white throne, and the One sitting on it, from whose presence the earth and heaven fled, and there was found no place for them." He also describes the events of the general resurrection and the judgment, mentioning "the dead, great and small." "The sea," he says, "gave up the dead it held, and death and hell delivered up the dead they contained; and the books were opened. Moreover," he says, "the book of life was opened, and the dead were judged based on what was written in the books, according to their deeds; and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, the second death." This is what is called Gehenna, which the Lord referred to as eternal fire. "And if anyone," it is said, "was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." After this, he says, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away; there was also no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, like a bride adorned for
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
But I and others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare.
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Direct teaching
inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem, let down from heaven, Revelation 21:2 which the apostle also calls our mother from above;
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Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
Revelation 21:10-23 And the word of the new prophecy which is a part of our belief, attests how it foretold that there would be for a sign a picture of this very city exhibited to view previous to its manifestation.
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Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness
But when the thousand years shall be fulfilled, and the prince of the demons loosed, the nations will rebel against the righteous, and an innumerable multitude will come to storm the city of the saints.
More related quotations from this section 1 shown
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness
Of this Jerusalem the former one is an image—that Jerusalem of the former earth in which the righteous are disciplined beforehand for incorruption and prepared for salvation.
Common Questions
Did early Christians believe in the New Jerusalem?
Yes. Many early Christian writers said believers hope for the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, or the city to come.
Did they think the New Jerusalem was in heaven or on earth?
Both ideas appear. Some writers call it heavenly, while others speak of a future Jerusalem coming down after the resurrection.
Which Bible passages mattered most to them?
Revelation 21, Hebrews 12:22, Galatians 4:26, and Hebrews 13:14 are the main passages tied to this hope.
Source Index for the New Jerusalem and Christian Hope
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 180 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 99
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 81
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.