Review article
The Eshatological Perspective on the Concept «Thesaurus» in Ambrose's Work Exposito Psalmi CXVIII
Drago Tukara
; The Catholic Theological Faculty in Đakovo, University Josip Juraj Strossmayer of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Seeing as man's existence can be brought into peril at any moment, the author of this article has chosen to portray the illustrious man of the church of the fourth century who through his exegetical ability and pastoral activity urges man to make his passing from this life into the next with courage. Saint Ambrose fixes his gaze upon Christ and at the same time keeps vigilant watch over man. The treasure which is Christ and also man is at once obvious, therefore the author of this article carries out his research from the eschatological aspect. The article is divided into three sections.
In the first section the author speaks of the riches of the earth - material goods which man possesses and which are needed for his security during his sojourn on earth. He expresses a positive view of earthly goods which are the fruit of God's creative love. Earthly riches can be viewed in negative terms in the event that man depends upon them exclusively. To illustrate this the author stresses that the wealth of Egypt, a symbol of power on earth, becomes powerless in the encounter with man's «last things», namely, death and eternal life.
In the second section the author discusses the wealth within man himself - his intellectual and spiritiual life which can render him the wealthiest or the poorest of men. He emphasizes man's mental and spiritual capabilities, his heart as an inexhaustible treasury of wealth, and his memory as archival material for research.
In the third section, we come to the focal point of the author's research - the riches of heaven. Biblical texts are interwoven with a personal experience of faith in the One who surpasses all creation. The author presents the wealth of expression and interpretation connected with the concept thesaurus in coelo as the final signpost on the road of man's existence and existence in its totality, with an evident accent on God's love and fidelity which do not abandon man even after death.
Keywords
Jesus Christ; eschatology; thesaurus; eternal life; heart; soul; reason; wealth
Hrčak ID:
41183
URI
Publication date:
14.10.2009.
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