Death and the afterlife Flashcards
Mark 1:14
“The time has come near and the kingdom of God has come near”
Parousia
Jesus coming back to Earth est. new era
How did Jesus present the afterlife
presents as if already begun - inaugurated eschatology
- parables emphasize nowness
St Paul
before “darkly” but can now see “clearly”
What is Sheol
departed spirits awaiting hell
Jesus return
“noone knows only the father”
“return like a thief in the night”
What does purgatory promote
fairness = allows someone to prepare
ambiguity of judgment
Two decrees of the elect
antelapsarian decree - God decreed elect at the moment of creation before fall
postlapsarian - after the fall
St Paul on elect
chose all kinds of people
Aquinas
God elects those to Heaven and wicked elect themselves to Hell
Dante on Heaven
ineffable
source of knowledge and illumination through God
ten levels - souls intellectual resting place and state of bliss
Mark 13:27
“send out the angels and gather elect from the four winds”
Augustine
Even Christ not enough
will weakened by the fall
Hick on elect
universalisation
Barth on Elect
Inclusivism
‘anonymous Christian’
Dostoyveky
“If God did not exist everything would be permitted”
Dante Hell
dysfunctional state at moment of Jesus Death
reason abandoned for irrationality - dwellers lack faith in God and live hopelessly
Nine circles - centre lucifer fanning winds
- torment and anguish
- consequences of actions what makes us
Jean paul satre
Play - 3 people awaiting brimstone and fire but each others torment
catishsm
hells punishment ‘ eternal separation from God’
Origen on purgatory
Probiatinary school - soul experine many worlds to develop and perfect
Gregory of Nyssa on purgatory
redeems and restores all of creation
Catholics on purgatory
NT - ‘ cleansing by fire’
post mortem interim state after death
Hick on purgatory
“gap between individual imperfection at the end of this life and heavenly state of the next one needs to be bridged”
Calvin
‘Some people chosen to everlasting life others to everlasting death’
Book of revelation
wicked ‘thrown into a lake of fire’
Parables
Rich man and Lazerus
Parable of the sheep and the goats
Mathew 25 judgement of the world before the kingdom
set on terms of farming life: goats and sheep graze together in the day and separate at night
- sheep worth more
Parable of the sheep and the goats
Mathew 25 judgement of the world before the kingdom
set on terms of farming life: goats and sheep graze together in the day and separate at night
- sheep worth more
Christian teachings
pursuit of justice - marginalised and oppressed not thinking heavenly rewards
good works - reflects Jesus own teachings of helping the sick and needy
Problems of Hell
Modern - not accepted
Contradicts Gods omnibenevolence?
