Eschatology Crisis: Understanding Jesus' Prophecies and Expectations

 

Summary

In our ongoing exploration of eschatology, we delve into the crisis of eschatology, particularly focusing on the challenges posed to the credibility of Scripture and Jesus' prophecies about His return. This crisis is rooted in the nineteenth-century theological landscape, heavily influenced by evolutionary theories, not just in biology but in the development of religion. The Religious Historical School applied these evolutionary principles to biblical religion, suggesting a progression from animism to monotheism, and dismissing supernatural elements as mythological. This led to a significant crisis in the church, particularly in Europe, as liberal theology sought to reconcile Christianity with modern theories, reducing the New Testament's teachings to social and ethical concerns.

Albert Schweitzer's work, "The Quest for the Historical Jesus," critiqued this liberal approach, emphasizing the eschatological nature of Jesus' teachings. Schweitzer argued that Jesus' message about the kingdom of God was deeply rooted in Jewish apocalyptic eschatology, expecting a sudden, supernatural intervention from God. However, Schweitzer concluded that Jesus died disillusioned, as His expectations of the kingdom's arrival were unmet. This perspective introduced the concept of "parousia delay," suggesting that both Jesus and the early church had to adjust their expectations of His return.

In response, scholars like C. H. Dodd proposed "realized eschatology," asserting that Jesus' prophecies were fulfilled in a spiritual sense within the first century. Dodd argued that the kingdom of God was manifested through Jesus' presence, resurrection, and ascension. Similarly, Oscar Cullmann's D-Day analogy and Herman Ridderbos' "already and not yet" concept further explored the tension between the kingdom's present reality and future consummation. These discussions highlight the complexity of interpreting eschatological references and the diverse approaches scholars have taken to reconcile them with historical and theological contexts.

Key Takeaways:

1. Eschatology and Evolutionary Thought: The nineteenth-century application of evolutionary theory to religion challenged the supernatural elements of Christianity, leading to a crisis in the church. This historical context is crucial for understanding the development of liberal theology and its impact on eschatological beliefs. [02:09]

2. Schweitzer's Eschatological Emphasis: Albert Schweitzer emphasized the eschatological nature of Jesus' teachings, arguing that they were deeply rooted in Jewish apocalyptic expectations. This perspective challenges modern interpretations that downplay the supernatural aspects of Jesus' message. [09:35]

3. The Concept of Parousia Delay: Schweitzer introduced the idea of "parousia delay," suggesting that both Jesus and the early church had to adjust their expectations of His return. This concept highlights the tension between immediate expectations and historical reality. [15:22]

4. Realized Eschatology: C. H. Dodd's "realized eschatology" posits that Jesus' prophecies were fulfilled in a spiritual sense within the first century. This interpretation emphasizes the present reality of the kingdom of God, challenging traditional views of eschatological fulfillment. [17:53]

5. Already and Not Yet: Herman Ridderbos' concept of the "already and not yet" underscores the tension between the present reality of the kingdom and its future consummation. This framework helps reconcile the immediate and future aspects of eschatological prophecies. [22:43]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:33] - Introduction to Eschatology Crisis
- [01:16] - Evolutionary Influence on Theology
- [02:09] - Religious Historical School
- [03:06] - Anti-Supernatural Bias
- [03:57] - Crisis in the Church
- [05:37] - Redefining the Kingdom of God
- [06:26] - Albrecht Ritschl and Social Gospel
- [07:57] - Albert Schweitzer's Impact
- [08:48] - Jewish Apocalyptic Eschatology
- [10:30] - Schweitzer's Eschatological Kingdom
- [12:07] - Eschatological Framework of Jesus' Teachings
- [13:38] - Jesus' Delayed Expectations
- [15:22] - Parousia Delay Concept
- [17:00] - C. H. Dodd and Realized Eschatology
- [21:06] - Oscar Cullmann's D-Day Analogy
- [22:43] - Already and Not Yet Concept
- [24:11] - Conclusion and Next Steps

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Crisis of Eschatology

Bible Reading:
1. Matthew 24:34 - "Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."
2. Mark 1:15 - "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"
3. Luke 17:20-21 - "Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, 'The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.'"

