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Types of Eschatology

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Types of Eschatology TYPES OF ESCHATOLOGY Many years ago a Dutch scholar wrote an interesting treatise on "Twilight and Dawn".1) Therein he analyzes the moods that prevail upon man in the evening hour or in the earl y morning, and the thoughts awakened by these two different parts of the day. He thinks that the morning is characterized by a looking out for what is expected and that the evening gets its colour by a loo king back on what one has obtained. Further he argues that from the moods of the evening and of the morning two attitudes can arise, which take shape in what he calls the "evening­ man" and the "morning-man". The first looks to the past, faithfully guards over historical values and borrows his spiritual strength from the heritage of the ages. The "morning-man" glanees to the future, lives in expectation of what will happen and has the courage to strike into an untrodden raad. This exposition draws attention to the fact that sorne people orient themselves to the past and others to the future. This difference in atti­ tude can result from age or temper. Y aung people look to the future. The grey-head lives on his memories. Conservative natures stick to tradition. Pioneers are longing for new and unknown adventures. Not only individuals, groups of people also show this difference in attitude: at times communities cast their roots into the past, then again they turn their face to the future in the hope that it will bring the fulfilment of all desires. However this may be, the history of religions teaches that religious people in all ages have looked to the future with expectation. For it is an essential feature of religion that it opens a perspective through the oppressing present to a better and happier future. Therefore es­ chatology is a constant element in the structure of religion. Theoreti­ cally religion is composed of three basic ideas: the conception of God, the holy action and the path of salvation. As regards the last idea, re­ ligion points out the way of true life bath for the individual and the world. This means, that the faithful eagerly look to the future, in the hope that their dreams of a more harmonious life and a renewed world 1) G. H. van Senden, Uit de strijd om nieuwe levenswaarden. 1922. TYPES OF ESCHATOLOGY 251 will one day be realized. As they impatiently wait for the abolition of injustice and impiety under which they suffer, their ardent expectation often takes the form of the belief that the end of the world is close at hand. Thus eschatology, the doctrine of the last things, cornes into existence. This term is part of the terminology of Christian theology. More precisely expressed, it is derived from sorne New Testament expressions indicating the time of the new co venant or the end of the world.1) However, eschatology has a broader meaning in general scientific parlance. It is used to denote various types of conceptions of the future destiny of man and mankind. Therefore it will in my opinion encounter no difficulties when eschatology is here used to co ver also the expectations of the future fostered by adherents of non­ christian religions. It is evident that these conceptions of the future show a wide range of variety. It would make no sense to study these pictures of the future separately. A better and deeper insight into the significance of the subject in question can be obtained, when an in­ quiry is made into the types of eschatology. Only by investigating the significant forms of eschatology has one a chance of understanding the religious motives which throughout the ages till the present day have brought about eschatological conceptions. Before these problems can be tackled the subject of this study should be precisely defined. To this end two remarks must be made. Firstly it should be stated that the expectations of the future can be directed to two different objects: the destin y of the individual and the destiny of the world. This treatise is limited to research into the significance of the ideas of the destin y of the world. It does not deal with the so­ called individual eschatology, which comprises the conceptions of life after death and man's ultimate destiny in general. However it goes without saying that these two types of eschatology actually can hardly be separated, because the destiny of the world also includes the fate of individual man. Nevertheless these two series of conceptions can in theory without many difficulties be distinguished. Therefore es­ chatology will in this study be taken in the original sense of the word, meaning the events which happen at the end of the world. Secondly it seems wise to leave Messianism, i.e. the conceptions about the future coming of a saviour, out of the picture. It is true that the Messiah pla ys an essential part in certain conceptions of the future. Incidentally he will 1) éaxamt f}p.eeat, 'taxaroç xeovoç, 'eaxarTJ wea, Kittel, Theologisches Worter­ buch zum Neuen Testament, II, 1935, pg. 694/5. .
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