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Contemporary conspiracism draws on both long-standing traditions and the current cultural and political environment as it constructs mythic knowledge that often includes apocalyptic prophecies. Such knowledge is constantly altered and reinterpreted by the conspiracy activists who invest in its transmission and reproduction. This article examines how conspiracist mythologies emerge in the use of these activists as mythic discourse that fluidly adapts both to include past sources and to comment on late modern phenomena. Illustrative cases of Christian and popular millennial conspiracist narratives are analyzed in terms of how they construct the actors, organizations, power positions, and historical trajectories of the world. The article highlights how different conspiracist myths share features and stances, influenced by the currents of late modernity, but also contest each other based on what their sources and purposes are, and how they differ in their evaluation of the apocalyptic event's nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparative studies, Tenrikyō’s this-worldly, millenarian vision has found little resonance with Christian expectations of going to heaven after death. However, an “earthly turn” in Christian eschatology is redirecting Christian expectations away from heaven and toward bodily resurrection into an earthly Kingdom of God, providing new opportunity to revisit the potential historical and conceptual overlap between Tenrikyō’s view of earthly renewal and that of Christianity—in both its first-century and contemporary “restorationist” forms. This article considers the historical origin of Tenrikyō’s millenarianism against a backdrop of late-Tokugawa yonaoshi (world renewal) and Miroku-based movements. Here, the timeline for the appearance of millenarian views of yonaoshi proposed by Miura (2019) is revised to give Tenrikyō’s foundress primacy as a millenarian innovator. I furthermore suggest that monotheism may have been a catalyst for millenarian yonaoshi development. Finally, I propose “yonaoshi millenarianism” as a cross-cultural, comparative category applicable to both Tenrikyō and early/restorationist Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An apocalyptic imaginary appears so frequently in debates on climate change and the Anthropocene that it might be considered the dominant historical narrative of our time. However, when dealing with apocalypticism, biblical references are not always appropriate. In this article, I argue that we are dealing with two different concepts of apocalypticism, and that the new apocalyptic history is not a negative version of the religious apocalypse. Second, I also argue that the new apocalyptic history nevertheless seems to revolve around the idea of the promise as a specific historical way of binding the past, present and future into a coherent history that, ironically, seems to open up a dialogue with the history of theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With reference to the film Inside Out, we show how Christian eschatology helps us understand the personal experience of grieving loss, generated by capital's demands for labor hypermobility and its resultant disjunctures in a person's biography. Inside Out cinematically portrays, in seemingly unremarkable moments, an inbreaking of a redemptive eschatological moment. We organize our case around two eschatological themes, those of judgement and death. The first section links a person's affective experience, the structures that generate those experiences, and the last things; we make our case using Merleau-Ponty's account of the intervolved body and Affect Theory's relationship to Foucauldian power. The second section investigates what becomes of loss and restoration when they are refracted eschatologically, using Guardini's idea of biographical death, Critical Theory's conception of the Messianic, and Bonaventure's conception of the convergence of opposites. We ultimately propose that, seen in the light of the last things, grieving over loss and its opposite, the restoration of what was lost, converge into one and the same thing. A third section will circle back to Inside Out and highlight the contours of the restoration of that which was lost in light of the two eschatological themes above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Black Enlightenment" by Surya Parekh is a book that explores the complexities of Black Atlantic writing and its relationship to the Enlightenment. The author focuses on earlier eighteenth-century writings by Francis Williams, Phillis Wheatley, and Ignatius Sancho, examining how these writers made claims on Black humanity within the context of the Enlightenment. The book also delves into the racist generalizations of major Enlightenment thinkers such as David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Jefferson, who failed to expand the Enlightenment's claims to include Black subjects. Through a comparative and deconstructive approach, the author offers a historical and literary analysis that challenges traditional canons and provides a more complete understanding of the Enlightenment. [Extracted from the article]

