would mark the end of the world. An alternative scheme had set the date to the year 202, but when this date passed without event, people expected the end in the year 500. By the 3rd century, Christians no longer widely believed the "End of the Ages" would occur in their lifetime, as was common among the earliest Christians. See also Bartholomew Holzhauser Dispensationalism Fifth Monarchists Four monarchies Generations of Noah Jewish mythology Nuremberg Chronicle Ussher chronology Irish Sex Aetates Mundi Three Eras References Further reading Augustine, (Rev. C. L. Cornish), On the Catechising of the Uninstructed, chapter 22: "Of the Six Ages of the World" External links Winchester Bible image of the Ages of the World, illustrated within the opening letter "I" of the book of Genesis. Image: Six Ages of the World from the British Library. Dated last quarter of the 14th century. Christian terminology Christian eschatology Periodization