Alister McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction Chapter 18 The Last Things The Christian Hope Wiley-Blackwell 2010

Developments in the Doctrine of the Last Things The New Testament –The kingdom of God in Jesus’ preaching –The “now” and the “not yet” –Paul’s eschatology The presence of the “new age” The resurrection of Jesus as eschatological event The future coming of Jesus Christ at the end of time The coming of the Holy Spirit Early Christianity and Roman beliefs about reunion after death –Cicero ( B.C.) –Cyprian of Carthage –Ambrose of Milan’s eulogy for Theodosius Augustine: the two cities –The city of God –The secular city, or the city of the world –Tension and hope Wiley-Blackwell 2010

Joachim of Fiore: the three ages –The age of the Father –The age of the Son –The age of the Spirit (the year 1260) Dante Alighieri: the Divine Comedy –Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), Paradiso (Paradise) –Virgil, Beatrice, and Bernard of Clairvaux –Italian politics, Christian beliefs, and self-discovery –The nine circles of hell Hope in the face of death: Jeremy Taylor –Relationship between Christian belief in resurrection/eternal life and Christian spirituality –Holy Living and Holy Dying “It is a great art to die well” Wiley-Blackwell 2010

The Enlightenment: eschatology as superstition –Criticism against idea of hell –Karl Marx ( ) Transformation of the present world The revolution as secular counterpart to heaven –Nineteenth-century liberalism The twentieth century: the rediscovery of eschatology –Johannes Weiss and Albert Schweitzer –Charles H. Dodd The kingdom of God is at hand –Three approaches: Futurist eschatology (Weiss) Inaugurated eschatology Realized eschatology (Dodd) Rudolf Bultmann: the demythologization of eschatology –Existentialism Divine judgment as existential crisis –Individualist Wiley-Blackwell 2010

Jürgen Moltmann: the theology of hope –Ernst Bloch, The Principle of Hope –Rediscovery of corporate Christian hope –“hope seeking understanding” Helmut Thielicke: ethics and eschatology –Eschatological Christian ethics –Tension between the present age and the age to come Dispensationalism: the structures of eschatology –Cyrus Ingerson Scofield –Periods of history: Innocence Conscience Human government Promise Law The church The millenium Wiley-Blackwell 2010

–The church and Israel –The rapture –The tribulation Spe salvi: Benedict XVI on the Christian hope –2006 papal encyclical Spe salvi (“in hope we are saved”) –Contextualization of the Christian hope Christian hope as realistic claim in light of the failings of secular hope Reaffirmation of importance of hope in face of human suffering –Jürgen Moltmann’s criticisms Wiley-Blackwell 2010

The Last Things Hell –Dante’s Divine Comedy –Criticisms Contradiction of God’s final victory over evil Vindictive justice difficult to reconcile with the compassion and love of God –Conditional immortality Purgatory –Practice of praying for the dead –Gregory the Great (c ) –Catherine of Genoa ( ) –Rejected by the reformers Lacks scriptural foundation Inconsistent with justification by faith Wiley-Blackwell 2010

The millenium –Tertullian –Amillenialism –Premillenialism –Postmillenialism Heaven –Consummation of salvation –New Testament images Banquet, wedding feast, city (New Jerusalem) –Paul Tension between “now” and “not yet” –The resurrection body Origen Methodius of Olympus Middle Ages –“status by merit” –The beatific vision Wiley-Blackwell 2010