In strom. V.9.1 and strom. V.14.103–106, Clement of Alexandria presents opinions (doxai) of Greek philosophers regarding 'eschatology'. By making use of so-called doxographies (i.e. the collection of philosophical opinions on a particular topic), Clement employs a popular method in contemporary philosophical debate. In this article, I will show how Clement reinterprets philosophers' opinions and modifies them to construct a philosophical proof for (Christian) eschatology. It allows him to make controversial topics such as 'final judgement' and 'resurrection' more plausible to his philosophically educated readers, as according to him, these ideas have already been discussed and confirmed by several well-known philosophers (Heraclitus, Empedocles, Plato and the Stoics). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the relationship between Christian eschatology and praxis, focusing on the eschatological dimension of the present. Historically, classical eschatology was concerned with the absolute future and ignored the historical present. Present life was relegated to the condition of probation. Eschatology was seen as Christian futurology. In the second half of the 20th century, the theologies of praxis discovered the eschatological dimension of the present. Eschatology comes to be seen as the theological discipline that concerns ultimate realities drawn from penultimate realities. The historical present gains eschatological visibility. By dealing with the present, eschatology develops a critical and liberating aspect. The bibliographical methodology employed in the article is in line with the theologians of praxis (political theology, liberation theology, and the theology of hope) as well as with commentators on the practical dimension of theology. The methodological approach reflects on the eschatological dimension of Jesus’ activity, the eschatological density of the historical present, the eschatological aspect of the theologies of praxis, and the relationship between eschatology and ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Response to Pruss and McNabb" examines arguments made by Alex Pruss and Tyler Dalton McNabb regarding the inclusion of animals in an eternal state of blessedness. The authors discuss the idea of compensating animals for their suffering in an animal afterlife and question the need for an animal theodicy. They also explore the argument from fittingness, suggesting that animal appetites in heaven, including the consumption of meat, can be justified. However, the article raises concerns about the treatment of non-rationality in animals and the discontinuation of certain animal appetites in heaven. It concludes that the Heavenly Jerusalem will likely consist of exclusively rational beings who have achieved perfect incorporation into Christ. [Extracted from the article]

In 2023, 135 years have passed since the birth of Samuel Štefan Osuský (1888-1975), an important Lutheran pastor, theologian, historian and philosopher. Our study presents a monograph, an interpretation of the book Revelation of John, Koniec sveta (The End of the World), in which Osuský reflects on the fate of man and the entire world. Osuský considers eschatolo-gy, which deals with the last things, to be important for faith of human beings, for the goal of their life, which does not last only during their earthly existence, but also continues in eternity. Without a goal, it would be impossible to believe, to live morally, to live in accordance with one's conscience, to live in accordance with God's commandments. Since the Revelation of John is the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament that is characterized by imagery and symbolism associated with Old Testament apocalyptic texts, this study will deal with Old Testament parallels that relate to eschatology, apocalypticism, as well as themes discussed by Osuský in his Commentary on the Revelation of John. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the activities, projects, and publications of the Société Paul Claudel in 2023. Topics include the continued publication of the organization's Bulletins and new thematic initiatives, the creation of the Paul Claudel Prize and the ongoing publication project of Au milieu des vitraux de l'Apocalypse, and various new works, theses, and updates on the society's website.

Löwith's thought has a different scope and, for Godefroy, more effectively than Voegelin succeeds in overcoming the deadly link between time and politics. Nevertheless, according to Godefroy, even if Voegelin's and Löwith's categories are useful for understanding the current relationship between politics and time, the solutions they put forward have varying effectiveness. I La Fin du sens de l'histoire i deals with the problem of the relationship between temporality and politics, tackled through a critical reading of the works of Eric Voegelin and Karl Löwith, two authors who, from different theoretical premises, have made this relationship the central issue of their respective theoretical reflections. [Extracted from the article]

