Visions of a Future: A Study of Christian Eschatology

by Zachary Hayes OFM

The early part of this book is concerned with what it is in human existence that is addressed by the message of hope in the Scriptures. The final four chapters present that divine promise for human destiny and the understanding of it as it is reflected on in contemporary theology. Although directed mainly to advanced students of theology, this book discusses issues which are of interest to many believers today whose knowledge about matters of religion has not kept pace with their knowledge of the secular disciplines.

Genres: Theology

213 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hayes’ Visions of the Future is not an easy read, and I was initially skeptical that an exploration of Catholic eschatology would yield anything terribly useful. My basic stance is that religion was created by humans to help us function in the face of existential dread. Additionally, religion has served as a tool for domination by a clerical elite for their own purposes. While I recognize that some aspects of Christian theology have been valuable—such as its emphasis on compassion and forgiveness—I often find it frustratingly vague and impractical for daily life. Personally, I find Buddhism to be a much more useful philosophical guide to living well.

However, Hayes surprised me with a deep and thought-provoking exploration of Christian eschatology. I imagine that many of his conclusions conflict with more traditional Church teachings. Rather than focusing on literal depictions of heaven and hell, he argues that eschatology is about human openness to the unknown future in God.

I appreciated his engagement with existentialism (Marcel, Sartre, Bloch) and modern theology (Rahner, Pannenberg), as well as his discussion of incarnational vs. eschatological approaches to faith.

That said, I struggled with the emphasis on blind faith (e.g., Abraham’s sacrifice) and whether hope should be tied to a transcendent future at all. From a Buddhist perspective, hope is a desire for things to be other than what they are —so through grasping for a future different from reality, does Christian eschatology necessarily require continual tension and subsequent suffering rather than being at peace with what is?

However, what I most appreciate is Hayes’ consistent focus on eschatology not as a time or place, but as the mystery of human fulfillment through voluntary participation in God's love. He emphasizes that the foundation of this participation is deep relationships with others. He also argues that death is not merely an individual event, but one that incorporates all the relationships a person has formed throughout their lifetime. I found this to be a beautiful and insightful conclusion, one that is not typical of Catholic dogma in my experience.

I spent a lot of time with this book, and I’m glad I did.

[Mike DePue, OFS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seminary joke: “Eschatology (the study of the end times) is like golf; it’s fun, it gives you something to do, but in the long run you end up arriving at the same place from which you left.” The author of this book says something similar: “The situation at that time [the late 1950’s] was such that it was impossible to speak of a unified position among theologians concerning eschatology. To a certain extent, that is the case today [1990]. In no sense are the primary problems resolved.” (p. 11) It can be contended that, in this regard, the state of affairs in 2019 seems much like that of the late Fifties or 1990.

The “New Theology Studies” series (of which this book is Number Eight) “is an attempt to answer the need felt by professors and students alike for scholarly yet readable books dealing with certain Catholic beliefs traditionally associated with dogmatic theology.” (p. 9) Mission accomplished with this title: scholarly, Catholic, and readable—“although this book is directed mainly to advance students of theology.” (p. 13)

A defining theme: “The primary thrust of eschatology has shifted from a concentration on the structures of the world beyond to a theological reflection on the nature of Christian hope itself.” (p. 12) Particular attention should be paid to the third chapter, “Philosophical Basis for Systematic Eschatology,” which advances the “hope that the final outcome of human life and history will be positive not because of any particular convictions about the nobility of humanity but because of convictions about the fidelity of the God of life.” (p. 69)