Content

From the first to the last, and not merely in the epilogue, Christianity is eschatology, is hope, forward looking and forward moving, and therefore also revolutionary and transforming the present.” (Jurgen Moltmann).The unit situates eschatology in the centre of Christian theology and demonstrates the integrative function of the theology of hope. The eschatological emphases of the Scriptures are presented with particular attention to the Reign of God as the organising image. The unit examines the activity of God in Humanity and in its history focusing on Christ as the meaning of this history. Within this context the eschata are retrieved as symbols of Christian hope that are operative in life, present in death and are hope-filled expressions of life through death. This unit may consider questions regarding the relationship between body and soul, time and eternity, millenarianism and eschatology, eschatology and ecology, eschatology and the Eucharist, and various eschatological issues in the light of science.

Unit code: CT9010Y

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

Analyse the theology of hope

2.

Critically assess a theology of history

3.

Evaluate the four principles of eschatological language

4.

Critically reflect on the eschata as symbols of the theology of hope

5.

Critically appraise the difference between eschatology and futurology

6.

Critically evaluate the relationship between the theology of hope and Christian praxis

Unit sequence

24 units in CT

Pedagogy

asynchronous and synchronous lectures and student-centred synchronous tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Alison, James. Living in the End Times: The Last things Re-Imagined. London: SPCK, 1997.
  • Davies, Douglas. The Theology of Death. London: T & T Clark, 2008.
  • Fergusson, David and Marcel Sarot, eds. The Future as God’s Gift: Explorations in Christian Eschatology. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000.
  • Hayes, Zachary. Visions of the Future: A Study in Christian Eschatology. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier Press, 1989.
  • Johnson, Elizabeth. Friends of God and Prophets. NY: Continuum, 1998.
  • McDowell, John and Kirkland, Scott. Eschatology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.
  • Panikkar, Raimon. The Rhythm of Being: Gifford Lectures. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2010.
  • Peters, Ted, Robert John Russell and Michael Welker. Resurrection: Theological and Scientific Assessments. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.
  • Rausch, Thomas P. Eschatology, Liturgy and Christology. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2012.
  • Wright, N.T. History and Eschatology. London: SPCK Publishing, 2019.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay 2800 40.0
Essay 4200 60.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 14 Jul, 2022

Unit record last updated: 2022-07-14 13:18:36 +1000