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 teacher. 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, and ecumenical stance. 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 dimensions.

Professor’s notes &Catechism of the Catholic Church GOZZELINO GIORGIO, Nell’attesa della beata speranza. Saggio di escatologia cristiana (Leumann, LDC 1993); HAYES ZACHARY, Visions of A Future: A Study of Christian Eschatology (Collegeville-MN, The Liturgical Press 1989); KELLEY JOSEPH T., 101 Questions and answers on the Fours Last Things (New York, Paulist Press 2006); KELLY ANTHONY, Eschatology and Hope (Maryknoll, Orbis 2006); LADUE WILLIAM, The Trinity Guide to Eschatology (New York, Continuum Press 2004); MARTIN REGIS, The Last Things, Death, Judgment, Hell,Heaven (San Francisco, Ignatius Press 1998); MOLTMANN JURGEN, The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology (Minneapolis, Augsburg Fortress 2004); PHAN, PETER C., Responses to 101 Questions on Death and Eternal Life (New York, Paulist Press 1997); POHLE JOSEPH, Eschatology or, The Catholic Doctrine of the LastThings: a Dogmatic Treatise (N.P., Repressed Publishing LLC 2012); POZO CANDIDO, Theology of the Beyond (New York, St. Pauls 2009); RATZINGER JOSEPH, Eschatology, Death and Eternal Life (Washington, The Catholic University of America Press 2007); RUIZ DE LA PEÑA J.L., La otra dimensión. Escatología cristiana. (Madrid, Santander 1986) Also in Italian: L’altra dimensione.Escatologia Cristiana (Roma, Borla 1988); SCHMAUS MICHAEL, Dogma 6: Justification and the Last Things (London, Sheed & Ward 1977); SOLES JAIME CLARK, Death and the Afterlife in the New Testament (New York, T&T Clark 2006); WALLS JERRY L., Heaven: The Logic of Eternal Joy (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2002); ID., The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2008).