Humanity has long sought immortality - but now, with the prospect of lifeextending medical enhancement technologies, immortality is closer than it ever has been previously. Or is it? And at what price? This paper brings together two important strands of Alister McGrath’s teaching and research – the history of systematic theology, and the science-religion dialogue. In this paper, I discuss the Christian doctrine of conditional immortality in relation to the prospects of technocentric immortality achieved through proposed radical transhumanist technologies. Drawing on the work of Brent Waters and Juraj Odorjak, I highlight the points of divergence between technocentric immortality and a recognisably Christian eschatology and, in relation to conditional immortality, I explain why the achievement of technocentric immortality is both theologically problematic and a futile objective in relation to the spiritual health of the Christian believer. I conclude by describing the implications of the doctrine of conditional immortality for the prospect of human enhancement, and vice versa, thus providing a preliminary worked example of the interaction of science and theology envisaged by Professor McGrath in A Scientific Theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current Ethiopian government established the 'Identity and Boundary Affairs Commission' in order to solve the conflicts that arise from identity and geographical boundary quests. It is believed that these conflicts are the effects of lack of real and holistic transformation. The word transformation has been put into use by various secular and faith-based organisations. However, real and holistic transformation is characterised by two qualities: True identity and true vocation of humanity. It is the lack of a clear understanding of identity and vocation that has affected the Ethiopian Kale Hiwot Church to witness the hope and new life in Christ. Furthermore, their eschatological position contributes significantly to their weak socio-economic involvements. The impact of these factors – identity, calling (vocation) and eschatology – influence the maturia of the church as well as their participation in the missio Dei to proclaim and establish the Kngdom of God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how a southern African society commemorated colonial genocide by auguring alternative futures. Drawing on the concept of "prophetic memory," it illustrates how the Herero combined vernacular ideas about freedom and land, Christian eschatology, as well as pan-Africanist ideology to reflect on the Herero and Nama genocide of 1904-1908 between the final years of German colonial rule (until 1915) and Namibia's subsequent occupation by South Africa. Based on the analysis of the Otjiherero mission newspaper "Omahungi" ("Conversation" or "Stories") and prophecies by Herero Christians made between 1946-1948, the article shows that pastors, evangelists, and ordinary believers articulated emancipatory, but often diverging, visions of redemption by combining invocations of pioneering Herero converts and biblical as well as indigenous prophets with long-standing notions of slavery and land as well as the rhetoric of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association and the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The resulting disagreements over how to achieve self-determination contributed to growing opposition to white supremacy and encouraged the founding of independent African churches after 1945. The article shows the lasting impact of the first genocide of the twentieth century as well as the breadth of the registers through which survivors and their descendants remembered its violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eschatology is central to Christian theology: the significance of the death and resurrection of Christ is the promise of the "kingdom of God". This paper takes up this idea in discussion with contemporary Christian theologians and discusses it phenomenologically by recourse to Husserl's account of "horizon". The horizon is both finite and infinite: always limited in its actualization but with an infinity of potential actualizations. This is explored with respect to time and its relation to the eternal, as well as the dispositions of hope and fear with respect to the eschaton. The final section draws these insights together in a discussion of the eschaton to understand the eschatological destiny of nature in a "new heaven and a new earth" (Revelations, 21: 1) and conceiving of eschatological justice as a harmony of horizonal perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Salvation of Israel: Jews in Christian Eschatology from Paul to the Puritans" by Jeremy Cohen is a comprehensive study of the development of eschatological thought in early Christianity and the Middle Ages, with a focus on supersessionism and anti-Judaism. The book explores the ambiguity and debate surrounding Pauline texts and their role in supersessionist doctrine. It also examines the development of the Antichrist and anti-Judaism from early Christianity to the fifteenth century, and includes case studies on Honorius Augustodunensis and Pablo de Santa María. The book provides a nuanced understanding of the complex history of eschatology and its significance in Jewish-Christian relations. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

All forms of life imply a commitment to staying alive - an intentionality. In the case of human beings, however, this 'pre-occupation' with life takes on transcendental aspects: human beings contemplate the possibility of 'the end of the world'. As a human activity, scientific practice is not exempt from this concern to keep the apocalypse at bay. This essay investigates the conditions of possibility of contemporary anthropology, rooting them in the ethnographic gesture. The anthropology that is possible today is the anthropology of those who find within themselves the means to, step by step, raise themselves to ever broader levels of pre-occupation, thus carrying out the process of de-ethnocentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ayer: Revista de Historia Contemporánea is the property of Asociacion de Historia Contemporanea and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article explores Bishop John Robinson's approaches to New Testament eschatology in the 1950s and documents some scholars' parallels and responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the influence of Christian eschatology on U.S. constitutional law and American civil religion, exploring how beliefs in moral progress and America's special moral destiny has shaped constitutional interpretations and ideas of justice, liberty, and equality.

The article focuses on the annual general meeting of the Paul Claudel Society in 2023. Topics discussed include the acknowledgment of individuals who passed away, the society's financial stability, progress on projects like "Les Vitraux de l'Apocalypse," and the publication of three annual bulletins with diverse content, highlighting contributions from various scholars and sessions on Claudel's influence at academic events.

This article explores the loss of biodiversity and species extinction from the perspective of Christian eschatology and, more specifically, the hope for eternal life. A thought experiment on the coexistence of various hominid and hominin species is entertained in order to gain some clarity on the nature of the problems posed by extinction. The question is then raised whether any of the traditional eschatological symbols of the reign of God, a final judgment, the resurrection of the dead, or eternal life can be retrieved to address the problems posed by extinction. It is argued that each of these symbols poses serious difficulties in this regard while there is an apparent contradiction embedded in the notion of eternal life. This is not resolved through notions of 'objective immortality,' as this by itself eternalizes the injustices of history. With Joseph Sittler, it is argued that only some notion of cosmic redemption can suffice, but how this is to be imagined remains elusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Teología is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

One of the central themes in Christian theology is eschatology (the study of last things). Eschatological beliefs are important in shaping human earthly life. Though a very important subject, the concept of eschatology often proves difficult in theological discourses, especially in Africa where overreliance on the Western approach to the subject makes it inaccessible and incomprehensible to the average Christian. A proper conceptualisation and understanding of Christian eschatology within the African setting can be achieved through theological reflections on the African culture. The relevance of African traditional songs in this regard cannot be overestimated. This paper, therefore, examined Charles Kwadwo Fosu's (Daddy Lumba's) Adaka-Teaa ("narrow box/coffin") from an African Christian eschatological perspective to contribute to the scholarly efforts toward making Christianity more meaningful and relevant to Africans. A literature-based research approach, comprising two steps, was used for this research. The first step was a textual analysis of the lyrics of the song from the African socio-cultural perspective in light of Alexander the Great's background and life. This was followed by the formulation of Adaka-Teaa eschatology and the deduction of implications for the Christian community. A theological conversation between Lumba and Alexander yielded a culturally sensitive and biblically grounded Christian eschatology for the African audience. The paper found the African worldview about death and the afterlife can serve as a solid foundation upon which Christian eschatological discourses may be built. The findings and conclusions from the paper contribute immensely to the contextualisation and decolonisation of Christianity for the African community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares modern Advaita (nonduality) Vedānta and Roman Catholic afterlife beliefs, with special attention to the dialogue of Swami Vivekananda, formal Roman Catholic teachings, and Edith Stein. It draws also on other commentators and includes some brief reference to other forms of Vedānta. It analyzes significant congruences, parallels, differences, and critical issues. The article begins with a focus on essential similarities and contrasts in theological anthropology, situates these within the spiritual ideals of modern Advaita Vedānta mokṣa and Catholic Christian redemption, and relates them to conceptions of heaven, purgatory, hell, and reincarnation, between the two traditions. It also draws into the dialogue a view of rebirth espoused in the modern Christian Hermeticism of Valentin Tomberg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Larq Journal for Philosophy, Linguistics & Social Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The appearance of post-Islamic religions, the Bābī and Bahā'ī Faiths, is a theoretical impossibility from an orthodox Muslim perspective, since the Qur'ān designates the Prophet Mu ḥ ammad as the "Seal of the Prophets" (Q. 33:40), widely understood as meaning the "Last of the Prophets". To overcome this problem, the respective prophet-founders, the Bāb (1819–1850) and Bahā'u'llāh (1817–1892), each presented novel approaches which this article will explore. In short, the Bāb revealed a "new" Qur'ān, i.e., the Qayyūm al-Asmā' (1844), and Bahā'u'llāh wrote the Kitāb-i Īqān (Book of Certitude) in January 1861. While acknowledging Mu ḥ ammad as the last prophet in the "Prophetic Cycle", the Bāb and Bahā'u'llāh inaugurated the advent of the "Cycle of Fulfillment". This new era was foretold in the Qur'ān by way of a symbolic code, understood metaphorically and spiritually. A key concept is that of the "divine presence" (liqā' Allāh), i.e., the encounter/"meeting" with God, whereby Q. 33:44, Q. 83:6, Q. 7:35 (and their respective parallels) effectively transcend Q. 33:40. Recognizing that the Bāb and Bahā'u'llāh each manifests the "divine presence" thereby constitutes a "realized eschatology". This paper represents the first time that a wide-ranging survey and analysis of the Shaykhī, Bābī, and Bahā'ī viewpoints on the subject of the "Seal of the Prophets" has been made and is the result of a collaboration between two scholars working in the United States and Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Funda considers Masaryk's philosophy of the meaning of Czech history from the position of Popper's later critique of all historicism and messianism, be it the Abrahamic messianism of God's chosen people, the culmination of history in Christian eschatology, or the secularised fiction of history's happy ending touted mainly by totalitarian regimes. Although Funda himself admits that one may speak of a certain intended direction of short historical periods, he understands history and human life as a movement, a process of events: they are a complexity of complementary components in correlation, continuity, and context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thus, Matarazzo continues, in Chapter Three, to look at conceptions of divine judgment in, what he labels, "optimistic soteriologies": those of Sergei Bulgakov, Hans Urs von Balthasar, J. A. T. Robinson, and Marilyn McCord Adams. In Chapter Five, Matarazzo makes an effort of crafting such a position as he suggests and outlines a concept of divine judgment described as a salvific event of "absolute recognition". In this well-written book, James Matarazzo invites the readers to a critical and constructive exploration of nothing less than the concept of divine judgment in Christian theology. [Extracted from the article]

