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PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) and .doc files (Microsoft Word format) of the overheads used in this presentation are available from the Survey of Theology Page or the Download page
Topics
2. Tradition to the 18th Century
3.1. Introduction 3.5. The Parousia = The Second Coming of Christ 3.6. The General Resurrection of the Body
4. Some Historical and Contemporary Views on Topics in Eschatology 4.1. The Kingdom of God. Now and Not Yet 4.3. The Two Cities of Augustine 4.4. Joachim's Ages of History 4.7. Jurgen Moltmann's Theology of Hope 4.8.1. Introduction 4.8.2. Criticisms of the Idea of an Eternal, Static Hell 4.8.4. Particular Redemption, Conditional Immortality 4.9.1. Introduction 4.9.2. History of the Concept of Purgatory 4.9.3. Modern Status of Purgatory or an "Intermediate State" after Death 4.10.1. Introduction 4.10.2. The Communal Nature of Heaven 4.10.3. The Resurrected Body and The New Creation 4.10.4. The Beatific Vision and the Essential Happiness of Heaven
1. Introduction Eschata: Greek for "ends" or "outcomes." Eschatology is the theological term for the study of the last things. It is:
Eschatology can be broadly divided in two parts:
2. Tradition to the 18th Century The Traditional Roman Catholic and Protestant Orthodox Teaching to the 18th century was as follows:
3. A Modern Consensus 3.1. Introduction The theology of the "last things" today is not a well-defined dogma, but rather an area of theology where there remain many questions whose answers we can only speculate about. In this section, we consider some general summary statements about the theology of the "last things" that most mainstream theologians today would agree to.
3.2. History Human history has a beginning, an end, and a purpose. It is not cyclic.
3.3. Death Each human being's life on this earth has a beginning and an end. Death is certain; its time is unpredictable. The fact of death, and its unpredictability, requires us to acknowledge our dependence and contingency at all times, in all projects and relationships. Failure to do so is to live inauthentically.
3.4. The Kingdom of God God is the source, the end and goal of all. The reign of God has already begun; and will be fully expressed at end of history. God's purposes for creation will be fulfilled.
What is ultimately real will be ultimately realized. . . - A. T. Robinson
The eschatological affirmations of the Christian faith are primarily assertions about God, who is the Lord of the end as well as of the beginning of the world, and secondarily assertions about the future. - Thomas & Wondra, Intro. to Theology, p. 246
3.5. The Parousia = The Second Coming of Christ The doctrine of the Parousia is an affirmation that the Kingdom of God will be fully expressed at the end of history. God's purpose will be fulfilled, and this will consist in the reign of God as revealed to us in Jesus
3.6. The General Resurrection of the Body The stories of a General Resurrection of the Body after Jesus' Second Coming suggests:
3.7. The General Judgment A General Judgment before all generations suggests
3.8. Heaven "Heaven" is the assertion that "the destiny intended by the creator for every human person is to find ultimate happiness and the final resolution for the quest of life in intimate and essentially indescribably personal communion with God, and in God with all creation." (Monika K. Hellwig)
3.9. Hell "Hell" is the assertion that human freedom can be used for a painful self-damnation and self-destruction, which may involve a final concluding reality beyond death. (from Monika K. Hellwig)
4. Some Historical and Contemporary Views on Topics in Eschatology 4.1. The Kingdom of God. Now and Not Yet The New Testament is filled with the sense that something new and significant has happened in history through the life and death of Jesus -- the coming of the Kingdom of God
The concept of the Kingdom of God as "Now" and "Not Yet" is referred to as:
4.2. The Millennium The term "Millennium:" refers to the belief that at the Parousia (the Second Coming of Christ), Jesus will reign for 1000 years before the final fulfillment (based on Rev 20:4-6) Belief in a future "Millennium" was widespread in the early centuries of the church. This belief however faded by the 3rd Century.
4.3. The Two Cities of Augustine In his book The City of God, Augustine (354-430) introduced the idea of two "cities:" The City of God and the City of the World. He also suggested that we are already in the "Millennium:"
4.4. Joachim's Ages of History Joachim of Fiore (1132-1202) was a monk in the Benedictine monastery of Corazzo. He was elected Abbott in 1177.
Joachim proposed that history could be divided in three ages:
He suggested that each age lasted for 42 generations of thirty years, and then calculated that the Age of Spirit would start in 1260. His views were condemned by Fourth Lateran Council of 1215. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) suggested they were "conjectural." The idea that the history of salvation was dynamic with successive stages or "dispensations" would however show up again, the most current example being Dispensationalism, described below.
4.5. Dante's Hell In the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the poet is guided through the:
The description of hell in the Divine Comedy is of particular interest as a speculative elaboration of medieval ideas of hell, and continues to have significance today in its depiction of hell as an eternal, static place.
Dante's Hell consists of 9 concentric spheres:
4.6. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a movement within 20th century conservative evangelical Christianity. It began with John Nelson Darby (1800-82) and was popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible of C. I. Scofield (1843-1921)
Dispensationalist posit a series of 9 "dispensations" in the history of salvation:
Two characteristic notions in Dispensationalism is belief in:
The concepts of The Rapture and The Tribulation have gained widespread popular hearing despite the highly speculative biblical interpretation that lies behind them.
There is no consensus among Dispensationalist whether the rapture is Pre-tribulational or Post-Tribulational
4.7. Jurgen Moltmann's Theology of Hope In his book Philosophy of Hope, Ernst Bloch proposed that human culture is moved by a passionate hope for the future that transcends the present's alienation.
As a prisoner of war in a British camp during World War II, Jurgen Moltmann observed that his fellow prisoners who had hope fared the best. After the war, it seemed to him Christianity was ignoring the hope its promise of a future life offered -- a hope whose importance even secularists such as Bloch recognized.
In Moltmann's book Theology of Hope he proposed that:
"The Christian mission... aims at reconciliation with God... but also at the realization of the eschatological hope of justice, and humanizing of man, the socializing of humanity, peace for all creation." - Jurgen Moltmann
4.8. Hell 4.8.1. Introduction Interest in hell was particularly strong in the Middle Ages (for example, Dante's hell of 9 concentric spheres). The view was that of a static, eternal place -- a view that continues to have influence in modern times.
The threat of an eternal, static and unending hell was often used to motivate listeners to turn from their sinful ways:
"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment, but you must suffer it for all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery... You will know that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengence" - Jonathan Edwards' sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," preached July 8, 1741
4.8.2. Criticisms of the Idea of an Eternal, Static Hell Criticisms of the idea of an eternal, static hell are:
Two "answers" to these criticisms are the ideas of:
4.8.3. Universalism The early church father Origen (185-254) wrote that:
John A. T. Robinson (radical English theologian 1960’s) is a modern proponent of Universalism, writing:
"So this issue comes down to whether we are to give more weight to human freedom to turn away from God's love, or to the power of God's love to win all people freely to God. Any victory of God that violates human freedom is not a victory of love but of coercion. But it is possible to conceive of a love so powerful that ultimately no one will be able to resist free and grateful surrender."
4.8.4. Particular Redemption, Conditional Immortality Particular Redemption or Conditional Immortality is a proposal popular among some conservative, Evangelical Christians since the 1980's. It proposes:
The primary criticism of this idea is that it has no scriptural basis or foundation in tradition.
4.9. Purgatory 4.9.1. Introduction Purgatory is part of traditional Roman Catholic theology. It refers to an intermediate stage where those who die in a state of grace purge themselves of the guilt of their sins before entering heaven. The scriptural basis cited is 2 Maccabees 12:39-45 (part of the Apocrypha, canonical in Roman Catholicism, non-canonical among Protestants, and of ambiguous authority in Anglicanism)
4.9.2. History of the Concept of Purgatory The concept of Purgatory or an intermediate state after death for the purpose of purification developed early in the history of the Church:
The Doctrine of Purgatory was rejected by Protestant Reformers because it:
The Reformers then stopped the ancient practice of praying for the dead.
4.9.3. Modern Status of Purgatory or an "Intermediate State" after Death Today, Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Anglicans pray for the dead (thus implying belief in an intermediate stage where prayers can help)
Article XXII in the Book of Common Prayer condemns "Romish doctrine of purgatory" but "may be interpreted not to rule out other doctrines of purgatory" (Thomas and Wondra).
If all die imperfect, and fulfillment involves perfection of all persons ("sanctification"), then the alternatives are:
4.10. Heaven 4.10.1. Introduction In affirming Heaven, we are affirming the ultimate fulfillment of the Kingdom of God:
We here consider some speculations on three aspects of the nature of that ultimate fulfillment of the Kingdom of God:
4.10.2. The Communal Nature of Heaven New Testament parables give strongly communal descriptions of heaven:
The Doctrine of God as Trinity also argues for the communal nature of heaven
"Eternal life is thus not a projection of an individual human existence, but is rather to be seen as sharing, with the redeemed community as a whole, in the community of a loving God." - McGrath
4.10.3. The Resurrected Body and The New Creation The doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body suggests "a fulfillment of creaturehood, individuality, ... physical embodiment, and temporality, and not to the denial or transcending of these aspects of human and cosmic history." (Thomas & Wondra)
It also invites speculation on the renewal or re-creation of the cosmos:
The old creation has the character which is appropriate to an evolutionary universe, endowed with the ability through the shuffling explorations of its happenstance to ‘make itself’.
The new creation represents the transformation of that [the old] universe when it enters freely into a new and closer relationship with its Creator, so that it becomes a totally sacramental world, suffused with the divine presence. - John Polkinghorne
4.10.4. The Beatific Vision and the Essential Happiness of Heaven "Heaven" is the assertion that "the destiny intended by the creator for every human person is to find ultimate happiness and the final resolution for the quest of life in intimate and essentially indescribably personal communion with God, and in God with all creation." (Monika K. Hellwig) What is the nature of the communion that provides such ultimate happiness? What is the essential happiness of heaven?
Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) suggested essential happiness of heaven was the "beatific vision:"
The essential happiness of heaven may involve fulfillment and happiness beyond that which we can today recognize as our unfulfilled needs and longings:
"when we speculate about the nature of happiness of heaven we are projecting what we know about our own humanity and its needs and longings. . . there must be fulfillment and happiness beyond what we can see, particularly for those whose lives among us never escape from oppression, persecution, humiliation, or simple grinding poverty and pain."
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