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the impact of the nineteenth-century evolutionary theories on the interpretation of biblical religion, according to the sermon? [01:16]

2. How did Albert Schweitzer's view of Jesus' teachings differ from the nineteenth-century liberal theology? [09:35]

3. What is the concept of "parousia delay" as introduced by Schweitzer, and how did it affect the early church's expectations? [15:22]

4. How does C. H. Dodd's "realized eschatology" interpret the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecies? [17:53]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the application of evolutionary theory to religion challenge the supernatural elements of Christianity, and what implications does this have for modern faith? [03:06]

2. In what ways does Schweitzer's emphasis on Jewish apocalyptic eschatology challenge contemporary interpretations of Jesus' message? [09:35]

3. How does the concept of "already and not yet" help reconcile the tension between the present reality of the kingdom and its future consummation? [22:43]

4. What are the potential strengths and weaknesses of interpreting Jesus' prophecies as having been fulfilled in a spiritual sense within the first century, as suggested by C. H. Dodd? [17:53]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on the influence of modern theories on your understanding of biblical teachings. How can you ensure that your faith remains rooted in Scripture despite external challenges? [03:06]

2. Consider Schweitzer's view that Jesus' teachings are deeply rooted in Jewish apocalyptic expectations. How does this perspective affect your understanding of Jesus' message and its relevance today? [09:35]

3. How do you personally experience the "already and not yet" aspect of God's kingdom in your life? What steps can you take to live more fully in the reality of God's present kingdom? [22:43]

4. In what ways can you apply the concept of "realized eschatology" to your daily life, recognizing the spiritual fulfillment of Jesus' prophecies? [17:53]

5. How can you balance the tension between immediate expectations and historical reality in your faith journey, especially when facing delays in God's promises? [15:22]

6. Reflect on a time when you had to adjust your expectations of God's timing. How did this experience shape your faith and understanding of God's plan? [16:13]

7. How can you engage with others in discussions about eschatology and the kingdom of God in a way that is both respectful and enlightening? [21:06]

Devotional

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Quotes


The nineteenth century in the field of theology, as well as in other academic disciplines, was dominated by theories of evolution. Now, we tend to think of evolution strictly in biological terms, but the theoretical thought of the nineteenth century was strongly influenced by the philosophy of Frederick Hegel who had an evolutionary view of all of history, not just of biological developments among living species and so on, but all of the dynamic of history was cast against this backdrop of progressive evolution. [00:01:06]

The Religious Historical School was a school of thought that dominated liberal theology in the nineteenth century that applied these principles of evolution to biblical religion, saying that biblical religion follows the same basic pattern that all religions follow in their historic development, that religion begins in a simple manner and then develops to a more complex viewpoint. It begins in animism with a view that supposedly inanimate objects are inhabited by spirits, usually evil spirits, and then you've developed from that into polytheism and henotheism and finally in a later time in history you see the emergence of full orbed monotheism. [00:02:09]

Now, hand in hand with the Religious Historical Schools, application of evolutionary principles to the development of biblical religion was a powerful anti-supernatural bent that controlled the analysis of the content of the Scriptures, so that anything that communicated miracle was rejected out of hand -- anything supernatural, such as the virgin birth of Jesus, the atonement as a cosmic event of reconciliation between the human and the divine, the resurrection, the ascension, and obviously the return of Jesus at the end of age was also considered part of the mythological trappings that were included in the biblical documents. [00:03:36]

Albert Schweitzer, and we know of Schweitzer because of his career as a musician, as a superb organist, and also as a missionary, probably one of the most famous missionaries of all time. But he was first of all an academic person, a scholar of the highest order, and his book was translated into English under the title, 'The Quest for the Historical Jesus.' And what Schweitzer did was he analyzed and critiqued the whole drift of this evolutionary thought and revision of the New Testament concept of the kingdom of God that had become popular in nineteenth century liberalism. [00:08:20]

