Thesis advisor: Richard Lennan / This dissertation in Christian eschatology affirms the cosmic implications of the notion of the parousia, and proposes the latter as a suitable symbol for a renewed eschatological narrative of God’s transforming encounter with the whole of creation. Over the last several decades, eschatological reflection has ceased to refer simply to future events, and has become an interpretative key for the entire theological enterprise. The cornerstone of any contemporary eschatological reflection is God as end and goal of the whole of creation. In addition, two other elements arise in the work of most contemporary theologians, namely the anthropological interpretation of eschatology, and an apparent sobriety in the use of images for depicting the future of creation. This dissertation will explore the complementary counterpoints of these perspectives. On the one hand, this work argues for an all-embracing eschatology that broadens those theologies that either restrict God’s eschatological fulfillment only to what will happen to human beings and earth, or give to human beings a role that, seen in a broader, cosmic perspective, seems to be disproportionate. On the other hand, this dissertation maintains the necessary renewal of an eschatological narrative from a Christological, cosmic perspective in a context where the loss of figurative language for eschatology negatively affects our ability to conceive the future of the whole of creation and to be really inspired by it in the present time. The main thesis of this dissertation is that the theological notion of the parousia grounds all eschatological statements in Jesus Christ, broadens the interpretation of God’s fulfillment to a fully transformed creation, offers an illustrative image of this cosmic process, and can empower believers to recognize and embrace their eschatological role within the framework of God’s action upon all things. This seems especially urgent in the contemporary theological context, where an all-embracing narrative about future fulfillment is either challenged or has almost disappeared. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BOSTON/oai:dlib.bc.edu:bc-ir_108262 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Inzulza, Mario |
| Publisher | Boston College |
| Source Sets | Boston College |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, thesis |
| Format | electronic, application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). |
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