Eschatological Discourse Research Articles

The Sound of Capitalism: Thomas Pynchon’s Critique of Future Economic Realities through Don Giovanni in Bleeding Edge

ABSTRACT The topic of fraud in Bleeding Edge extends beyond financial deceit to alternative realities, which are fabricated by alleged time travelers. One such traveler aligns with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Captive to ominous forces, he liberates himself in death but returns posthumously in a digital future, joining, this article argues, a sacred conspiracy, and the laughter of the Acéphale, which echoes Georges Bataille’s concept inspired by Mozart’s Don Juan. Thomas Pynchon discusses the themes of sin, deception, and fraudulent channels as he intertwines a TV production of Don Giovanni with allusions to Dante’s “Circles of Hell.” Pynchon’s portrayal of sound engages in a theological critique of future economic realities that draws from Bataille’s vision of expenditure value in a future economy while also observing Kierkegaard’s praise for Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The sinner’s odyssey unfolds in a technological future unfettered by repentance for excess and pleasure, but enchained in sound, which offers an eschatological discourse on digital transitions and economic futures. Pynchon’s narrative proposes a cultural exchange that aims to trade over-accumulation and compromised communication for an inner experience of sensuality, which prompts reflections on the impact of data centers, virtual gamescapes, money as medium, and information that shapes and accelerates our trajectory into the future.

The Significance of Τοῦτο in Act 2:16 to the Eschatology of Acts

Abstract The demonstrative pronoun “τοῦτό” in Acts 2:16 carries pragmatic weight, suggesting markedness and emphasizing the eschaton (v. 17). Despite scholarly oversight, verse 16’s syntactical placement within the main clause underscores its significance. This article seeks to rectify this neglect by examining Acts 2:16’s theological and syntactical importance, particularly the usage of “Τοῦτο” and its implications for understanding Acts’ eschatological framework. Through linguistic analysis, theological exploration, and intertextual connections, this study aims to reveal the profound implications of Acts 2:16 for the eschatological discourse in Luke’s narrative.

“If You Can Change Your Name, You Can Write”: Pseudepigraphy in Antiquity and Its Function in 1 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John

This article attempts to answer the following question: why did the author of the apocryphon called 1 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John choose to efface himself and adopt John as his pseudonym? Why not Peter or Paul? This paper argues that the author of 1 Apocryphal Apocalypse of John intended to harness the audience attached to John, the seer of Revelation, by taking his name as a pseudonym. This paper sustains this claim by demonstrating that, in antiquity, each author had a specific pool of readers, often made out of friends and accolades of the author. Thus, authors’ names evoke an audience attached to them. When an author takes another person’s name to write under, he does so out of necessity, because he does not have an audience. But, when he takes another’s person name, he does so hoping to trick the audience of the impersonated into reading him. Based on this insight, this article concludes that the author of 1 Apocr. Apoc. John wanted the readers of canonical Revelation to engage with his work and that he achieved his purpose as evinced by the fact that the titles of both works share an uncanny resemblance, ranging from identical titles to similar wording. Since titles in antiquity were given to the works by their readers, the most logical explanation for canonical Revelation and 1 Apocr. Apoc. John having the same titles is that they both shared the same readers. Finally, this article argues that, in line with recent research on the use of pseudepigraphy in Jewish, Christian, and Roman contexts, the author of 1 Apocr. Apoc. John wanted to be read by CR’s readers because he wanted to expand, criticize, rework, and update CR’s eschatological discourse, exemplified by a close reading of how 1 Apocr. Apoc. John criticized, reworked, and updated CR’s presentation of the resurrection to bring it in harmony with late Christian reflection on the subject.

A comparative study of eschatology in Christianity and African traditional religion

The concept of eschatology remained a captivating theological subject that theologians dedicated substantial time and resources to comprehend. Contrary to popular belief, some Christians may not prioritise theological discussions about eschatological details. Eschatological discourse – the fate of the universe, including humans and the physical world – may also be prioritised. Death, the second coming of Christ, judgement, rewards, heaven and hell are some of the eschatological themes that fascinate and disturb people because of limited understanding about the afterlife. African tradition religion (ATR) has been criticised for omitting eschatology in its belief system which this study debunks. This study showed that Christianity and ATR have the concept of eschatology and identified the main points of convergence and divergence in their eschatologies to demonstrate that ATR’s eschatology is well-established but different from Christianity’s. This paper adopts theoretical research, often referred to as conceptual research, since it is aimed at advancing knowledge. Christianity and ATR agree that physical death ends life in the body, and death symbolises the afterlife. Earthlings have limited time to fulfil their duties. Both sides agree that the soul and spirit survive death and resurrection. Christianity and ATR share many beliefs and traditions across sects, ethnicities and regions. These factors influence the eschatology of each tradition. Both faiths agree that present decisions impact fate and eternity. They also agree that God opposes immorality, but the virtuous will inhabit a place of joy. Positive and negative conduct are punished differentially.Intradisciplinary and/interdisciplinary implications: This work discusses end-of-life issues that strongly relate to systematic theology and African traditional religion, emphasising that while their eschatologies differ, they share a belief in life after death. African traditional religion should not be mocked as a religion without eschatology.

