Pantelis Kalaitzidis (ed.) Church and Eschatology, Holy Metropolis of Demetrias, Academy for Theological Studies, Kastaniotis publ. Athens, 2001, 443 pages.
In the foreword of this collective volume Metropolitan of Demetrias Mr. Ignatios and in his introductory note editor Pantelis Kalaitzidis refer to the Academy of Theological Studies and especially to the Eschatology thematic. Metropolitan of Pergamos Ioannis Zizioulas locates in Eucharist and the eschatological ethos the identity of the Church, that which defines and differentiates it from any other secular or religious institution, while Petros Vasiliadis, after substantiating the Christological basis and the Eucharistic application of Eschatology, highlights the eschatological deficit in the modern Church and theology.
N. Matsoukas, in his text, analyses the relationship between the Church and Kingdom of God, History and Eschatology, while St. Yagazoglou examines the theological presuppositions of the Church as eschatological community. G. Patronos approaches man as a person in protology, history and Eschatology and M. Begzos differentiates the Christian from the Jewish eschatology, while N. Dodos, in his text, highlights the historicity and eschatological integrity of time in Christianity. D. Arkadas, in a biblical-theological study delves into the eschatology of John’s Gospel and Al. Kariotoglou negotiates the Islamic eschatology in the version of Al-Ghazali, while Th. N. Papathanasiou examines the relationship between (church)mission and eschatology.
The text by D. Moschos deals with eschatology in Egyptian monasticism, while D. Bekridakis offers an eschatological reading of the ecclesiastical icon and art. B. Adrachtas’ text sheds light on the political dimension of Eschatology, while in the next two extensive texts G. Skaltsas underlines the proposition of Gregory of Nyssa for a new Ontology with a dynamic and social dimension through Eschatology and P. Kalaitzidis the relationship between Church and Nation on the basis of Eschatology.
The last three texts of the volume examine the eschatology of new religious movements by St. Papalexandropoulos, eschatological points in modern literary texts by Fr. Evangelos Ganas and the juxtaposition of natural and eschatological time by Georgios Pavlos.