Part II. Eschatology of the Human Race 102

Ch. I. The Signs That are to Precede the General Judg- ment 103
Ch. II. The Resurrection of the Flesh 121
§ 1. Reality of the Resurrection 121
I 2. Universality of the Resurrection 132
S 3. Nature of the Risen Body 138
Ch. III. The Last Judgment 149
1. Reality of the Last Judgment 149
2. Chiliasm, or the Theory of a Millennium ... 155
Index 161
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i. Definition. — Eschatology is the crown and capstone of dogmatic theology. It may be defined as "the doctrine of the last things," and tells how the creatures called into being and raised to the supernatural state by God, find their last end in Him, of whom, and by whom, and in whom, as Holy Scripture says, "are all things." 1
Eschatology is anthropological and cosmo- logical rather than theological; for, though it deals with God as the Consummator and Uni- versal Judge, strictly speaking its subject is the created universe, i. e. man and the cosmos.
The consummation of the world is not left to "fate" (fatum, ^p^yn). God is a just judge, who distinguishes strictly between virtue and vice and metes out reward or punishment to every man according to his deserts. The rational crea- tures were made without their choice ; but they can not reach their final end without their cooperation. Their destiny depends upon the attitude they take towards the divine plan of salvation. The good are eternally rewarded in Heaven, the wicked are punished forever in Hell. In the latter God
i Rom. XI, 3*-
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will manifest His justice, while in the former He will show His love and mercy. By deal- ing justly with both good and bad, He at the same time triumphantly demonstrates His omnipotence, wisdom, and holiness. Thus Eschatology leads us back to the theological principle that the cre- ated universe in all its stages serves to glorify God. 2
The consummation of the world may be re- garded either as in process (in fieri) or as an ac- complished fact (in facto esse). Regarding it from the former point of view we speak of the "last things" (novissima, **x oTO ), i. e. the events to happen at the second coming of our Lord. "The four last things of man" are Death, Judg- ment, Heaven (Purgatory) and Hell. 8
The four last things of the human race as a whole are : the Last Day, the Resurrection of the Flesh, and the Final Judgment, followed by the End of the World. These four events constitute as many stages on the way to the predestined state of consummation (consummatio saeculi, owrOuui atiivos), which will be permanent and irrevocable.
Division. — In the light of these considerations it is easy to find a suitable division for the present treatise. The object of the final consummation is
2Cfr. Pohle-Preuss, God the Au- thor of Nature and the Supernatural, 2nd ed., pp. 80 sqq., St. Louis 191 6.
iCfr. Ecclus. VII, 40: "In om-
nibus operibus tuts memorare no- vissima tua, et in aeternum non peccabis"
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the created universe, consisting of pure spirits, human beings, and irrational creatures. The lot of the spirits (angels and demons) was deter- mined forever at the very beginning of things. 4 Man and the physical universe still await their, consummation. Man, individually as well as coif lectively, occupies the centre of creation. Henc6 we may divide Eschatology into two parts: (i) | The Eschatology of Man as an Individual, (2) | The Eschatology of the Human Race. /
General Readings St Thomas, Summa Theologica, Supple- tnentum, qu. 69 sq.; Summa contra Gentiles, III, 1-63 (tr. by Rickaby, God and His Creatures, pp. 183-233, London 1905), and the commentators.
Mazzella, De Deo Creante, disp. 6, 4th ed., Rome 1908. — E. Meric, U Autre Vie, Paris 1880; 12th ed., Paris 1900; (German tr., Das andere Leben, Mayence 1882). — *Car& Katschthaler, Eschatologia, Ratisbon 1888. — F. Stentrup, S.J., Soteriologia, Vol. II, Innsbruck 1889.— Chr. Pesch, S.J., Praelectiones Dog- maticae, Vol. IX, 3rd ed., Freiburg 191 1.— * Atzberger, Die christliche Eschatologie in den Stadien ihrer Offenbarung im A. u. N. T., Freiburg 1890.— B. Tepe, S.J., Institutions Theologicae, Vol. IV, pp. 680 sqq., Paris 1896. — P. Einig, De Deo Creante et Consummante, Treves 1898. — B. Jungmann, De Novissimis, 4th ed., Ratisbon 1898.— J. Royer, Die Eschatologie des Buches Job unter Berucksichtigung der vorexilischen Propheten, Freiburg 1901. — *W. Schneider, Das andere Leben; Ernst und Trost der christlichen Weltanschauung, 10th ^ed., Paderborn 1910. — Card. Billot, S.J., Quaestiones de Novissimis, 3rd ed., Rome 1908.— Prager, Die Lehre von der Vollendung alter Dinge, 1903.— Heinrich-Gutberlet Dogmatise he Theologie, Vol. X, Part II, Miinster 1904.— J. E. Niederhuber, Die Eschatologie des hi Am- brosius, Paderborn 1907. — J. Keel, Die jenseitige Welt, 3 vols., Einsiedeln 1868 sqq. — D. Palmieri, SJ., De Novissimis, Rome
4Cfr. Pohle-Preuss, God the Author of Nature and the Supernatural,
2nd ed., St. Louis 1916, pp. 340 *l
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1908.-— Wilhelm-Scannell, A Manual of Catholic Theology, Vol. II, 2nd ed., pp. 534-560, London 1901.— S. J. Hunter, S.J., Out- lines of Dogmatic Theology, Vol. Ill, pp. 424-464, London 1894.— P. J. Toner, art " Eschatology," in the Catholic Ency- clopedia, Vol V, pp. 528-534.— W. O. E. Osterley, The Doctrine of the Last Things, London 1908.-— M. O'Ryan, "Eschatology of the Old Testament," in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Vol. XXVII, No. 509, 4th Series, pp. 472-486.— Charles, Critical His- tory of the Doctrine of a Future Life in Israel, in Judaism, and in Christianity, London 1899 (to be read with caution).
For further bibliographical data see Alger, A Critical History of the Doctrine of the Future Life, with Complete Bibliography by Ezra Abbott, New York 1871.
For the early history of Eschatology see Atzberger, Die Geschichte der christlichen Eschatologie innerhalb der vor- nizdnxschen Zeit, Freiburg 1896.