Apocatastasis
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Apocatastasis (plural apocatastases, pronounced Apo-cat-a-STAY-sis (-sees)) Greek word that means:
- 1) Restoration, re-establishment, renovation
- 2) Return to a previous condition
- 3) (Astronomy) Return to the same apparent position, completion of a period of revolution.
"Apocatastasis" has a special meaning in the Christian theology: It is the doctrine of the ultimate reconciliation of good and evil. Apocatastasis maintains that all moral creatures -- angels, humans, and devils -- will eventually come to a harmony in God's kingdom. It is based on the Biblical passage in 1 Corinthians 15:28, and was extensively preached in the eastern church by St. Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century. The belief was also expressed by Clement of Alexandria, as well as Origen. Augustine of Hippo was against the doctrine and wrote against it, and was formally pronounced anathema by the Synod of Constantinople in 543.
The Gospel of Philip 67c contains the term itself and in other sayings expresses the idea that all comes from a common, eternal source: "Of what a nature is the resurrection! And the image must rise again through the image. The bridegroom and the image must enter through the image into the truth, which is the apocatastasis."
There have been diverse attempts to revive the idea over the centuries. In modern times it is associated with Universalism and the doctrine of "Universal Salvation" or the "eventual reconcilation of all with God."
Apocatastasis in popular culture
- Sympathy for the Devil c.1996 - Holly Lisle's contemporary science fantasy works through these issues in an imaginative way.
- Inferno c.19?? - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's science fantasy parody of Dante's Divine Comedy allows for a way beyond hellfire and eternal damnation.
- The Great Divorce c.1945 - C. S. Lewis, while having a character warn of the dangers of Universalism, none-the-less has another character, a lost soul, take the opportunity offered to pass through a cleansing "fire" and join the ranks of the blest in Heaven.
"Only, I don't believe in Apocalypses. I believe in Apocatastases. I think it may be the title for The Film. It's a bitch to pronounce, and no-one knows what it means, but otherwise it's a great title."
- —The film director in SIGNAL TO NOISE, by Neil Gaiman
See also
- Origen's eschatology is apocatastatic.
- Julian of Norwich's proto-universalism is perhaps apocatastatic theology.
- Tikkun Olam - Jewish Kabbalistic theology outlines humanity's part in the restoration of all to what is was/should have been.
- Bodhisattva's Vow - The Bodhisattva vows not to attain Nirvana until all sentient beings have done so. This vow is made out of compassion and the bodhisattva devotes his/her powers to helping others attain Nirvana. There seems to be a formal similarity between the bodhisattva's motivation, i.e. bodhicitta, and the apocatastatic impulse.
External links
- Apocatastasis (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01599a.htm) - The Catholic Encyclopedia article with a more comprehensive look at the theological concept.