역사 안에서 완성되는 구원으로서의 종말

This study undertakes a theological critique of historical interpretation and eschatological thought within the corpus of Belgian theologian Edward Schillebeeckx, whose scholarship was prominent in the Netherlands. Drawing from the insights of M. D. Chenu, Schillebeeckx embraces a historiographical stance informed by the methodologies of the Annales School, which postulates historical progression through a lens that allows for the interweaving of Divine will and human action in the pursuit of God. This vista sets the stage for history's protagonists to be perceived not only as the Divine orchestrator of salvation but also as humanity, in partnership with the Divine directive.
 At the crux of this engagement is the fundamental belief in Divine self-disclosure and creativeness, which aligns humanity with the Divine will, confirming the thesis of God as the sovereign architect of history.
 Schillebeeckx's historiographical methodology recognizes the intricate interaction between the vicissitudes of socio-economic frameworks and shifts in ideological paradigms, associating such seismic shifts — comparable to historical cleavages — with the ecclesiastic vocation of navigating the path to salvation. His eschatological construct, an outgrowth of this historical interpretation, contends that the ultimate realization of salvation unfolds within the historical episode wherein individuals pursue self-fulfillment, placing this pursuit at the heart of eschatological discourse. Within this paradigm, God is posited as the definitive horizon for humanity, traversing from historical antecedents through the contemporary to the eventual.
 In this theological architecture, the Divine does not precipitate the eschaton by abruptly rectifying historical wrongs. Rather, the Divine presence engages with humanity in a concerted struggle against injustice, marshaling human agency toward redemptive ends throughout this journey. Schillebeeckx’s eschatological vision, characterized by its critical negation, offers a prophetic eschatology that integrates the theme of humanity's historical absence at the pivotal intersection where dogmatic theology's principal treatises meet.

The question of Mark 13 as an apocalypse

Background: Many researchers accept that the Gospel of Mark is apocalyptic, which necessitates the need to determine whether Mark 13’s eschatological discourse represents an apocalypse.Setting: The question of whether the early church utilised an apocalyptic worldview is widely discussed in scholarly circles.Methods: The article utilises a form-critical and syntactical analysis of the text of Mark 13.Results: Mark 13 is deliberately written in a mode displaying several apocalyptic features. The text engages the present crisis situation when Roman authorities quelled Roman resistance by destroying parts of Jerusalem, including the Temple, in response to the question of whether the present crisis indicates the end of the present aeon and the introduction of a new world.Conclusion: The Markan Jesus emphasises that the current situation introduces further suffering and persecution for believers but that does not indicate the end in itself. The time of the end is unknown, even to him. The discourse hence serves anti-apocalypse to discourage believers from overheated end-time expectations of an imminent end. Christians do not know when the end is coming, but they know who they expect to return.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The research findings contribute to Old and New Testament studies into apocalypticism.

Fateful Periods: Routinisation of a Wittenberg Chronological and Eschatological Concept within Bohemian University Humanism (c. 1550–1620)

The article deals with ways in which one of the most important chronological tools of Lutheran historical writing and eschatology—the “fateful periods” that were based on Daniel’s prophecy and predicted originally the demise of the Holy Roman Empire and the End of the World—was modified when it spread from Wittenberg to the University of Prague. The study does not seek to illustrate the importance of apocalyptic imagination by adding further examples of Central European provenance; rather, its goal is to demonstrate how eschatological discourses became absorbed into scholarly material, how they were rewritten and reapplied in individual humanist texts and, particularly, how their meanings and functions changed in the process of cultural exchange. Calculations based on “fateful periods” of 500 or 250 years were made part of the ordinary curriculum of the University of Prague and became one of the basic intellectual themes employed by non-theologians in various subjects, for example in different historical narratives, strategies for seeking patronage or as a tool for producing a community and shared identity among humanist scholars.

