Universal judgment and eternal life: a brief eschatological excursus
Universal judgment and eternal life: a brief eschatological excursus

Summary/Abstract: This work aims to investigate, from a biblical, patristic and theological perspective, the complex eschatological process of the Last Judgment and eternal life. Starting from the parable of the merciless rich man and the poor Lazarus, the Jewish and Christian views on the afterlife are analyzed, with emphasis on the fundamental themes of death, particular judgment, resurrection of the dead and the Universal Judgment. It emphasizes the importance of consciousness and communion with God, the measure of love of neighbor as a criterion of judgment, and the revelatory and definitive character of divine light. Finally, the paper deals with the nature of eternal life, the significance of the "Eighth Day", the reality of hell, and the theological controversy over apocatastasis. The entire investigation is guided by the fundamental question of how belief in the eschaton ethically shapes contemporary human life.

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