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Introduction to recent questions in the field of eschatology:

• Offender-victim discourse on eschatology: Forgiveness at the expense of the victims? Basically: The relationship between justice and mercy of God in the field of eschatology
• Hell and Apocatastasis. Basically: the relationship between human freedom and divine salvific will in an eschatological perspective
• The change from hell-fear to an unquestioned confidence of salvation: From one extreme to another?                           
• Purgatory: Will there be a history of freedom after death?
• Further questions on apocalyptic and parousia

The Focusing and the selection of the treated issues will be coordinated with the participants.

In the 20th century, there were upheavals in eschatology, which raised new problems and controversies. If we are no longer afraid of a divine judge, but only have to accept God's mercy by forgiving our debtors, then the question arises: Must forgiving to one’s perpetrators be a preconditrion for salvation to all victims? Also for the victims of the concentration camps towards their tormentors? So a currently widespread eschatological hope for an apocastasis becomes ambiguous. Do we need a hell for those people who have organized the deaths of countless people? Other current questions to be investigated and discussed are: How is purgatory conceivable as a maturing of basic decision toward God and his creation, without having to accept a post-mortem history? And shouldn’t we reconsider the widespread rejection of apocalypticism with its concepts of divine judgment and violence  in the face of current apocalyptic fears? By discussing these controversies, we will work on an eschatological understanding of judgment that opens a middle course between fear of hell and belittlement of destructive behaviour.

Presentation of the mentioned problems and controversies based on selected literature by the participants. Based on this there will be free discussion. In the second half of the course further topics will be selected in favour of an optimal progress of work. In this way, the seminar will obtain a certain project character. Finally, a project paper will be prepared by the participants.

Presentations, cooperation, and a final project paper.

D. Ansorge, Vergebung auf Kosten der Opfer?, in: Salzburger Theologische Zeitschrift 6 (2002) 36-68.
B. Nitsche, Eschatologie als dramatische Nach-Geschichte? In: B. Nitsche (Hg.), Von der Communio zur kommunikativen Theologie (Festschrift für B. J. Hilberath). Münster 2008, 99-109.
T. Herkert / M. Remenyi (Hg.), Zu den letzten Dingen. Neue Perspektiven der Eschatologie. Darmstadt 2009
M. Striet, Versuch über die Auflehnung, in: H. WAGNER (Hg.), Mit Gott streiten. Neue Zugänge zum Theodizee-Problem (QD 169), Freiburg-Basel-Wien 1998, 48-89;
J.-H. Tück, Versöhnung zwischen Tätern und Opfern? Ein soteriologischer Versuch angesichts der Shoah, in: Theologie und Glaube 89 (1999) 364-381
W. Sandler, Kairos und Parusie. Kairos als Ereignis des in Christus angekommenen und angenommenen Gottes. In: http://theol.uibk.ac.at/itl/1018.html.
W. Sandler, Offenbarung im Angesicht des Untergangs. Das unverzichtbar Apokalyptische im christlichen Glauben. Publikation in Vorbereitung.

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