Eschatology
Eschatology is the branch of theology and religious thought that deals with last things: individual death, the end of the world, judgment, the fate of the soul, and the coming of a new order. It is a major dimension of most of the great traditions.
Origin and etymology
The word comes from the Greek eschatos (last, ultimate) and logos (discourse). The term was coined in 17th-century German Protestant theology, notably by Abraham Calov in his Systema locorum theologicorum (1655-1677). Eschatological contents, however, are much older. Post-exilic Judaism (from the 6th century BCE) developed a messianic eschatology: the return of the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, a kingdom of peace. Early Christianity took up this hope around the Kingdom of God announced by Jesus. The Quran, in the 7th century, integrates detailed eschatological themes: Day of Judgment, paradise, hell.
Evolution and tradition
Traditions vary. Hinduism and Buddhism propose cyclical eschatologies: a succession of cosmic cycles (yugas, kalpas) without a definitive end. Ancient Iranian Zoroastrianism teaches an end of time with the victory of good (Ahura Mazda) over evil (Angra Mainyu), a model that probably influenced Jewish eschatology. Christian eschatology distinguishes individual eschatology (death, particular judgment) from collective eschatology (parousia, last judgment, eternal life). Apocalyptic is a particular form of eschatological writing: the Book of Daniel, the Apocalypse of John. Ancient and modern millenarian sects extend these traditions.
Practical use
In contemporary esoteric practice, eschatology serves as a framework for interpreting the final arcana of the tarot: Judgement (arcanum XX) and the World (arcanum XXI) are classically read as stages of completion. On Tarotoui, the term appears in entries for arcana related to themes of ending and renewal. The concept also sheds light on the traditions of the new age, of the passage from the age of Pisces to the age of Aquarius, and certain contemporary spiritualities that announce a planetary transition. The distinction between individual and collective eschatology remains useful for clarifying these discussions.
Going further
Eschatology is not synonymous with catastrophism: it includes ultimate hopes as much as anticipations of an end. Confusing eschatology with apocalyptic in the popular sense (imminent catastrophe) is a simplification. Note also that dated eschatological predictions (end of the world in 1000, 2000, 2012) have been systematically refuted, which invites interpretive caution.