Eschatology

Abstract

Is there a life after death? What may we hope for? What should we think of heaven and hell? Questions like these are traditionally subsumed and treated under the heading of "eschatology," the doctrine of the Last Things. Contemporary theology has great difficulty answering them. Although the twentieth century has known an enormous revival in the study of eschatology both in theology and in pastoral care there seems to be a crisis: the old images do not function any longer, and nothing new has emerged to replace them. Has Thomas Aquinas anything to say in this mysterious area of Christian faith? Can the medieval author still be a source of inspiration, a guiding light, despite his outdated cosmology and anthropology? Before these last questions can be addressed, a clear idea must be developed about what exactly Aquinas teaches on the topic.