Description: There is a growing focus on the Christian confession of God's completed kingdom, the new heaven and the new earth. This theme has time and again seduced people into elaborate fantasies that stimulated the senses. How can we talk about it meaningfully? Raymond R. Hausoul relates systematic theology to biblical theology by comparing three theologians: the Catholic theologian Karl Rahner, the Protestant Jurgen Moltmann, and the Reformed Gregory Beale. This leads to reflections on differences between matter, space, and time of the new heaven and new earth and those of our present reality. The hope for renewal and resurrection is thus linked to the prophecies of the new Jerusalem, the tree of life, and the resurrection body.
Brief description: Gijsbert van den Brink studied theology and is professor of theology and science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His previous publications include Almighty God (1994), Understanding the Attributes of God (1999; edited with Marcel Sarot), Philosophy of Science for Theologians (2009), Christian Dogmatics (2012; written with Cornelis van der Kooi), Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory (2020), and Dawn: A Proton's Tale of All that Came to Be (2021; written with Cees Dekker and Corien Oranje).
Review Quotes: "In this book Dr. Hausoul bridges the gap between mainstream Christian theology that accepts historical biblical criticism (Moltmann, Rahner, et al.) and a classical Reformed theological approach (Beale). Overcoming mutual caricatures, he shows how both traditions can seriously learn from each other. His endeavor results in a detailed, extensive, and highly instructive study of the biblical topic of cosmic eschatology--a theme that rightly receives increasing theological attention today."
--Gijsbert van den Brink, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
"This book is an interesting exercise in the field of the relationships between biblical theology (BT) and systematic theology (ST), focusing on the subject of the new heavens and earth. The fact that, in church history, BT and ST have grown apart so strongly can be called a disaster. Dr. Hausoul's work is a helpful contribution to bridging the gap between the two."
--Willem J. Ouweneel, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Leuven, Belgium
"The dialogue between systematic and biblical theology is increasingly important. So the approach of Raymond Hausoul is timely, making clear how the interaction between these disciplines will enrich the reflection and debate on eschatological expectations, particularly the hope for a cosmic renewal, 'a new heaven and a new earth.' The careful comparison between the concepts of three major theologians illustrates the yet-insufficient realized potencies of this needed interdisciplinary interaction."
--Jan Hoek, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Leuven, Belgium
"Raymond Hausoul has done a good job in this cross-denominational and interdisciplinary study. Two systematic theologians from the Protestant and Catholic traditions and a biblical scholar from the evangelical tradition are brought into a critical and fruitful dialogue on the final perspective of life as envisaged by Christian faith."
--Nico den Bok, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Leuven, Belgium