Facing Violence and War

Mark 13 marks the transition from Jesus' public ministry in Galilee and Jerusalem to the passion events (Mark 14–15). Jesus' eschatological discourse is at the juncture of the Gospel narrative and is thus fundamental to the Markan interpretation of time and history. By discussing the reading paradigms of traumatology and empire criticism, this article seeks to make sense of Mark's "narrative agenda" from Mark 3:6 to chapter 15 in historical and historiographical terms. I shall ask: in which way does Mark – the creator of early Christian literary memory in a narrative sense – memorize, reflect, and construe contemporary history? And what significance do the topics of violence and war – crucial for Mark 13 – have in this context? In which form and for what purpose does Mark create Zeitgeschichtsschreibung? It will be argued that the way in which the earliest Gospel writer approaches contemporary history is multi-dimensional and manifold. Even if phenomena of sociopolitical crisis and trauma might stay on our list of possible "historical triggers" which illuminate the composition process of the Markan Gospel and Mark's view on contemporary history, the interpretive framework should be broadened.

Antichrist and His Plot Against Russia: Conspiracy Theories and Eschatology

In post-Soviet Russia, there is a relatively widespread conviction that events such as the Bolshevik Revolution, World War II, and the collapse of the Soviet Union were not the results of historical contingency but of a complex vicious plot exercised by some evil forces aiming to destroy Russia. Depending on political needs, the enemy plotting against Russia has the face of a Jew, Muslim, Freemason, oligarch, or liberal, operating both from outside and inside of the country. Interestingly, many conservatives and religious fundamentalists seem to believe that the plot against Russia is orchestrated not by human agents but by the embodiment of all evil and the herald of the end of the world – the Antichrist. In my paper, I will address these beliefs and discuss the proximity between conspiracy theories and eschatological discourses. Referring to the literal meaning of the Greek word apokalypsis (to disclose, to unveil), I will attempt to explain the role of apocalyptic and conspiratorial narratives that offer to reveal the hidden reality behind what ordinary people can see. Also, I will demonstrate their implications in the broader context of the public discourse in contemporary Russia.

Семиотика двойничества в современной эсхатологии

Traditionally, a double (or doppelgänger) is considered to be a personified part of one’s consciousness or subconsciousness, social experience, behavioural patterns, etc. represented as an independent actor of social relations (in a literary text, an independent character or a character claiming independence). Doubles are characters that have something in common. The study of the doubles phenomenon is often limited to artistic discourse, its religious interpretation, including in eschatological narratives, being poorly investigated. In the Christian tradition, the eschatological interpretation of doubles goes back to early Christian hermeneutics of the New Testament texts about false apostles and the Antichrist. This article analyses the mythology of doubles formed under the influence of modern eschatology. In terms of hermeneutics, modern versions of the theological mythologeme of doubles are attempts at an apocalyptic interpretation of information technology, while information models are assigned the role of demonic doppelgängers. Thus, a binary opposition is formed: the real world created by God vs the digital world of the Antichrist, functioning in a similar way to binary oppositions of mythological discourse. The content analysis of modern eschatological discourse identified the following key mythologemes of doubles in it: digital double-image, digital kingdom of the Antichrist, doubles of rulers and prominent personalities. The abovementioned mythologemes are analysed using the methods of semiotic and hermeneutic analysis. The sources of the study are original texts of the prophetic and pseudo-prophetic genres, popular among Orthodox subcultures, but found in the canon of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) as well.

Semiotics and semantics of the concept “North” in eschatological discourses of sacred geography

Semiotics and semantics of the concept “North” in eschatological discourses of sacred geography

Образ Китая в современных дискурсах маргинальной эсхатологии

In contemporary eschatological discourses of marginal Orthodoxy, the image of China occupies one of the central places. Over the centuries, an ambivalent attitude towards China has been formed in Russian religious culture. On the one hand, China acted as a religious and geopolitical adversary, on the other, as “almost a brother in faith.” Such contradiction in assessments is typical for a mythological culture. This ambivalence remains in a modern eschatological discourse as well. In apocryphal and pseudonymous eschatological prophecies China appears as the religious and political antipode of Holy Russia. In pre-eschatological times China invasion is expected as an eschatological sign and a real threat. Numerous prophetic texts depict the horrors of China's impending military invasion of Russia, as a result of which a significant part of the territory will be under Chinese occupation. And the very beginning of the invasion is conceptualized as a sign of the beginning of the apocalyptic scenario. At the same time, the eschatological Chinese invasion is also seen as a “scourge of God”, as a punishment for sins and wickedness, as an instrument of cleansing the Russian land from abomination and vice. It is expected that as a result of the apocalyptic events, the Chinese will be converted to Orthodoxy. The eschatological hermeneutics of China's image has not been influenced by a current coronavirus infection. Perhaps this is due to both certain inertia and covid-dissident sentiments that are popular in marginal Orthodoxy.