Schweitzer himself was very much influenced by another scholar by the name of Johannes Weiss, or 'Wise' we would say, but it was Weiss in German. And Weiss had argued and had argued convincingly that if we're going to take the New Testament documents seriously and the teaching of Jesus and the apostles seriously we have to understand the teaching of the kingdom of God against a Jewish background of apocalyptic eschatology. Now, that sounds a little bit fancy, but what basically Schweitzer was saying was that the message of Jesus and His teaching about the kingdom is unintelligible apart from the central focus of eschatology in it. [00:09:11]

When Schweitzer talked about Jesus' eschatological view of the kingdom of God he did not mean by the term 'eschatological' what is normally simply meant by the term. Usually we use the term eschatological or eschatology simply to refer to the last things or the last times or the end times, a future orientation. But when Schweitzer talked about an eschatological kingdom he meant a kingdom that comes not by a gradual evolutionary, this-worldly progressive development of ethics and so on as the nineteenth century liberals were want to describe it, but that this kingdom that Jesus spoke about that was coming would come catastrophically, suddenly, supernaturally, coming transcendentally from above, that the kingdom was something that God would bring from heaven intruding into the normal process and progress of history. [00:10:44]

According to Schweitzer first, for example, when Jesus sent His 70 out to the various villages and towns of Israel announcing the kingdom of God, He expected that God would act and bring the kingdom to pass at that time. But it didn't happen. And so in Jesus' own consciousness, Jesus had to go through the certain periods of delayed anticipation in His own consciousness. So that, for example, when He came to Jerusalem in the crisis moment of the triumphal entry perhaps now God was going to bring the kingdom. Still didn't happen. [00:13:00]

But Jesus persisted with His expectation to the very end, even to allowing Himself to be arrested, to be convicted -- and remember He spoke about, you know, you can't do this except I let you do it. I can call on legions of angels and they could save me, but He doesn't do it. He waits for God to intervene and intercede and to bring the kingdom. But finally in His last moments on the cross, Jesus realizes it's not going to happen. And He cries out from the depths of His own agony and disillusionment, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" [00:13:47]

The value of Schweitzer is, of course, since Schweitzer's work it's been next to impossible for serious scholars to treat the teaching of the New Testament and the teaching of Jesus and not realize that it is couched constantly in eschatological language. That's the contribution Schweitzer has made to this crisis. Of course his -- the downside is though he argues for the eschatological centrality of Jesus' teaching, of course Jesus was wrong, and He ended in disillusionment. [00:15:11]

One of the most important was the British scholar by the name of C. H. Dodd, who wrote on the Gospel of John and on the parables of Jesus which are focused on Jesus' teaching about the kingdom of God. You know when the parables say the kingdom of God is like unto this; the kingdom of God is like unto that and so on. C. H. Dodd is important for developing what was called 'realized eschatology,' where Dodd sees that for the most part the predictions of Jesus, Dodd takes to have reference to a timeframe of the first century. [00:17:00]

Cullman developed a theory that was called the D-Day Analogy that had quite a lot of adherents in the middle of the twentieth century, or actually shortly after World War II, where he talked about the analogy or the relationship between D-Day, the allied invasion of Normandy that took place in June of 1944, many months before the capitulation of Germany. The war wasn't over until the following spring of 1945, but the turning point of the war was D-Day. [00:20:45]

Herman Ridderbos takes a similar position and he developed the concept in Dutch of what's called the 'Als and the nog niet,' or the already and the not yet, in which he says if we're going to understand the New Testament we have to see that the kingdom of God has already come in large measure. There is an 'als' to the kingdom of God, an already. But yet there still remains at the end of time the final consummation of that kingdom which has not -- which has come not yet, 'nog niet.' [00:22:43]

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