delay of the parousia, n.All

Delay of the parousia (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the idea that early Christians built institutions because the Messiah was late — an idea that always seemed blasphemous to Agamben, since it turned the Church from a sojourner into a citizen of the world.