eschatology

noun

es·​cha·​tol·​o·​gy ˌe-skə-ˈtä-lə-jē How to pronounce eschatology (audio)
plural eschatologies
1
: a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind
2
: a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind
specifically : any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment

Examples of eschatology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There is a reason that religion specializes in matters of cosmogony and eschatology. Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 According to Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to a person or people prophesied in the bible to oppose Christ and substitute themselves in Christ’s place before the second coming. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2024 Indeed, part of what gives modern trauma theory its appeal is precisely its covert importation of Judeo-Christian redemptive eschatology: a grand narrative of human moral progress in which suffering is an essential motivation for all the principal actors. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021 Fashions come and go in all human endeavors—even eschatology, the study of the end of the world. Corey S. Powell, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2010 But the year 2012 likely never figured into Maya eschatology, the study of end times — that one was all us. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2020 Finding a way to measure deep time will shed light on all manner of questions from evolution to astronomy to eschatology, many of them not yet asked. Douglas Fox, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2015 Often apocalypticism is then differentiated from both millenarianism and eschatology. Michael Robbins, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022 The ongoing unraveling of California’s rail plan is an object lesson in how infrastructure as eschatology is a bad idea. Rich Lowry, National Review, 11 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Greek eschatos last, farthest

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of eschatology was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near eschatology

Cite this Entry

“Eschatology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eschatology. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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