Frankly, I have grown tired of people who cast off Dispensationalism solely on the grounds that theybelieve it to be a recent development, with its supposed founder, C. I. Scofield. If this were true, the argument might have some merit, however it can be easily shown that Dispensationalism has roots that date back to Justin Martyr.

Before I go any further in this article, I'd like to acknowledge two books that have provided
me with much of the information used and highlighted in this brief article:
1.

The above mentioned two books have provided a great amount of necessary and truthful
information. Unfortunately, this will likely not matter to some how much evidence is
provided regarding the actual history and longevity of dispensationalism. For them, it will
remain a "new" formula and therefore it should be seen with a jaundiced eye at best and
discarded at worst. The most difficult part of discussing any "system" of interpretation
within Christendom is that emotions run high due to the fact that they are based on an
individual's personal beliefs. No one likes it to be suggested that they could very well be
wrong about something they have held for some time. It is the rare individual who can
discuss differences of theological opinion without the intensity most often seen in people
who object to one another's political viewpoints. Of course, what I'm not referring to is the
difference between actual Christianity and a cult. It is important for the Christian to be able
to defend the faith against the heresies that cults espouse. However, within Christendom,
there will likely always be differences of opinion, this side of eternity. If those differences do
not affect a person's theology of salvation (Soteriology), then there is little to no harm. If
however, a system of theology or interpretation begins to stray from Scripture so that it
finds itself diametrically opposed to a portion of Scripture, then it should be left. What we
are talking about here though is the difference between Covenant Theology and
Dispensationalism essentially. While both systems belief that salvation is by grace alone and
that it comes through faith which is a gift of God, the method of interpreting Scripture is in
question. While the former interprets prophecy in an allegorical way, the latter tends to use
a literal method here and elsewhere in Scripture.

In spite of these differences and in spite of the fact that this particular article will not solve
the issue, I would like to present evidence that shows that dispensationalism, far from being
the "newbie" on the religious block, has deep historical roots.

that for Martyr, there are distinct ages or eras; one prior to circumcision and the law, then
one after God's revelation to Abraham in which circumcision became necessary, then after
the law was given to and through Moses, in which it was found necessary to keep the
Sabbath. One can clearly see that Martyr held to a form of dispensationalism since he
recognized different economies within God's progressive revelation.

While Ryrie is quick to point out (and on this Enns agrees) that it would not be correct in
referring to these men as Dispensationalists as we think of Dispensationalism today, it is
obviously clear that they "enunciated principles which later developed into
dispensationalism, and it may be rightly said that they held to primitive or early
dispensational concepts."[5]

Having stated all of this, our real starting point in the modern era begins with Pierre Poiret
(1646-1719). Pierre was a French mystic and philosopher who wrote a six-volume
systematic theology which was titled L'O Economie Divine. This is purely a modified
Calvinistic approach and a premillenial work in which he lists a seven-fold dispensational
scheme, which included Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, Youth, Manhood, Old Age,
Renovation of All Things. Each of these specific economies or dispensations referred to a
specific biblical period, all of which culminated in a literal Millennium.

We then move onto Isaac Watts (1674-1748), who was really the precursor to Scofield's
system of dispensationalism. Watts' identification of dispensationalism was more
defined. His outline closely resembles Scofield's, with the exception of the Millennial
Kingdom. Watts included six separate dispensations, which are as follows:

3. Noahical Dispensation
4. Abrahamical Dispensation
5. Mosaical Dispensation
6. Christian Dispensation