The Open court . Eschatological views at the time of Luther v*rere still in manyrespects similar to the belief in Christs second advent during earlyChristianity. Luther thought that the world would scarcely abidelonger than a few decades, and, not unlike St. Paul, deemed itquite natural that he himself might still witness in the body thecoming of the Lord. ESCHATOLOGY IN CHRISTIAN ART. 409 Since Luthers times eschatological views have changed con-siderably. The Christian belief in resurrection has been spiritual-ised and there is a tendency among the most advanced and earnesttheologians of to-
The Open court . Eschatological views at the time of Luther v*rere still in manyrespects similar to the belief in Christs second advent during earlyChristianity. Luther thought that the world would scarcely abidelonger than a few decades, and, not unlike St. Paul, deemed itquite natural that he himself might still witness in the body thecoming of the Lord. ESCHATOLOGY IN CHRISTIAN ART. 409 Since Luthers times eschatological views have changed con-siderably. The Christian belief in resurrection has been spiritual-ised and there is a tendency among the most advanced and earnesttheologians of to-day to interpret the old eschatological doctrinesin the spirit of science. Since we know definitely what the natureof the earth is like, since we understand its origin and have betterideas as to its probable fate in the future, it has become an impossibility to remain under the influence of the crude beliefs of former. The Doom of the Damned. (After Luca Signorelli. centuries. But while the literal belief of the mythology in whichthe ideas of the end of man and of this world has been surrendered,the religious leaders of to-day are endeavoring the more earnestlyto preserve their moral significance ; and in this respect the escha-tological conceptions have not lost their paramount importance inreligion, although their influence, like that of antiseptics, appearsto be purely negative. Religion, if it has any right to existence at all, must be able tocomfort man, to render him strong in the face of his own death 410 THE OPEN COURT. as well as in the contemplation of the discontinuance of all lifeon our planet. There is a deep truth in the prophecies of the end ofthe world, and we must learn to understand that while all things,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, booksubjectreligion, bookyear1887
