The escatological renewal in the twentieth century

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show the renovation, in terms of content, methodology and structure undergone by christian eschatology. This renewal process began at the end of the 19th century, with liberal theology, and at the beginning of the 20th century, with protestant exegesis, around the reflection on the eschatological dimension of the kingdom of God announced by Jesus. The positions vary from a future dimension and transcendent (consequent eschatology) or present and existential (realized eschatology, R. Bultmann), culminating in the dialectical synthesis of O. Cullmann: the kingdom of God is a reality already present and not yet consummated. Eschatology is not a futuristic speech (apocalyptic) on post-mortal realities divorced from the present. The absolute future of the christian faith is related to the historical present and vice versa (J. Moltmann, J.B. Metz, J.B. Libânio). Christian eschatology went from a discourse about the last things (eschaton) to a speech on the Last (eschatos) in the anthropological, ecclesiological and cosmic sense. Thus, it recovered the christological dimension of the eschatology (W. Pannenberg, Y. Congar, J. Daniélou, K. Rahner, H.U. von Balthasar etc.). Christ is the ultimate horizon of Christian faith. Eschatology is no longer simply a sectoral treaty that concluded dogmatic theology. Escatotolgy became a perspective presents throghout the theology. Eschatology is a transverse dimension that permeates the entire Christian faith.