The diploma thesis "The Question of History and Time in Modern Theology" aims to introduce the basic forms of thinking about history and time in modern theology. First of all, the work focuses on the initial forms of history and time outside of theology. Results are compared with a basic understanding of the same in Christianity. This is followed by a study of five selected theologians of the 20th century, who were interested in the problem of history and time. The study also reflects reactions to their scholar's conclusions too.

Thesis advisor: John R. Sachs / Thesis advisor: Margaret E. Guider / Catholic faith affirms human nature as an intrinsic fundamental unity between body and soul. Nonetheless, because the soul is immortal, Catholic teaching asserts that the soul survives even when it is separated from the body between death and resurrection. This belief in the survival of the separate soul can lead to a misguided understanding of the afterlife. It also has potentially detrimental consequences for the people of God in the present life. If the afterlife is conceived as a pure spiritual reality disconnected from the material world, the faith-filled practices of popular religiosity can lose their embodied character and be reduced to nothing more than pious spiritual devotions that are totally disengaged from the responsibilities and realities of Christian life. Guided by these concerns, this inquiry reflects on the manner in which Church teaching on the human soul is communicated through rites and rituals for the dead, especially in the selection and interpretation of biblical texts and in the choice of liturgical prayers. This study also reviews the historical evolution of Church teaching on the soul as well as the foundations that have contributed to Catholic understandings of theological anthropology and eschatology. Particular attention is given to Thomas Aquinas’s understanding of human nature and the human soul as the substantial form of the body. Further attention is given to the inherent difficulties encountered with regard to the notion of the separated soul after death. Challenged by questions raised in accord with theological reasoning, the separation of body and soul also is contested by contemporary scientific data suggesting that the brain has a central role in the generation of human intellectual functions. As Catholic theology has traditionally attributed these functions to the soul, it becomes evident that theology must be in dialogue with science if Church teaching is to give a more reasonable account of human nature. The problem of the separated soul is further examined in the light of the post-Vatican II theological debate on the notion of intermediate state. Two distinct views on this subject are presented in the works of Karl Rahner and Joseph Ratzinger. While Rahner considers the intermediate state as an intellectual framework for thinking about the afterlife and not a matter of binding faith, Ratzinger considers the intermediate state as an important belief connected to the doctrine of the immortality and the survival of the soul after death. This study argues that Rahner’s view is more appropriate as it leaves the question of the intermediate state open to theological debate while also affirming the symbolic dimension of eschatological language. In conclusion, this dissertation proposes Rahner’s hermeneutical principles for the interpretation of the Church’s eschatological assertions as a means to preserve foundational Catholic beliefs while respecting their metaphorical nature. It also proposes that all eschatological assertions of the Church only can be rightly understood and interpreted in light of the resurrection of the body, the central Christian hope and symbol of the permanent and fundamental body-soul unity of human nature. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

La notion d'eschatologie est originellement théologique : elle est pourtant réinvestie par la philosophie contemporaine chez Heidegger, puis par la philosophie française chez Levinas et Derrida. Quelles sont ainsi les conditions de possibilité, la spécificité philosophique et l'opérativité spéculative de ce réinvestissement ? L'étude généalogique de l'eschatologie, chez Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche et Heidegger, révèle que l'eschatologie ne peut être mobilisée en philosophie qu’à condition d’être préalablement dissociée de la téléologie, de la théologie et de l'ontologie. Elle est alors convoquée chez Levinas et Derrida en dialogue avec le messianisme et la phénoménologie pour former un motif original, aussi bien élément constituant que moteur philosophique. L’eschatologie lévinasso-derridienne devient un schème éthique, sans contenu ontique et radicalement anti-ontologique, qui consiste à interrompre le présent et la présence : une eschatologie du présent. L’eschatologie du présent constitue ainsi une triple problématisation de la limite : elle éclate les limites entre les circonscriptions disciplinaires (théologie et philosophie) ; marque la limite (c'est-à-dire la défaillance) du logos ; et brise la limite (l'horizon) de l'histoire pour proposer une pensée éthique de l'événement. / The concept of eschatology originally comes from theology: it is however summoned by contemporary philosophers, first by Heidegger then by Levinas and Derrida. What are the conditions of possibility of this philosophical gesture? How is it specifically philosophical? And what are its operativity and consequences? The genealogical study of eschatology in Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche and Heidegger’s philosophy reveals that eschatology can only be used in philosophy if it is first dissociated from teleology, theology and ontology. It then becomes an original motive (both a pattern and a philosophical driving force) in Levinas and Derrida’s philosophy, in dialog with Jewish messianism and phenomenology. As an ethical and contentless principle, radically anti-ontological, it consists in interrupting presence (both time and essence): an eschatology of the present. It thus constitutes a triple problematization of limit: it bursts limits between disciplines (theology and philosophy); its sets logos’ limitation (its failure); and shatters the historical limit (horizon) to create and ethical conception of the event.

