Alister McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction

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

2. 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 (106-43 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

3. 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

4. The Enlightenment: eschatology as superstition • Criticism against idea of hell • Karl Marx (1818-83) • 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.540-604) • Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) • Rejected by the reformers • Lacks scriptural foundation • Inconsistent with justification by faith Wiley-Blackwell 2010

8. 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