In illustration of the angds spoken of in connection with these incidents (Matt, xxiv, 31 ; Mark xiii, 27), it should be borne in mind that the .lew natural!}' asso- ciated a retinue of angelic servants with the advent of the Messiah in his triumphant career, and this idea Christ here accommodates, in order to assimilate this first Avith his final judicial appearance, and thus im- press it more deeply upon his volatile disciples' mind (comp. Dan. vii, 10). The "angels" in this case are the providentittl means (including particularly the Roman
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invaders), by which the Christians' rescue from siege, sack, and especiallj' persecution, was eftected ; and tlie '•trumpet sound"' refers to the warning intimations which the belligerent preparations afforded them, thus giving thoni at once an assurance and a signal of de- liverance. In the similar language of Matt, xiii, 41, 49, the primary reference is to the general judgment. TSut in the passage before us it is to be specially noted that tlie " trumpet" is to "gather together his elect" onlj', in distinction from the "all nations" of Matt, xxv, S2.
At Matt, xxiv, 44 (comp. Luke xii, 41), the dis- course, which previousl}' had been slightly tinged with allusions to the second judicial coming of Christ (verses 29-31), now begins to verge more distinctly to that final stage, as the reply to Peter that follows indicates. Still, there is no mark that the transition to the last judgment is effected till ch. xxv, 31.
In the conclusion of the first topic of Christ's dis- course (Matt, xxv^, 1-13; comp. Luke xii, 35-38 : the parable in Jlatt. xxv, 14-30 is parallel with an earlier one of our Lord, Luke xix, 11 sq.), the near anticipa- tion of the second topic produces almost a double sense in this (and to a degree, in the preceding) parable, which is not so much the efi'ect of direct design as the natural moulding of the language while on a kindred subject, by the vivid presence to the mind of a sublime one which is soon to be introduced; and, indeed, scarce- ly' any phraseology (especially in the far-reaching style of allegory) could have been consistently adopted which would not have been almost equalh' applicable to both events. Still, a comparison of verse 13 with ch. xxiv, 31), 42 shows that the same occurrences (Je- rusalem's siege and fall) are here chieflii referred to.
3. The imaginative stjde of the representation of the judgment day (Matt, alone, xxv, 31-3G), which is es- pscially betrayed in the comparison with the shepherd, shows that many of its descriptive particulars are de- signed only for poetic '''■drapenj" needed to portray the actualness of that scene of the invisible world ; the body of reality couched under it consists in the fact of a universal discrimination of mankind at a future set time by Christ in the capacity of judge, according to their religious character, followed by the assignment of a corresponding destiny of happiness or misery Comp. Rom. xiv, 10, 12; 2 Cor. v, 10; 1 Thess. iv, 16.
See Crcmer, Eschatologische Rede Christi (Stuttg. 1860) ; Dorner, De oratione Christi eschatolofjlca (Stuttg. 1844) ; Lippold, De Christo ventiiro oracula (Dresd. 1776) ; also the Theol. Stud. u. Krit. 1836, ii, 2G9 ; 1846, iv, 965 ; 1861, iii ; Jour. Sac. Lit. Jan. 1857 ; Stowe, in Bihliotheca Sacra, vii, 452. There arc special ex- egetical treatises on Matt, xxiv and xxv, in Latin, by Jachmann (Lips. 1749), Brandes (Aboa;, 1792), Rintsch (Neost. ad Oril. 1827), Kenon (Abo, 1798), Schmid (Jen. 1777), Masch {Nov. Bihl. Ltibec. ii, 69), Anon. (Lips. 1809) ; in German, by Crome {Ercm. n. Verd. Bihl. ii, 349), Amnion (TV. th'!ol. Journ. i, 365), Jalin (in Bengel's Archiv. ii, 79), Anon, (in Eichhorn's Bihlioth. iii, 669 ; Beitrdge z. Beford. xi, 118 ; Tollner's Kurz-! verm. Avfoatze, II, i, 221-50) : on Christ's coming (^■jraiwvcria, see Advent), in Latin, b}' Tychsen (Gott. 1785), Schott (Jen. 1819) ; in German, bv Baumeister (in Klaiber's Slud. I, ii, 219-41 ; iii, 1-59'; II, i, 1-104; ii, 3-48), Schulthess {Neueste theol. Nachtr. 1829, p. 18- 48) : on the phrase ovci o v\6q, in Latin, by Osiander (Tub. 1754) : on the parallel passage of Luke, in Ger- man, by Goze {Sendschr. Hamb. 1783, 1784), Molden- hauer (ib. 1784, bis). See Kahle, Biblische Eschaiolo- g'le (Gotha, 1870).
II. Theological Eschatology is a subdivision of sys- tematic, and more particularly of dogmatic theolog}'. It generallj' constitutes the concluding part of do"-- matie theologj', as it treats of what constitutes both for the individual Christian and for the Christian Church, as a whole, the comjdetion of their destinj'. As escha- tology presupposes a belief in the immortalit}' of the soul, some writers on dogmatic theologv (as Ilase) treat III.— T
of it in connection with the doctrine of man, and before the}' treat of the Church. Others connect the doctrine of death with the doctrine of sin. On some points of eschatology, different views were held at an early period of the Church. Origen understood a passage in the E[)istle to the Romans on the Apocatastasis (q. v.) as meaning a final reconciliation and salvation of the wick- ed, and this view has found some adherents at all times. See Restorationists. In modern times, some go so ftir as to deny all punishment after the present life, and asserting the immediate salvation of all men [see Universalists] ; while others teach that immortality will be the lot of only the good, and that the Avicked, after their death, will be annihilated. See Asmhila- TioNisTS. See als 3 the articles Death, Intermedi- ate State, Judgment, Heaven, Hell, Resurrec- tion, Immortality. The Church of Rome developed the theory of a future state, different from heaven and hell, for whicli see the article Purgatory. No point connected with eschatology has from the earliest period of the Church been more productive of excited contro- versy than the doctrine of the second advent of Christ and of the Millennium. For the history of this doctrine, see the article Millennium. In German there are sep- arate treatises on eschatology, e. g. Richter, die Lchre von den letzten Dingen (Bresl. 1833, 8vo); Lau, Paulus Lehre v. d. letzt. Dingen (Brandenb. 1837, 8vo) ; Valenti, Eschatologie (Basel, 1840, 8vo) ; Karsten, Lehre von d. letzten Dingen (Rostock, 3d ed. 1861) ; Schultz, Voraus- setzungen der christi. Lehre von der Unsterhlichkeit (Gcit- tingen, 1861) ; Wilmarshof, Das Jenseits (Leipz. 3 parts, 1863-1866) ; Noldechen, Grade der Seligkeit (Berlin, 1S63) ; Splittgerber, Tod, Fortkhen u. Avferslehung (Halle, 1863) ; Rink, Vom Zustande nach dem Tode (Ludvvigsburg, 2d ed. 1865) ; Oswald, Eschatologie (Pa- derborn, 1868). — Hagenbach, Encycl. § 89 ; llerzog. Ileal- Encgkl. iv, 155. (A. J. S.)