Book excerpt: "This book demonstrates that to ask questions and find answers about 'the last things' is not to discover mere knowledge of future events, but is to lead into the whole of theology, to the very heart of the matter, where God is." "The author begins by introducing the foundational biblical themes in eschatology. He then traces the development of eschatological thought from the second-century A.D. to the present. In this way, the author shows how the pressures of historical circumstances and philosophical assumptions shape eschatology, even thought it may be rooted in Scripture. Special attention is paid to developments fostered by formative Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Owen, Edwards, Barth and Moltmann, and contemporary movements. By setting eschatological thinking against this wider theological framework the deeper interconnecting structures of Christian thought are exposed and important questions raised about our expectations for the future."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved