eschatology
Americannoun
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any system of doctrines concerning last, or final, matters, as death, the Judgment, the afterlife, etc.
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the branch of theology dealing with such matters.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of eschatology
First recorded in 1835–45; from Greek éschato(s) “last” + -logy
Explanation
What happens after death? We won't try to give an answer (even if we had one) here. But if you're interested in exploring this question, you're interested in eschatology — the part of theology that has to do with death or the end of the world. Eschatology comes from the Greek eskhatos, meaning "last," which makes sense given that this branch of theology is preoccupied with the study of the last part of life or death. More specifically, eschatology involves four elements or "last" things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. It's an examination of the ultimate destiny of mankind.
Vocabulary lists containing eschatology
Power Suffix: -ology
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World Religions
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Cosmos
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Victorious Eschatology is about the visible expansion of God's Kingdom on Earth through the actions of Christians.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2024
Eschatology is a term used to describe ultimate things such as judgment, heaven and hell.
From Time Magazine Archive
Doctrine of Redemption and Restoration; The notions necessary to the Psychical; The Christology; The Appropriation of Salvation; The Eschatology; Concluding Remarks: The importance of this system to the following period.
From History of Dogma, Volume 2 (of 7) by Buchanan, Neil
Thus, in the Eschatology of Judaism, this idea of Judgment predominates.
From Judaism by Abrahams, Israel
Again, since the Last End of man is considered at great length in dogmatic works on Eschatology, little need be said about it here.
From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Callan, Charles Jerome
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