According to the doctrine of the Great Year, after a long period of time the same astral configurations reappear and the planets return to their original positions. The end of a world cycle is marked by a natural cataclysm, after which the world is restored to its original state and history repeats itself. This article deals with Albert the Great's views on the Great Year, focussing on two of his early theological works (the De IV coaequaevis and the Sentences commentary). The evidence here provided offers a comprehensive overview of the variety of contexts and themes which Albert considers to be related to the Great Year. He is fully aware of the many doctrinal implications of the concept of the Great Year. His analysis is deeply embedded in the astronomical discussions on the phenomenon of the precession of the equinoxes. A predominantly scientific approach is evident in the care with which he distinguishes the different types of Great Year. The major contribution of these works to the debate lies in the analysis of the impact of the Great Year on Christian eschatology and, more generally, in the investigation of the relationship between astrology and physics, on the one hand, and eschatology, on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our time is an apocalyptic time, but the argumentation in this apocalyptic time has hardly been studied by scholars of argumentation. This article shows how both Donald Trump and the jihadist warriors of ISIS appeal to an apocalyptic worldview in their argumentation. The three topos of evil, time and authority from Stephen O'Leary's Arguing the Apocalypse are used in the analysis. Both Trump supporters and jihadist warriors see themselves as fighting for God and their enemies as representing evil forces. For scholars of argumentation the role of arguments woven into narratives that become whole worldviews needs to be studied more thoroughly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1915 to 1923, Heidegger taught in Freiburg. This was a delicate biographical and important philosophical phase for Heidegger, in which it became increasingly urgent to distance himself definitively from Husserl's phenomenology. His attempt had developed into a theoretical orientation focused exclusively on the process of eidetic categorization of experience. The subject of his lectures in the academic year 1920/1921 was religion. In these lectures, he (also) dealt with the letters of Paul, which -- until then -- had been studied mostly by theologians. For this reason, Heidegger's reading of Paul must be understood as a counterpoint against the background of the theology of the early twentieth century. Thus, Heidegger's approach to Paul's letters is primarily phenomenological. At the centre of his interest, there is the (re)discovery and analysis of the concept of eschatology. When Heidegger's interpretation of eschatology is confronted with the history of eschatology, the true novelty of his approach emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the article is due to the fact that in the modern world, various utopian concepts do not lose their ideological strength, which for more than two centuries have significantly influenced public consciousness and have caused significant transformations in the socio-cultural life of mankind. The connection among social utopias and Christian eschatology has been noticed for a long time, and the thoughts expressed on this occasion by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann in articles and diary entries can contribute to a better understanding of deep cognitive processes that largely determine modern social realities. The purpose of the study was based on the analysis of the works of this worthy representative of the philosophy of the Russian diaspora, comparing the traditional religious eschatological "prototype" and later views on the "end of history". These views contributed to the development of utopianism and ideologism in the public mind. The authors focus attention on the antinomical nature of Christian eschatology, in contrast to the various socio-utopian modifications that define social ideals in a field transcendental to everyday human activities. The striving of religious thinking towards the "non-worldly" ideal, as Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann believed, made it possible to form a Christian's attitude to earthly life, which inevitably required a qualitative transformation corresponding to the notion of the ultimate goal. However, over time, the Christian faith paid less and less attention to the eschatological dimension of human life, which contributed to the formation of new eschatologies seeking their social ideals in the immediate givenness of earthly life and affirming the belief in the possibility of their empirical achievement. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that the most important factor in the formation and development of the "ideological faith" in the public consciousness, the concept of which is defined in the most general terms in the works of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, was the isolation of the dominant ideological structures based on social utopian ideas, from traditional faith grounds. Thus, ideologies ceased to be functional aspects of concrete historical religions, lost their official character and themselves became the foundation for pseudo-religious creativity.

