Table of Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Abbreviations and Conventions xii
Introduction 1
Gregory of Nyssa
1 Gregory of Nyssa's Eschatology in Context 21
a The Life of Gregory of Nyssa (c.335-95) 21
b Philosophy, Mysticism, and Exegesis 22
c Patristic Eschatology 30
d Apokatasasis-a Note on Terminology 38
2 Perfection in Resurrection 45
a Return to Paradise? 46
i Creation and the Fall 46
ii Creation in the image of God 50
iii Apatheia, desire, and love 56
b Resurrection 64
c Visions of Heaven 73
3 Universal Perfection 77
a Evidence for Gregory's Universalism 77
i Direct statements 77
ii Evidence from the nature of punishment in Gregory's theology 82
b Gregory's Arguments for Universal Salvation 86
i An argument from the nature of evil 86
ii Arguments from the unity of humanity 89
c Universal salvation and Human Freedom 95
i Three starting assumptions 97
ii Divine pedagogy 99
iii Moral perfection: asceticism and purification 104
Karl Rahner
4 The Background to Karl Rahner's Eschatology 115
a The Life of Karl Rahner (1904-1984) 115
b Philosophy and Theology 118
5 Eschatology for a Modern World 130
a The Requirements for a Doctrine of Eschatology 131
b The Hermeneutics of Eschatological Assertions 136
c Theology and History 151
i Death and the history of an individidual 151
ii The consummation of a history of freedom 160
iii Profane-history and salvation-history 162
6 The Consummation of an Individual History of Freedom 168
a Consummation and Individual Decision 169
i Immanent and transcendent consummation of the individual 169
ii The possibility of a negative or a rejected consummation 173
iii Unthematic acceptance ordenial or God: 'anonymous Christianity' 176
b Perfect Fulfilment and Utter Loss 179
i Heaven: the beatific vision 179
ii Hell 179
iii Problems raised by the notion of an individual consummation 188
c The Possibility of Human Development after Death 189
i Doctrinal definitions 190
ii Divine punishment: the doctrine of indulgences 191
iii A temporal interim state? 195
iv Purgatory 197
7 The Consummation of the World's History of Freedom 208
a Consummation as a Collective Phenomenon 209
b Divine Consummation and the Christian task 215
i The nature of the Christian task 215
ii The limits of the Christian task 221
iii The Christian task fulfilled by God 224
c Resurrection and Parousia 229
8 Comparison and Assessment 237
a Will All be Saved? 237
i Gregory of Nyssa's arguments for universal salvation 238
ii The grounds for Karl Rahner's attitude towards universal salvation 243
iii Hope: between prediction and paradox 247
b How will All be Saved? 249
i This life: philosophia and decision 249
ii This life: sunergeia; immanent and transcendent consummation 252
iii After death and in death: human freedom and life in God 254
c Conclusions 257
i Similaritities: is universal salvation a Christian doctrine? 258
ii Differences: the nature and causes of change 266
iii Looking to the future 270
Appendix A Karl Rahner's Seven Theses for an Eschatological Hermeneutics 278
Appendix B Karl Rahner: The Content of Eschatological Assertions 279
Bibliography 282
a Works by Gregory of Nyssa 282
b Works by Karl Rahner 285
c General bibliography 287
Index 297
