This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Zombie apocalypse? Left Behind? What’s the truth? Learn the theology of the “Four Last Things” – death, judgment, hell, and heaven — and get a strong theological basis for why “eschatology” is important for us to know about now.
Total classes: 12
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 11th-12th
Suggested credit: One full semester theology
Description
“Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). None of us can escape the reality of the passage of time and our eventual death. But this should not fill us with fear, for Jesus Christ has come to conquer death and to draw human beings into the eternal joy of the Divine Life! The Church’s consideration of the “Four Last Things” – death, judgment, hell, and heaven – is called “eschatology” (from the Greek eschata meaning “last”, “ultimate”, or “final”). These topics fascinate people up and down the centuries because they deal with questions of universal importance. As we explore these crucial matters, you may be surprised how much more there is here than meets the eye!
Outline
Course “First Things” (Intro)
Time & Eternity
Sin & Death
Judgment
Hell
Purgatory
Heaven (part 1)
Heaven (part 2)
Special Topic: “I AM the Resurrection and the Life…”
Special Topic: Will All Be Saved? (aka Apocatastasis)
Special Topic: Depictions of the Last Things
Course “Last Things”
Materials and Homework
Required Course Materials:
The Holy Bible, preferably the Revised Standard Version – 2nd Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) or the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)
Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2nd Edition (ISBN: 978-0385508193)
The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell by Fr. Wade Menezes, CPM (ISBN: 978-1682780428)
Various free online articles, PDFs, video and audio links throughout the course (instructor will provide links in class)
Recommended Materials (i.e. NONE are required or expected, but all are helpful resources):
“The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell” outstanding talk by Fr. Mike Schmitz, “Lighthouse Talks: Augustine Institute” (available online – click here); students would benefit greatly from listening to this talk before the first day of class
Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (ISBN: 978-0813215167)
Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved?: With a Short Discourse on Hell by Hans Urs von Balthasar (ISBN: 978-1586179427)
On Hope by Josef Pieper (ISBN: 978-0898700671)
The End Of Time: A Meditation on the Philosophy of History by Josef Pieper (ISBN: 978-0898707267)
Homework & Assessments: Students should expect to read approximately 20 to 30 pages per week, including selections from course texts as well as web-based readings and occasional video and/or audio material. Assessments will be comprised of five bi/tri-weekly online quizzes (70% of grade) and one culminating essay (30% of grade).