The article focuses on Ratzinger's interpretation of the theological thought of Saint Bonaventure and explores the latter's impact on Ratzinger's theology. Three thematic circles have been identified within which the German theologian dealt with Bonaventure: the historical understanding of God's Revelation, the theological interpretation of history, and the eschatological fulfilment in the present time. Parallel to that, the article explores how Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI incorporates the insights gained from Bonaventure into his own thought about the current topics of his time. Those twofold observations are presented through the following thematic aspects. Firstly, Ratzinger's historical and personal notion of God's Revelation inspired by Bonaventure and in opposition to neo-scholastic theology, together with his focus on man as the addressee of God's Revelation; proceeding from that, Ratzinger's insistence on the understanding of Revelation within the faith of the Church and his critique of the historical-critical exegesis. Furthermore, Ratzinger's acceptance of Bonaventure's interpretation of Joachim of Fiore as well as his reservation about the earthly eschatological fulfilment and accordingly, Ratzinger's criticism of the chiliastic endeavours of his time and of the excessive postconciliar enthusiasm of the Church for this world. Ratzinger contributed significantly to the contemporary deeper understanding of St. Bonaventure and showed his relevance for today's questions of the Church and theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the sections of the sixth-century Secret History of Procopius of Caesarea where the emperor Justinian, and occasionally his wife, Theodora, were portrayed as demons, further giving special consideration to the three instances where Justinian was referred to specifically as the "Lord of the Demons" (ἄρχων τῶν δαιμόνων). I argue that Procopius's depiction of the demonic Justinian was fundamentally the result of a synthesis of contemporary rumors and apocalyptic thought, imbued with a literary flourish, while the term "Lord of the Demons" also had a more distinct resonance in the Secret History and in the roughly contemporary commentary by Oecumenius on Revelation , wherein it is used by both authors to refer to an Antichrist-like figure in a position of political power. The demonic Justinian was, then, a figure befitting of a political invective, yet rather than being a simple caricature premised solely on inversions of the emperor, it was the manifestation of a complex confluence of political discontent, as well as aspects of Christian demonology and eschatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the theological possibilities and concerns of framing Christian eschatological account of God's creation through natural teleology. Topics discussed are resistance of teleology within the biological world, theological benefits of synthesizing natural teleology with eschatology, challenges for a theological accommodation of natural teleology, and implications of eschatology for divine non-interventionism.

This article concerns the pleasure of the blessed, i.e. the pleasure (sensual and bodily) that a blessed person will experience in the visio beatifica state. Although by its very nature this problem is a theological issue arising directly from Christian eschatology, this article focuses on the underlying philosophical problems raised by Thomas Aquinas's research. The article includes three sections. The first concerns Thomas Aquinas's general discussion of the bodily pleasure contained in beatitudo. In particular, I will examine Aquinas's argument that bodily pleasure is a necessary part of beatitudo and is immanent in ultimate happiness. In the second part of the article, I will look at Thomas's understanding of the status of the resurrected body. Lastly, in the third part I will specify the individual bodily pleasures that the saved person will probably experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Renaissance & Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme is the property of Iter Canada and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With its idiosyncratic cinematic language, Nowhere (1997), directed by indepedent American filmmaker Gregg Araki, notably conveys a sense of acceleration and anxiety associated with the impending turn of the millennium. One of the film's many fast-paced sketches--showing a young couple ending their relationship--serves as a corollary of a doomed generation caught in the vortex of rampant technological development in an era of excess and disposable emotions. Through sound, framing, and editing--and involved in the context of Y2K concern and Christian eschatology--Araki creates a universe where nothing is permanent, where everything ends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]