We are pleased to announce the launch of the international reading group, Eschatology in Interfaith Contexts, which will explore eschatology from biblical, historical, theological, philosophical, and cultural perspectives, in both reading and debate format.

The study of the final things—death, judgment, the afterlife, and the end of the world, and so forth — are not only common, but also essential to all religions. They provide cosmological, theological, and mystical systems for the interpretation of this-worldly realities and for the organization of societies on earth. Although the magnitude of eschatology was diminished by many religious thinkers after the Enlightenment and its emphasis on Rationalism, the twentieth century witnessed apocalyptic new religious movements that placed eschatology back at the forefront of religious thought.

This Reading Group will explore, by means of selected readings, the key aspects of eschatology, including questions of epistemology, death, judgment, divine mercy, divine justice, the ‘end times’, the final destiny of the soul, and the reunion of humankind with the divine.

We will meet for an hour once a month via Zoom, to discuss a specific theme related to eschatology in interfaith contexts. An invited speaker will introduce and read a short text which will have been circulated previously to those registered for the session. The presentation will be followed by an open discussion.

The Reading Group is open to anyone, and we invite you to register your initial interest below.

Oxford Interfaith Forum
November, 2021