Cette recherche entend analyser les productions eschatologiques byzantines et arabes rédigées pendant les deux premiers siècles après la naissance de l'Islam. L'expansion soudaine des troupes islamiques, a été interprétée par les Chrétiens d'Orient surtout selon une optique apocalyptique; une grande partie des sources en grec et en syriaque compte l'invasion soudaine des Arabes parmi les signes de la fin des temps. Dans la narration eschatologique la conquête arabe devient une tribulation éphémère avant la victoire finale du bien; cette vision de l'histoire fournit ainsi des éléments d'espoir et d'encouragement à la résistance des Chrétiens assujettis. À cette fin, les conquêtes musulmanes ont été assimilées à des figures eschatologiques de la précédente production apocalyptique juive et chrétienne: leur avènement a été perçu comme une punition pour les péchés des Chrétiens, et ainsi les caractéristiques des bêtes apocalyptiques ou quelles des hordes de Gog et Magog ont été attribuées aux nouveaux conquérants. Les événements choquants de ces années ont été ainsi inclus dans une vision sotériologique, et dé-historicisés par la médiation fondamentale mise en œuvre par le discours apocalyptique. Les prophéties d'affranchissement ont en outre développé une figure messianique "nationale" et humaine: le «Dernier Empereur», le souverain grec vainqueur des Arabes avant la descente de Jésus Christ. De même, entre les conquérants musulmans, après la chute soudaine des Sassanides, la production eschatologique a été consacrée à la représentation apocalyptique de l'ennemi byzantin: des pics de pression eschatologique sont détectables dans les oeuvres eschatologiques musulmanes en même temps que les deux sièges de Constantinople de 674-678 et 717-718; un grand nombre des traditions (aḥādīth) a été dédié à la prédiction de la chute de la ville; souvent dans la tradition eschatologique musulmane la conquête de Constantinople est le dernier événement avant le jugement final, ou le prélude au royaume chiliastique du Mahdī, le souverain juste décrit dans la grande production des aḥādīth musulmane. Les craintes d'une campagne de reconquête byzantine ont été sublimées dans les traditions musulmanes, qui représentent cet événement comme une fitna (tribulation) temporaire avant la victoire de l'Islam; dans ce cas également, par conséquent, la peur de l'ennemi est annulée par la dé-historicisation religieuse, qui donne un nouveau sens aux événements par l'intermédiaire du discours apocalyptique. La principale collection de traditions eschatologiques musulmanes est le Kitab al-Fitan (Livre des tribulations) de Nu'aym b. Hammad rédigé avant l'année 844. Cette collection, qui comprend plus de deux mille traditions séparées par chapitre, est l'une des rares œuvres de collection organisée par une division thématique, et est probablement la plus ancienne parmi celles qui existent aujourd'hui. J'ai effectué une traduction des principales narrations eschatologiques contenues dans cette œuvre. / In my research I analyse the eschatological productions, both Christian and Muslim, written in the two centuries after the birth of Islam. In works such as the Syriac apocalypses of Pseudo-Methodius and Pseudo-Ezra the sudden expansion of Muslim troops was mainly perceived by Eastern Christians as an apocalyptic trial, a sign of the End of Time. On the Muslim side, the main eschatological aḥādīth collection, the Kitab al-Fitan by Nu’aym b. Hammad (d. 844) shows the existence of a vital apocalyptic production which rose in correspondence to times of internal and external strife. The first part of my work deals with the use of these apocalyptic texts as historical sources, by analysing the so-called ‘vaticinia ex eventu’ (the genuine historical narrations concealed in the eschatological texts by the use of pseudonymia and isnad backdating) to shed light on some of the main events of the Arab-Byzantine conflict (e.g. the still debated chronology and size of the Arab sieges of Constantinople). In a second part I survey some of the main themes common to both of these eschatological productions (such as the depiction of the enemy, the development of messianic figures, the role of Jerusalem in the end-time, etc.); the use of a comparative perspective bears a fundamental theoretical contribution, by highlighting the presence of direct references between the different traditions, but also by underlining the common processes of eschatological production and development. Some other remarks deal with the contemporary use of these traditions, made by both Muslim and Christian fundamentalists, who look for a “prophesied roadmap” to read the current world events.

This is a creative thesis consisting of two short stories in the post-apocalyptic genre. A genre that highlights suffering, societal trauma, and the effects of trauma and loss on the human psyche. This genre asks the reader to be sympathetic to these extreme plights. Post-apocalyptic narratives also feature classic heroes who come out on top, despite the genre’s harrowing settings. The two stories featured in this creative thesis are an answer to my inquiry into the genre and seeks not only to show what makes post-apocalyptic literature entertaining but also worthy of literary merit. The two short stories that constitute this body of work are “A Muddled Canvas,” and “They Have No Ears to Hear My Pleas.” The first story, “A Muddled Canvas,” asks what responsibility God, the protagonist, has to those who remain after the apocalypse he created. The story follows God as he tries to come to terms with the effects his actions have on his creations. The other story, “They Have No Ears to Hear My Pleas,” follows the life of a therapist turned apathetic to his clients’ issues because of the apocalypse. After so much time spent helping others, he develops a bad case of compassion fatigue.

Thesis (S.T.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-141).

