|
|
Encyclopedia entry: Eschatology
- Article from:
- A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion
- Author:
Copyright© A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion 1999, originally published by Oxford University Press 1999. (Hide copyright information)
|
Eschatology
The doctrine of the ‘last things’. The actual term eschatology is found only in Christian theology but the themes embraced by the term–the doctrine of the
Messiah
, the
resurrection
of the dead, the immortality of the
soul
, the
World to Come
,
heaven and hell
–are discussed in detail in the classical Jewish sources, albeit in a non-systematic way. Throughout the ages Jewish thinkers have reflected on what is to happen in the world of the future but much of this reflection is more in the nature of speculation than dogmatic formulation (see
DOGMAS
). It is, therefore, hazardous to speak of an official Jewish eschatological scheme.
According to the commonly ...