Milenialisme dan Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic in the blink of an eye has radically changed the world as we know it. In a depressive atmosphere like this themes of doomsday or end of time naturally surfaces. This paper discusses the eschatological options of Christian beliefs and how they can contribute to the wider community. The eschatological discourse would be limited to three options with respect to the realization of God’s rule on earth, namely: premillennialism, postmillennialism and amillennialism in relation to the crisis of the times, the basic longings of humanity, and the reality of power. This paper tries to show how amillennialist eschatology can help Christians realize their social responsibility on the one hand, and on the other hand realize their limitations and mortality, while not losing hope in difficult conditions such as in pandemic times. This research employs hermeneutics and dogmatic studies to reach its aim. Keywords: Covid-19; doomsday; parousia; apocalypse; eschatology

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND LOCKDOWN THROUGH THE EYES OF A CARTOONIST

The article is devoted to cartoons of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine and year, as a source of reconstruction of the mass moods of urban residents in the spring of 2020. Using the model of Dr. E. K?bler-Ross, the most popular satirical subjects of the quarantine period are identified and the characteristics of an array of cartoons of the beginning of 2020 are indicated. The concept of the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance is firmly rooted in popular culture. This scientific model is mentioned in articles and series, and the English artist and entrepreneur Damien Hirst created a series of paintings, calling them the abbreviation ‘DABDA’ (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). Characteristic topics of coronavirus caricatures (‘coronacartoons’), visualization methods that expand the semantics of the creolized text, including the plots of 2020, in the global eschatological discourse are examined. A review of the caricature contests of the beginning of 2020 is given. The author comes to the conclusion about the need for an interdisciplinary study of caricature as a genre. Systematic caricature research is an important community task. The problem of coronavirus is a global problem, the movement of ‘coronacartoons’ will lead to the beginning of other effective movements in the field of communication of visual art with society. Cartoonists must be effective in conditions of social crises, when the need for creativity and heurism, as well as for the social responsibility of the artist, is growing in art and media space.

The Kingdom of God: A Biblical Theology by Nicholas Perrin

Reviewed by: The Kingdom of God: A Biblical Theology by Nicholas Perrin David E. Garland nicholas perrin, The Kingdom of God: A Biblical Theology (Biblical Theology for Life; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019). Pp. 272. Paper $29.99. The Biblical Theology for Life series intends to wed biblical research to practical application to answer the question "So what?" Perrin fulfills this task admirably in outlining the theology of the kingdom of God from the creation accounts in Genesis through the key passages in the OT to its proclamation in the Gospels. The first chapter decries the vague understanding of the kingdom of God as a current problem for Christians, and P. asserts that we cannot remain "cheerfully agnostic" about Jesus's primary agenda. A brief overview of the history of twentieth-century scholarship (Johannes Weiss, Albert Schweitzer, Albrecht Ritschl, Adolf von Harnack, Rudolf Bultmann, and C. H. Dodd), all in a conversational style, sets up the questions that need answers. Chapters 2–3 identify what the kingdom is. P. contends that the kingdom of God cannot be easily explained in a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph (p. 52), and he compares it to jazz—something not easily defined, but one knows it when one hears it. Nevertheless, he defines the kingdom of God "as engaged in creation, universally focused, eschatologically oriented, a transcendent sphere of reality that conspires with a community of human image-bearers in the task of restoring creation to the worship of the one true creator God" (p. 52). Perrin develops this definition beginning with the Genesis creation stories that identify God as the king who serves as architect and builder of creation while reigning from heaven. The universal scope of God's kingdom is given expression through the successive covenants, which leads to P.'s analysis of the continuing backstory in the OT. He cleverly adopts Matthew's partitioning of Jesus's genealogy, from Abraham to David, from David [End Page 333] to the exile, and from the exile to Christ, to provide the scaffold for his inquiry of the texts. In chap. 4, P. presents John the Baptist as the "warm-up act" who introduces the requirements for membership in the kingdom community and Jesus, "the headliner," as the king. A lengthy examination of the parable of the sower (Mark 4:3-9) develops these categories. Chapter 5 treats Jesus's roles as king, which, through a typological interpretation, derive from key biblical figures. Jesus is the new David, a warrior king taking on Satan, the unifier of Israel's tribes, and the sufferer who dies on the cross. He is the new Moses as redeemer and lawgiver. He is the new Isaac who provides lasting atonement and, as the true heir of the promises, shares his inheritance with believers. In chaps. 6–7, P. seeks to rectify the neglect of John's Gospel in kingdom studies despite the opening assertion that hails Jesus as "the King of Israel" (John 1:49). The "I am" statements take center stage. As the good shepherd, the gate, and the light of the world, Jesus professes that the kingdom arrives through him. As the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, the true vine, and the way and the truth, Jesus assures disciples of their eschatological inheritance. In chaps. 8–10, P. tackles the paradox created by Jesus's sayings that imply that the kingdom is present, imminent, and future. The healing miracles, exorcisms, and proclamation of good news to the poor restore persons to wholeness and imply the kingdom's presence (chap. 8). Jesus's atoning death, resurrection, and ascension indicate that the kingdom is imminent (chap. 9). The eschatological discourse in Luke 21:8-39 serves as the focal passage for evidence that the kingdom will be fully realized only in the future (chap. 10). P. concludes that the kingdom is "fundamentally a future reality" as God propels history to this end. Chapter 11 centers on the interpretation of the Lord's Prayer as expressing the kingdom's core values and mission statement. Petitions 4 through 6 determine "how" one is to live in the kingdom. The address, "our father in heaven," and the first...

