Eschatology is the branch of theology that deals with the final
consummation of all things. Covering such subject matter as death,
judgment, and the life to come, the discipline of eschatology must
grapple with some of our greatest hopes, fears, anxieties and
expectations. The issues involved are uniquely complicated because
they are both intensely personal and of universal significance. To
ponder the "last things" is to consider not only the final fate of
all things, but to question daringly how one's individual journey
through life relates to God's grander scheme. Over the course of
history, many prominent thinkers have elevated eschatology into one
of the most fascinating and controversial dimensions of religious
belief. The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology provides an invaluable
critical survey of this diverse body of thought and practice from a
variety of perspectives: biblical, historical, theological,
philosophical, and cultural. Through centuries of Christian
thought-from the early Church fathers through the Middle Ages and
the Reformation-eschatological issues were of the utmost
importance. In other religions, too, similar concerns were central
to the shaping of the beliefs, practices, and identities of
believers. After the Enlightenment, though, many religious thinkers
began to downplay the importance of eschatology which, in light of
rationalism, came to be seen as something of an embarrassment. The
twentieth century, however, saw the rise of several phenomena that
restored eschatology to the forefront of religious thought. From
the rapid expansion of fundamentalist forms of Christianity, with
their focus on the end times; to the proliferation of apocalyptic
new religious movements; to the recent (and very public) debates
about suicide, euthanasia, martyrdom, and paradise in Islam,
interest in eschatology is once again dramatically on the rise.
This expansive handbook offers thirty-nine chapters exploring the
diverse terrain of eschatology's past, present, and
future-providing informative insights on heaven, hell, and
everything in between. This volume will prove to be the primary
resource for students, scholars, and others interested in questions
of our ultimate existence.
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