Eschatology

Eschatology refers to a set of beliefs about the last things or the end-times. Derived from the Greek words eschatos (“last”) and logos (“word”), a Latin form of the word (escbatologia) was first used by Abraham Calovius in the 1600s. The word appeared in German in the early 1800s and in English in 1845. Since then, it has been considered an important (and usually the last) component of Christian theology, but it can be applied more generally to any view concerning future events.

Eschatology is divided into two subject areas. Individual eschatology focuses on the fate of the person after death. Cosmic eschatology focuses on future events related to the end of the world. People who adhere to religions based on a linear view of history generally believe that certain events will precede the end of history and that a new, eternal age will replace the current, temporary age. Such would be the views of those who follow Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The new age is described in these religions either as the restoration of the world to its previous state of perfection or as the replacement of the world by a better, more glorious one.

Religions based on a cyclical view of history—such as Taoism, Confucianism, and Shintöism—generally do not teach any kind of cosmic eschatology. Asian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, however, teach that certain events will happen in the future to usher in the next cycle of history. Chinese Buddhists, for example, view current history as a period of decline at the end of which a messianic figure called Maitreya will establish a new age of bliss and salvation.

In the ancient Near East, eschatological schemes often depicted the arrival of an eternal political order ruled by an ideal king. In some versions, history is divided into four successive kingdoms followed by the fifth and final one. A shift away from this kind of this-worldly eschatology occurred in Zoroastrianism, whose proponents viewed history as a cosmic struggle between the forces of light led by Ahura Mazda (or Ormuzd) and the forces of darkness led by Angra Mainyu (or Ahriman). The end will come with the victory of light, the resurrection of the dead, judgment of individuals, and destruction of evil.