Pregledni rad

Some Outlines of the Old Testament Eschatology

Anđelo Maly orcid.org/0000-0001-6681-7230 ; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Sažetak

What is the Old Testament eschatology? Does it exists or not and what would be its potential development? Considering the Jewish concept of history, does it make sense to speak »strictly« of the Old Testament eschatology? What would be the role of eschatology in the national and individual life? These are just a few questions that this article attempts to answer, while being aware of the difficulty of the eschatological concept and its content. Beginning with a brief review of the concept of time and history in the Old Testament, the emphasis is put on the role of God’s promise which is always the same, but constantly »new«. It is precisely from the God’s promise to the people and to the individual that hope for prosperity and for a change of the present reality springs. The moment when this is about to be completely realized is expressed with slightly stereotypical formulation: »the end of days« (ʾaḥ arit hayamim) or »the time of the end« (ʿet qeẓ). It seems as if the entire Old Testament eschatology aims at the »Day of the Lord« (yôm JHWH), as the moment of the eschatological transformation of the promise which includes changes on the cosmological and individual level. These terms, related to a specific moment in time, gradually transformed to eschatological from historical, as the Old Testament texts testify. Related to this is a reflection on the death of an individual that finds its proper place in the eschatological language. The human being is a part of history, but after he/she lost the »breath of life«, he/she terminated his/her relationship with the Creator and the world in which he/she lives. The hope for eternity and full union with God are possible and even certain, but where, when and how this will happen, remains a question that goes beyond the »strict« limits of the Old Testament eschatology.

Ključne riječi

Old Testament eschatology; promise; time; eternity; »the day of the Lord«; death; hope

Hrčak ID:

184970

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/184970

Datum izdavanja:

20.7.2017.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 1.496 *