Within the context of contemporary politics, Christian, Muslim and Liberal traditions have been, in many instances, at odds with each other regarding how humankind‘s social political future should be ordered. Such a conflicting condition has been aggravated by the global circulation of democratic ideals, which has significantly disseminated Western liberal values and made those ideals an almost universal desirable social commodity. In support of this argument, one can observe the unprecedented and controversial assumption that liberal democracy has become the ultimate form of political governance. It is in the context of these end-times liberal aspirations, whether self desired or imposed through external pressure, that some competing and conflicting elements are introduced into the political landscape of Christian and Muslim groups. By presenting itself as the universal and final solution for humanity‘s future, liberalism appears to create uneasiness among religious people who, indeed, see its secular and religious-privatizing tendencies as a secular eschatological competitor. Despite this perceived end-times conflict, there may be hope for a constructive dialogue among these groups.

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This thesis will examine closely two aspects of Pauline theology, namely, the timing of the resurrection and the state of the believer who dies before the parousia. Through exegesis of 2 Cor 5:1-10, the basic consistency in Paul's thinking and the arguments for and against the intermediate state will be examined. Chapter 1 analyzes what 1 Thess. 4, 1 Cor. 15, and 2 Cor. 5 have to say on the issue, comparing the passages as to content and compatibility. Chapters 2 and 3 pursue more fully questions related to the issue of postmortem existence. Chapter Two deals with Paul's use of verb $ underline{ eta o iota mu alpha sigma beta alpha iota}$ as a metaphor for death and the idea of the intermediate state as soul-sleep (psychopannychism). Chapter 3 explores the matter of Paul's concept of the "I" or "self" (or "naked" self), raised by Paul in 2 Cor. 5:3. The Pauline anthropology is compared with Hellenistic anthropological dualism in order to show the similarities and differences.

This thesis introduces and examines the work of French philosopher Michel Henry with particular focus on his phenomenological-theological analyses of the self. Given its thematic emphasis, the thesis incorporates several interlocutors in addition to Henry: primarily Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger and St. Augustine but also Jean-Luc Marion, Jean-Yves Lacoste and Dominique Janicaud. Revolving around the question of the self, the thesis maintains that Henry elucidates a peculiar and ultimately problematic theory of the self—a duplicitous self bifurcated between interior and exterior fields of display. While appreciating Henry’s attempt to reconstitute the interior self in relation to God, we argue he ultimately disqualifies the utility of the exterior body in the world; to overcome this imbalance we employ key insights from St. Augustine’s “phenomenology of the self,” drawing especially on his more mature works, De Trinitate, City of God and the Confessions. The first chapter offers broad context to the thesis as a whole by specifying what constitutes phenomenology as a line of inquiry, the debate surrounding the “theological turn” introduced by Dominique Janicaud in the 1990s and a constructive proposal for a rapprochement between phenomenology and theology. Chapter two determines Henry’s place in the phenomenological tradition, bringing to light his critical departure from both Heidegger and Husserl. Heidegger’s analytic of being-inthe- world discloses how human existence is co-emergent with the exterior (i.e. ecstatic) field of the world. Husserl’s focus on the intentional life of the ego suggests that consciousness is like a “lighthouse” that illuminates objects before its gaze. From Henry’s perspective, both Heidegger and Husserl advance a self shaped entirely by the exterior world and its temporal horizon. To counter the singular focus on exteriority, Henry does not deny exteriority but attends to the possibility of a site of pure interiority, secure and complete in its transcendental self-presence and thus disengaged from the exterior horizon of the world. Chapters three and four critically elaborate Henry’s duplicitous self from a theological point of view. Interrogating Henry’s triptych on Christianity (C’est moi la vérité, 1996; Incarnation, une philosophie de la chair, 2000; and Paroles du Christ, 2002), we see that the self is structured a duplicity or two-sidedness. Chapter three’s main premise is that the interior ego is manifest internal to itself apart from exterior horizon of temporality. Prior to the temporal opening of the world, Henry articulates a self who appears in non-temporal or “acosmic” union with divine life. Joined together in perfect unity by a subjective structure called “auto-affection,” the interior self and God form a fully-realized “monism,” a parousaic presence that both eliminates the Creator-creature distinction and promotes escapism from the world. Chapter four confirms this thesis with regard to Henry’s richly textured considerations of the body. Chapters five and six proceed to show a constructive way beyond Henry’s duplicitous self. Over against Henry, the thesis elaborates an eschatological conception of the self we call the “porous self.” Ordered by the eschatological structure of “seeking,” the porous self takes as its principal interlocutor St. Augustine, however, insights from Marion, Lacoste, Husserl and Heidegger are employed. This thesis figures a self that does not split, but integrates, the interior and exterior fields of display within the absolute horizon of the parousia or eternal Sabbath to come. Chapter five discusses the temporal nature of faith nurtured by the eucharist and the chapter six highlights the importance of the body in view of the ecclesial, sacramental and resurrection bodies. An exercise in constructive philosophical theology, this thesis figures the self over against Henry’s duplicitous self, and in so doing, integrates interiority more deeply with exteriority in a manner that accounts for (1) the temporal nature of the body in the world and (2) the eschatological distance between the self and God.