Escatologia RA0503

Upon completion of this course, students will have acquired a good knowledge of the Christian everlasting Hope in all its aspects, i.e. the so called “four last things”: death and resurrection, judgment, hell, heaven. They will be capable of a biblical and theological view of these truths, in order to meditate upon them first in their own life and then to propose them in academic, pastoral and liturgical contexts, as an on-going horizon of the Christian existence. This objective will be met by means of the following learning activities: 1. Attendance at lessons. 2. Expositions by the professor. 3. Interaction of the students, principally by reading and analysing the biblical references. 4. Reading some suggested bibliographical references.

1. The current state of the Catholic Eschatology: exegetical data and theological problems. 2. A Christian vision of death: historical roots of the question, biblical thought (OT and NT), ethos of death, the particular judgment. 3. The immortality of the soul: biblical data, Church Magisterium, theological developments. 4. The return of Christ and the Last Judgment: signs of Christ’s return, the risen body, the Last Judgment: biblical data, Church’s teaching, ecumenical stances. 5. Hell: biblical data, tradition, theological reflections, pastoral dimensions. 6. Purgatory: biblical foundations, catholic tradition, ecumenical stances, pastoral dimensions. 7. Heaven/Paradise: bible, tradition, theological reflection, pastoral dimension.

1. Notes given by the Lecturer. 2. Catechism of the Catholic Church (22000). Bibliography: SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Recentiores Episcoporum Synodi (May 11, 1979), in: Enchiridion Vaticanum 6, n. 1528-1549; COMMISSIO THEOLOGICA INTERNATIONALIS, De quibusdam quaestionibus actualibus circa eschatologiam, in: Enchiridion Vaticanum 13, n. 448-572; SOLES J.C., Death and the Afterlife in the New Testament (New York, T&T Clark 2006); GOZZELINO G., Nell’attesa della beata speranza. Saggio di escatologia cristiana (Leumann, LDC 1993); HAYES Z., Visions of A Future: A Study of Christian Eschatology (Collegeville-MN, The Liturgical Press 1989); KELLEY J.T., 101 Questions and answers on the Fours Last Things (New York, Paulist Press 2006); KELLY A., Eschatology and Hope (Maryknoll, Orbis 2006); LADUE W., The Trinity Guide to Eschatology (New York, Continuum Press 2004); MARTIN R., The Last Things, Death, Judgment, Hell, Heaven (San Francisco, Ignatius Press 1998); MOLTMANN J., The coming of God. Christian Eschatology (Minneapolis, Augsburg Fortress 2004); PHAN P.C., Responses to 101 Questions on Death and Eternal Life (New York, Paulist Press 1997); POHLE J., Eschatology or, The Catholic Doctrine of the Last Things: a Dogmatic Treatise (N.P., Repressed Publishing LLC 2012); POZO C., Theology of the Beyond (New York, St. Pauls 2009); RATZINGER J., Eschatology, Death and Eternal Life (Washington, The Catholic University of America Press 2007); RUIZDELA PEÑA J.L., La otra dimensión. Escatología cristiana (Madrid, Santander 1986) Also in italian: L’altra dimensione. Escatologia Cristiana (Roma, Borla 1988); SCHMAUS M., Dogma 6: Justification and the Last Things (London, Sheed & Ward 1977); WALLS J.L., Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2002); WALLS J.L. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2008).