Anglican Eschatology

Abstract

Eschatological question have a central place in the structure of faith. Asking about life after death is of deeply existential nature, connected with the most immanent human’s desires and hopes. In the structure of the theological systems of the Christian confessions however, eschatology stays behind, as it is treated as a non-scientific story. It concerns theology of all Christian churches.

Anglican theology looks for the via media, a middle way between protestant and catholic traditions and compiles different trends of theological thinking. Its most appropriate description is provided by the rule of comprehensiveness, which means the inclusion into Anglican confession various attitudes toward theological questions. The rule of comprehensiveness refers also to the eschatology – within Anglican system one could find various images of heaven and hell and various ideas of life after death. Three main doctrines should be here enumerated – the universalism, which assumes salvation for all human beings, traditional belief on hell and the annihilation. Which one is preached depends often of the time and the social relation of epoch.