Originally published in English in 1988, Joseph Ratzinger's Eschatology remains internationally recognized as a leading text on the "last things"―heaven and hell, purgatory and judgment, death and the immortality of the soul. This highly anticipated second edition includes a new preface by Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI and a supplement to the bibliography by theologian Peter A. Casarella.
Eschatology presents a balanced perspective of the doctrine at the center of Christian belief―the Church's faith in eternal life. Recognizing the task of contemporary eschatology as "to marry perspectives, so that person and community, present and future, are seen in their unity," Joseph Ratzinger brings together recent emphasis on the theology of hope for the future with the more traditional elements of the doctrine. His book has proven to be as timeless as it is timely.
Pope Benedict XVI is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant theologians and spiritual writers of our age. He has written many acclaimed spiritual and theological works that cover a broad range of important topics for modern man.
Fr. Aidan Nichols, O.P., of Blackfriars, Cambridge, is a lecturer at Cambridge University. He was awarded the title Sacrae Theologiae Magister by the Dominican order in 2003. His many important works include "The Shape of Catholic Theology: An Introduction to its Sources, Principles and History; Epiphany: A Theological Introduction to Catholicism; Lovely, like Jerusalem: The Fulfillment of the Old Testament in Christ and the Church; The Thought of Pope Benedict XVI: An Introduction to the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger"; and, most recently, "Lost in Wonder: Essays on Liturgy and the Arts."
Professor Michael Waldstein holds his Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Dallas, a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, and his Doctorate of Theology from Harvard University in New Testament and Christian Origins. He is the Max Seckler Professor of Theology at Ave Maria University in Florida. Previously, he taught at the University of Notre Dame and the International Theological institute in Gaming, Austria. His published works include a critical edition of the four Coptic manuscripts of the Secret Book of John, a Gnostic text discovered in the Nag Hammadi codices. His articles have been published in Nova et Vetera, Communio, Anthropotes, and the Journal of Early Christian Studies.
Pope Benedict XVI is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant theologians and spiritual writers of our age. He has written many acclaimed spiritual and theological works that cover a broad range of important topics for modern man.
Peter Casarella is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
