Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof - New Leaven

entangled in its pleasures, thought little of the future. Moreover, it happened repeatedly
that at one time it would think more of this, and at another time, more of that particular
element of its future hope. In days of defection the Christian hope sometimes grew dim
and uncertain, but it never died out altogether. At the same time it must be said that
there has never been a period in the history of the Christian Church, in which
eschatology was the center of Christian thought. The other loci of Dogmatics have each
had their time of special development, but this cannot be said of eschatology. Three
periods can be distinguished in the history of eschatological thought.
1. FROM THE APOSTOLIC AGE TO THE BEGINNING OF THE FIFTH CENTURY. In the very first
period the Church was perfectly conscious of the separate elements of the Christian
hope, as, for instance, that physical death is not yet eternal death, that the souls of the
dead live on, that Christ is coming again, that there will be a blessed resurrection of the
people of God, that this will be followed by a general judgment, in which eternal doom
will be pronounced upon the wicked but the pious will be rewarded with the
everlasting glories of heaven. But these elements were simply seen as so many separate
parts of the future hope, and were not yet dogmatically construed. Though the various
elements were quite well understood, their interrelation was not yet clearly seen. At first
it seemed as if eschatology was in a fair way to become the center of the construction of
Christian doctrine, for in the first two centuries Chiliasm was rather prominent, though
not as prominent as some would have us believe. As it turned out, however,
eschatology was not developed in this period.
2. FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FIFTH CENTURY TO THE REFORMATION. Under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit the attention of the Church was directed from the future to
the present, and Chiliasm was gradually forgotten. Especially under the influence of
Origen and Augustine, anti-chiliastic views became dominant in the Church. But
though these were regarded as orthodox, they were not thought through and
systematically developed. There was a general belief in a life after death, in the return of
the Lord, in the resurrection of the dead, in the final judgment, and in a kingdom of
glory, but very little reflection on the manner of these. The thought of a material and
temporal kingdom made way for that of eternal life and the future salvation. In course
of time the Church was placed in the center of attention, and the hierarchical Church
was identified with the Kingdom of God. The idea gained ground that outside of this
Church there was no salvation, and that the Church determined the proper pedagogical
training for the future. A great deal of attention was paid to the intermediate state, and
particularly to the doctrine of purgatory. In connection with this the mediation of the
Church was brought to the foreground, the doctrine of the mass, of prayers for the
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