Eschatological Time – Matthew Ohliger

Eschatological time is the theological concept that refers to the end times, the period of events following the end of the world. Its name originates from the Greek eschaton, meaning “last.” It connects to Messianism, apocalypticism, and millennialism, which are different ideas of the dramatic events that will shape the end of the world.

In Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, eschatological time primarily concerns the return of God, the Last Judgment, and the afterlife. These religions say that the actions and beliefs of the living will determine their fate and whether they will be rewarded or punished by being sent to heaven or hell.

Derived from the New Testament, consistent eschatology says resurrection and judgment immediately follow Jesus’s death, while inaugurated eschatology says they begin during Jesus’s ministry. In realized eschatology, the prophecies about the end times have already been fulfilled, so  the world is already functioning in eschatological time.

The Christian theologian Augustine confronted God about the indecipherable paradoxes of time and the inability of humans to comprehend time from God’s perspective. He concluded that one’s fate is decided upon their death, not predetermined. The Christian poet Christina Rossetti shared the idea that people’s souls wait in their coffins until they rise to meet the living in the end times.

Unlike the Abrahamic religions, which describe a singular end of time, the Dharmic religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism describe a continuous cycle of destruction and immediate rebirth. Similarly, in Norse mythology, the end of the world, Ragnarök, follows a battle between the gods and giants and subsequently brings rebirth.

There are even more versions of eschatology, such as that of Zoroastrianism. Despite their variations, they all outline how time ends and establish eschatological time, transcending homogenous time and giving meaning and purpose to an otherwise limited, meaningless life.

References:

Landes, Richard. “Eschatology.” Edited by The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 22 Dec. 2023, www.britannica.com/topic/eschatology.

Rossetti, Christina. “Up-Hill.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45002/up-hill.

Saint, Augustine, Saint. The Confessions of St. Augustine, The Floating Press, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/washington/detail.action?docID=349865.

von Wahlde, Urban C. “C. H. Dodd, the Historical Jesus, and Realized Eschatology.” Engaging with C. H. Dodd on the Gospel of John : Sixty Years of Tradition and Interpretation, edited by Tom Thatcher, and Catrin Williams, Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp. 149-162. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/washington/detail.action?docID=1303715.