Categorical semiotics of the village-city opposition in the modern eschatological discourse

Categorical semiotics of the village-city opposition in the modern eschatological discourse

This Is Not the End: The Present Age and the Eschaton in Mark’s Narrative

Although many scholars continue to read Mark’s eschatology, and particularly the eschatological discourse in Mark 13, as a narrative of decline into increasing persecution, this is unsettled by careful attention to the narrative logic of Mark 13 and to the characterization of the present age throughout Mark’s work. In the present study, I argue that a close reading of Mark 13 in relation to the whole narrative places Mark’s readers in the Zwischenzeit, between the resurrection and the parousia, the present age, which is characterized by a mixture of abundance and suffering, success and opposition. It is into this situation that the abomination of desolation erupts as the green bud to the eschatological blossom, established eschatological labor leading to the arrival of the Son. In the present age, however, Mark’s eschatology is one of imminence without immediacy, where no narrative of decline can be established amid the varying experiences of abundance and penury.

Семиотика модальностей эсхатологического дискурса маргинальной религиозности

Семиотика модальностей эсхатологического дискурса маргинальной религиозности

Eschatology in Malachi: The emergence of a doctrine

In this article the eschatology of Malachi is investigated within its own historical context. The socio-political and spiritual situation of the early postexilic Persian era in Yehud is briefly outlined. The attention is then focused on the prophetic voices which articulated eschatological visions at that point in time. This article’s contention is that Malachi’s eschatology had developed from that of Haggai, being influenced in the process by the eschatological insights of Zechariah and 3 Isaiah. The conclusion is that in Malachi Haggai’s proclamation of eschatological hope is confirmed, albeit adjusted by the introduction of divine judgement into his eschatological discourse in response to the community’s disappointment at the perceived delay in the fulfilment of the promised future.

‘It’s Not Dark Yet, but It’s Getting There’: Listening for the End Times in the Contemporary American Novel

This article argues that contemporary imaginings of the end times are dominated, and sometimes skewed, by visual culture. By focusing on three post-9/11 American novels, Freedom, A Visit from the Goon Squad and Stone Arabia, I suggest their peculiar preoccupation with music offers a compelling supplement to the proliferation of eschatological discourses in the historical present. Franzen, Egan and Spiotta attend to musicians battling with their own versions of end times, invariably splicing personal and political apocalypses, as well as questions of ethics and aesthetics as they do so. Drawing on the work of cultural commentators such as Greil Marcus and Simon Reynolds, as well as thinkers and theorists including Jean Baudrillard, Zygmunt Bauman, Frank Kermode and Edward Said, the article argues that a greater sensitivity to the distinctive contribution of music and musicians to these debates can enliven them in particular ways. By placing concerns with the production, consumption and circulation of music at the heart of their respective texts, Franzen, Egan and Spiotta suggest how and why some of the more hegemonic tendencies in end times discourses might be set to a different rhythm. In so doing, they invite us to listen to them anew.