The Salvation of the Cosmos: Benedict XVI's Eschatology and its Relevance for the Current Ecological Crisis

<p>Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has elements of a cosmic eschatology embedded in his theological oeuvre that have not heretofore been extensively systematized. This dissertation fills this gap by contextualizing Benedict’s cosmic eschatology in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, examining his Logos theology and his view on the fate of the cosmos, exploring his cosmic liturgy, and evaluating his concept of human ecology and pneumatology. Benedict insufficiently links his cosmic eschatology to his papal teachings on the environment; however, his cosmic eschatology can be developed in fruitful ways. After providing a thorough articulation of Benedict’s cosmic eschatology, I offer my own ideas on how it might develop. I suggest modifying the <em>exitus-reditus </em>schema to accommodate the uniqueness of individuals and, building on the foundation of Benedict’s cosmic eschatology, I lay the groundwork for a pneumatological cosmic eschatology using the insights of various eastern theologians.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theology

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Vallery, Jeremiah

Contributors dc:contributor

• Radu Bordeianu
• William M. Wright IV
• Daniel P. Scheid

• Benedict XVI
• Ratzinger
• eschatology
• cosmos
• cosmic eschatology
• environment
• ecological crisis
• Catholic Studies
• Christianity
• Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/205

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-1215