Content

From the first to the last, and not merely in the epilogue, Christianity is eschatology, is hope, forward looking and forward moving, and therefore also revolutionary and transforming the present.” (Jurgen Moltmann).The unit situates eschatology in the centre of Christian theology and demonstrates the integrative function of the theology of hope. The eschatological emphases of the Scriptures are presented with particular attention to the Reign of God as the organising image. The unit examines the activity of God in Humanity and in its history focusing on Christ as the meaning of this history. Within this context the eschata are retrieved as symbols of Christian hope that are operative in life, present in death and are hope-filled expressions of life through death. This unit may consider questions regarding the relationship between body and soul, time and eternity, eschatology and ecology, eschatology and the Eucharist.

Unit code: CT2010Y

Unit status: Approved (New unit)

Points: 18.0

Unit level: Undergraduate Level 2

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Blended

Proposing College: Yarra Theological Union

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Learning outcomes

1.

demonstrate an understanding of the theology of hope

2.

identify the biblical foundations of hope

3.

articulate the four principles of eschatological language

4.

critically evaluate the eschata as symbols of the theology of hope

5.

identify the relationship between the theology of hope and Christian praxis

Unit sequence

18 points of CT

Pedagogy

asynchronous and synchronous lectures and synchronous student-centred tutorials

Indicative Bibliography

  • Davies, Douglas. The Theology of Death. London: T & T Clark, 2008.
  • Fergusson, David and Marcel Sarot (eds). The Future as God’s Gift: Explorations in Christian Eschatology. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000.
  • Lane, Dermot. Keeping Hope Alive: Stirrings in Christian Theology. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1996.
  • McDowell, John and Kirkland, Scott. Eschatology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.
  • Peters, Ted, Robert John Russell and Michael Welker, Resurrection: Theological and Scientific Assessments. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.
  • Polkinghorne, John. The God of Hope and The End of the World. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002.
  • Rausch, Thomas P. Eschatology, Liturgy and Christology. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2012.
  • Walls, Jerry L (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
  • Wright, N.T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. New York: HarperOne, 2008.
  • Wright, N.T. History and Eschatology. London: SPCK Publishing, 2019.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay 1800 40.0
Essay 2700 60.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 14 Jul, 2022

Unit record last updated: 2022-07-14 13:13:35 +1000