Is there a concise eschatology in the Catholic Church?
score:6
Yes, the Catholic Church does have a definitive eschatology. A good overview of it can be found in
- Arminjon, Charles. The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of
the Future Life. Manchester, N.H.: Sophia Institute Press,
2008.
[Translation of the French original which greatly influenced St. Thérèse of Lisieux, as reported in her autobiography, Story of a Soul.]
The best Catholic commentary on the Book of the Apocalypse:
- Kramer, Herman Bernard F. Leonard. The Book of Destiny: An Open Statement of the Authentic and Inspired Prophecies of the Old and New Testament. Rockford, Ill.: Tan Books and Publishers, 1975.
Among the catechisms:
- Catechism of the Council of Trent (The Roman Catechism) "Article 7: From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead."
- Pègues, Thomas. Catechism of the “Summa Theologica” of Saint Thomas
Aquinas : For the Use of the Faithful. New York: Benziger, 1922.
pp. 304ff.
pp. 304ff. is a commentary on St. Thomas Aquinas's treatises on the resurrection and on the last things (Summa suppl. qq. 69ff.).
The Roman Catechism gives the conditions for the end of the world (cf. Matthew 24 and ch. 1 of The End of the Present World):
The Sacred Scriptures inform us that the general judgment will be preceded by these three principal signs: the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world, a falling away from the faith, and the coming of Antichrist. "This gospel of the kingdom," says our Lord [Matt. 24:14], "shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come." The Apostle also admonishes us that we be not seduced by anyone, "as if the day of the Lord were at hand; for unless there come a revolt* first, and the man of sin be revealed,"[2 Thes. 2 ff.] the judgement will not come.
[*This revolt is understood to be a spiritual revolt; cf. my answer to "What is the Roman Catholic interpretation of 2 Thes. 2:3?".]
What distinguishes Catholic eschatology is its insistence on Matt. 24:36:
But of that day and hour nobody knoweth, neither the Angels of heaven, but the Father alone.
Also, Catholic eschatology opposes Millenarianism (Chiliadism), which a Decree of the Holy Office on 21 July 1944 condemned:
2296 In recent times on several occasions this Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office has been asked what must be thought of the system of mitigated Millenarianism, which teaches, for example, that Christ the Lord before the final judgment, whether or not preceded by the resurrection of the many just, will come visibly to rule over this world. The answer is: The system of mitigated Millenarianism cannot be taught safely.
I've only treated what precedes the General Judgment and haven't even touched upon the Four Last Things, but the above resources are excellent places to start for understanding Catholic eschatology.
More post
- 📝 What is the Lutheran doctrine of consubstantiation and how does it differ from transubstantiation and a more general protestant sacramental view?
- 📝 Is Unterbrink's theory that the Judas of Galilee in Acts 5 is Jesus tenable?
- 📝 Can the cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1 speak to us today?
- 📝 Was Emperor St. Justinian an Aphthartodocetist?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for spiritual encounters leading to instant deliverance from addictions?
- 📝 Calvinism and Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
- 📝 What is the basis for saying that the Antichrist, man of lawlessness, and the beast of Revelation 13 are all the same?
- 📝 Is any of Jesus' carpentry still around?
- 📝 Who was Theophylact?
- 📝 How old was Moses when he parted the Red Sea and how old was he when he received the Ten Commandments?
- 📝 Pharisees and Sadducees - A "brood of vipers"
- 📝 Who is this cardinal in this picture?
- 📝 What does the Bible say Christians should or should not do on the Sabbath?
- 📝 In Catholicism, do scripted and unscripted prayers have equal importance to one's spiritual identity and development?
- 📝 Is there a special name for the day between Easter and Good Friday?
- 📝 Was the divine nature of Jesus in dominance at the Garden of Gethsemane?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis against Melchizedek being the Holy Spirit?
- 📝 Should a woman cover her head in Christian worship?
- 📝 Considering the Lord's Supper was instituted on the Passover, would the apostles have concluded it was to be an annual celebration like the Passover?
- 📝 If I undergo baptized am I still Catholic?
- 📝 "Christ is risen. He is risen indeed" - What is the actual meaning?
- 📝 What is the LDS (Mormon) position on eschatology?
- 📝 How did Martin Luther addressed the problem on the Biblical canon?
- 📝 Does the Roman Catholic church recognize LDS baptisms?
- 📝 Do other Christian denominations/groups have an equivalent to the "burning in the bosom" of Mormonism?
- 📝 Why do Jehovah's Witnesses travel in pairs?
- 📝 Why did Jesus refuse to accommodate the Pharisees insistence on washing hands before eating bread?
- 📝 What is an overview of methods used by Christian churches to discipline their members?
- 📝 How do Roman Catholics understand salvation in light of Romans 3&4?
- 📝 When did Catholic churches start using wooden clapper during Holy Week?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Is there a concise eschatology in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church teach there is only one person?
- 📝 Is there any evidence for the claim that the Catholic church suppressed translation of Scripture?
- 📝 Were there any Roman Catholic Church martyrs in the 10–15th centuries?
- 📝 According to the morality of the Catholic Church are there any organs that are not permitted to be offered in organ transplants?
- 📝 Has there ever existed a Catholic local church feast at Rome in honor of the Domine Quo Vadis?
- 📝 Does there exist within the Catholic Church a church, cathedral or even an altar dedicated to the Holy Spirit?
- 📝 Is there Catholic teaching and/or prophecy that a pope may be the false prophet of Revelation and the Church the who*e of Babylon?
- 📝 Is there a formal statement or opinion in the Catholic Church regarding martial arts?
- 📝 According to the Catholic Church is there anything special about a heartbeat?
- 📝 Has there been any discussion in the Catholic Church about whether hand sanitizer profanes the Host?
- 📝 Are there any consolidated teachings from the side of Catholic Church on Guardian Angels?
- 📝 Are there teachings of the Catholic Church on the similarity between Christ and the ram that Abraham sacrificed?
- 📝 Has there been an official pronouncement by the Catholic Church regarding the Gospel of Thomas?
- 📝 Are there any Early Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church or Catholic Saints who believed the world would possibly end by a comet hitting the earth?
- 📝 Why are the functions for man clear in the Catholic Church leading and decisive hierarchy, but there is no corresponding function for women?
- 📝 When did the prohibition of marriage for priests in the Catholic church originate?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church officially recognize Protestants as Christians?
- 📝 Do the Catholic Church ex cathedra pronouncements about necessity of Catholicism to be saved still apply?
- 📝 How does the Catholic church explain Matthew 19:9, which seems to allow divorce in case of sexual misconduct?
- 📝 If both the Orthodox and Catholic Church affirm salvation by grace through faith, why did the Protestant Reformation happen?
- 📝 Are there theological differences between the Greek Orthodox church and the Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox church?
- 📝 Are there any writings from the church fathers teaching Original Sin before Augustine?
- 📝 What does the Catholic church teach about fate of non-Catholic christians?
- 📝 What does the Roman Catholic church teach about those who die having never heard of Christ?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church oppose universalism?
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church reconcile evolution with original sin?
- 📝 Significance of Virgins in the Catholic Church
- 📝 Are there any Catholic sects which disagree with the sinlessness of Mary?
- 📝 How has the position of the Catholic Church on drugs changed over time?