Moltmann's Eschatology of the Cross

1977 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-311
Author(s):  
Richard Bauckham
Keyword(s):  
Hard Core ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Theology Of The Cross ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Fresh Start ◽  
The Future ◽  
Cross Of Christ ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Th 16

In Theology of Hope Jürgen Moltmann made the now wellknown claim that, ‘From first to last, and not merely in the epilogue, Christianity is eschatology… The eschatological is not one element of Christianity, but it is the medium of Christian faith as such, the key in which everything in it is set’ (TH 16). In his second major work, The Crucified God, he claims that ‘Theologia crucis is not a single chapter in theology, but the key signature for all Christian theology’ (CG 72). Superficially, therefore, it might seem that The Crucified God is a fresh start in Moltmann's theology, substituting the cross for eschatology as the unifying theme in theology. In reality this is not the case. Moltmann's theology in The Crucified God remains eschatologically structured, while already in Theology of Hope he claimed that Christian theology must be an eschatologia crucis (TH 160, cf. HP 147f., CG 5) founded on the resurrection of the crucified Christ. ‘Theology of hope is at its hard core theology of the cross’ (EH 57). Conversely, the theology of the cross is the ‘reverse side’ of the theology of hope, giving it ‘a more profound dimension’ (CG 5). For the form of the future of Christ in this world is the cross of Christ and the sufferings of Christians: only this emphasis can save Christian hope from escapism or naive utopianism (cf. M 44, EH 57f 72). The two works therefore display an essentially continuous theological development.

scholarly journals Paradoks Salib: Keindahan Wajah Kemuliaan Allah

MELINTAS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-94
Author(s):  
Joko Umbara
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Tree Of Life ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Divine Love ◽  
God's Love ◽  
Cross Of Christ ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Tragic Drama

An experience of the cross of Jesus Christ in Christian theology brings the sense of paradox. Christ’s death on the cross reflects the fate of humanity within the context of Christian faith. The cross is also seen as a mystery that tells the tragic story of humans who accept their punishment. However, the cross of Jesus Christ also reveals meanings that challenge Christians to find answers in their contemplation of the cross. The cross becomes a stage for human tragic drama, which might also reveal the beauty of death and life. It is the phatos of humanity, for every human being will die, but it is also seen as the tree of life hoped for by every faithful. On the cross is visible God’s self-giving through the love shown by the crucified Christ. God speaks God’s love not only through words, that is, in the teachings of Jesus Christ, but also through Christ’s loving gesture on the cross. The cross of Christ is the culmination of God’s glory and through it, God’s glory is shown in the beauty of divine love.

‘No Milkless Cow’: The Cross of Christ in Medieval Irish Literature

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 83-106
Author(s):  
Salvador Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Theology Of The Cross ◽  
Irish Literature ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Late Medieval ◽  
Late Medieval Period ◽  
Religious Verse ◽  
Cross Of Christ ◽  
The Cross

The cross of Christ in the Middle Ages was the most powerful symbol of God’s victory over sin, death and the forces of evil, while also representing the most abject suffering and degradation of Jesus Christ, the God-Man. A simplistic reading of the evolution of the theology of the cross during this period posits a transition from the early medieval victorious and heroic Christ figure, reigning and triumphant upon the cross, to a late medieval emaciated and tortured object of pity whose ignominious death was supposed to elicit heartfelt compassion for his plight and sincere sorrow for the sin which placed him on the beams of the tree of crucifixion. Of course, there is a great deal of value in this argument, and much evidence might be brought forward to support its central thesis. However, it should not be pushed too far; it might also be remembered that the essential paradox of Christ the victor-victim is a constant theme in Christian theology, expressed in the sixth-century Vexilla regis in its identification of the cross as ‘victim of the passion’s glory, by which life brought death to an end, and, by death, gave life again’ and in the hymn Victimae paschali laudes from the central medieval period: ‘Death with life contended, combat strangely ended, life’s own champion slain yet lives to reign’. The image of the victorious cross of Christ, conceived of as simultaneously an instrument of triumph and of torture, would persist right through the late medieval period, despite the development of a greater emphasis on the physical sufferings of Christ in his passion and their ever more graphic depictions. This essay, which examines the way in which the cross of Christ is presented in medieval Irish literature, provides sufficient examples to make this point clear; these are drawn from a variety of sources including religious verse, saints’ lives, medieval travel accounts and sermon material. Of course, these examples are best viewed within the context of a broader medieval European devotional culture from which Ireland was certainly not immune.

scholarly journals The birth of the blues and the birth of biblical law in parallel: A dialogue with James Cone’s theology of the cross

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-127
Author(s):  
Mark R. Glanville
Keyword(s):  
White Supremacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theology Of The Cross ◽  
Biblical Law ◽  
Social Law ◽  
Redemptive Suffering ◽  
The Social ◽  
Jazz Music ◽  
Cross Of Christ ◽  
The Cross

This article seeks to learn from James Cone’s theology of the cross as articulated in his book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, by bringing Cone’s theology into conversation with the theology and ethics of the book of Deuteronomy. It proceeds by first discerning the ways in which the birth of the blues may in some ways parallel the birth of biblical law. Blues and jazz music were birthed in the agonizing suffering of the black community during the era of lynching, expressing both the grief and the resilience and hope of African Americans. Perhaps with some similarity, biblical law is a divine–human response to ancient Israel’s experience of enslavement and genocide in Egypt. This law is an ancient invitation into authentic community. Next, the article discerns core themes in Cone’s theology of the cross, namely solidarity with the oppressed, redemptive suffering, and victory over oppression. Cone unfolds these themes by seeking to understand the cross through the experience of the torturous suffering of blacks in the South. The article then finds these same themes in the theology and ethics of Deuteronomy through an examination of the social law, feasting texts, covenant texts, and laws concerning slavery in this book. We learn from Cone that the horrific barbarity of white supremacy in a culture of lynching is a vital corrective lens through which to see and understand the cross of Christ for US Christians. Indeed, Deuteronomy forces us to conclude that a theology of the cross that ignores dynamics of oppression and liberation is theologically myopic. The argument, by extension, is that the suffering of blacks in the United States is also a fresh and vital lens through which to view and understand biblical law.

scholarly journals Plague, Pentecostalism, and Pastoral Guidance

Pneuma ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Butler
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Theology Of The Cross ◽  
Black Death ◽  
Divine Healing ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Young Branch ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Robust Response

Abstract Plagues and pandemics are nothing new for the Christian church. Throughout its history, believers have been forced to grapple with outbreaks, the latest being the COVID-19 crisis of 2020. As a relatively young branch of the Christian faith, Pentecostalism itself does not have a great deal of experience with this subject compared to many older traditions. In addition, with its emphasis on divine healing, a triumphalist attitude has unfortunately hindered some segments of the movement from developing a robust response to sickness and suffering at all. Martin Luther’s sixteenth-century response to the Black Death outbreak in Germany, however, might offer a prime example for contemporary Pentecostals to emulate. His pastoral wisdom, approach to suffering, and distinctive theology of the cross together compose a prudent yet ultimately optimistic take on how Christians should behave in such instances, making his voice an invaluable one for the contemporary church to learn from.

Cross Exposure: Narrative Healthcare and Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon’s Womanist Theology of the Cross

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
Andrew Taylor-Troutman
Keyword(s):  
Life Stories ◽  
Personal Narrative ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Theology Of The Cross ◽  
Womanist Theology ◽  
Good Friday ◽  
Death Of Jesus ◽  
The Cross ◽  
The Trinity

This essay begins with a brief meditation on the meaning of “Good” Friday, the Christian day of remembrance of the torturous death of Jesus, then shifts to apply the multiplicity of meanings of the term “exposure” to the appendix in Dr. Cannon’s book Katie’s Canon. Dr. Cannon’s intensely personal narrative about her childhood becomes an invitation for readers to consider their own life stories, as demonstrated by a case study from a Narrative Healthcare workshop. While womanist theology has identified problematic aspects in the tradition of Christian theology about the cross, the claim here is that “cross exposure” between the disciplines of womanist theology and Narrative Healthcare leads to understanding the cross as an act of “at-one-moment” by the Trinity, which allows individuals to affirm themselves in the larger story of redemption. This application of the interdisciplinary, collaborative nature of womanist studies is offered in memory of Dr. Cannon by a former student.

The Politics of the Nonviolent God: Reflections on René Girard and Karl Barth

1998 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hunsinger
Keyword(s):  
Christian Ethics ◽  
Karl Barth ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cross Of Christ ◽  
The Cross ◽  
The Church ◽  
Secondary Consequence ◽  
As If

Doctrines of the atonement in Christian theology, as Marlin E. Miller has pointed out, ‘usually limit their concern to reconciliation with God and, at most, consider reconciliation with others a secondary consequence of reconciliation with God’. Too often, in other words, the vertical aspect of reconciliation is allowed to overshadow its horizontal aspect. The vertical aspect of the atonement as it pertains directly to God is often treated in isolation as if its ethical implications were of no great importance. The reverse defect, however, would also appear to be widespread. Christian ethics as we know it today often seems to proceed as if the atoning work of Christ were of little or no relevance to its deliberations on human affairs. The social or horizontal aspect of reconciliation thereby eclipses its vertical aspect. Yet if the cross of Christ is indeed the very center of the center of the Christian gospel, as the church has historically believed, then how can it fail to determine the substance of Christian ethics as well as that of Christian theology? Moreover, how can the centrality of the cross fail to orient them both in any attempt to specify their inner unity, order and differentiation?

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