Tanulmányok

Tartalom

Tartalom: 1. Bevezetés; 2. Krisztus második eljövetele; 3. A test feltámadása; 4. A végítélet; 5. Szabad akarat, egyéni érdemek, krisztusi megváltás; 6. Feloldható ellentmondások?; 7. Befejezés. László Perendy: The Eschatology of Saint Justin: The Hope of Christ’s Martyr In all three of his surviving works, Justin addresses eschatological questions. His claims may be grouped around the following themes: The Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the body, the Last Judgement, choices of free will, individual merits and assurance of Christ’s redemption. The glorious Second Coming is also testified to by the Prophets, who proved to be trustworthy even about the First Coming. Justin’s main message is that, in line with the expectations of the Gentiles, the Messiah will return to Jerusalem, revealing the wound of His side, thereby showing that He is identical with the crucified Christ. Concerning the details of the Resurrection, Justin refers to the fulfilment of the prophecies about Jerusalem in his argumentation. Similarly to Papias and Irenaeus, he holds chiliastic views but does not consider those Christians who do not share his opinion as heretics. He explains that God will resurrect everybody, though He will grant neverending happiness to some, while condemning others to eternal fire. Man is a being with free will and, thus, God will judge everyone based on their own actions. There is a universal moral standard to judge one’s deeds. In some instances, Justin’s statements display contradictions. One reason for this might be that he is primarily an apologete, who wishes to react to attacks from various sides. Despite these contradictions, his works continue to represent a valuable source on the eschatological expectations of the primitive Church. Above all, he endeavoured to convey a sense of solid faith in the universal redemptive will of Christ.