Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind.
  • noun A belief or a doctrine concerning the ultimate or final things, such as death, the destiny of humanity, the Second Coming, or the Last Judgment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In theology, the doctrine of the last or of final things; that branch of theology which treats of the end of the world and man's condition or state after death.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The doctrine of the last or final things, as death, judgment, and the events therewith connected.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun countable System of doctrines concerning final matters, such as death.
  • noun uncountable The study of the end times — the end of the world, notably in Christian theology the second coming of Christ, the Apocalypse or the Last Judgment.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the branch of theology that is concerned with such final things as death and Last Judgment; Heaven and Hell; the ultimate destiny of humankind

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek eskhatos, last; see eghs in Indo-European roots + –logy.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ἔσχατον (eskhaton) -neuter of ἔσχατος (eskhatos, "last")- + -logy.

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Examples

  • The study of last things is called eschatology from the Greek word eschatos, meaning "the last or extreme."

    Latest Articles 2010

  • The term eschatology in our theological vocabulary refers to the study of the eschaton, or the end times.

    Possessing the Treasure 2009

  • The term eschatology in our theological vocabulary refers to the study of the eschaton, or the end times.

    Possessing the Treasure 2009

  • In other words, in every case I can think of, eschatology is synonymous with war crimes and should be looked upon in the same light.

    An Illustrated Guide : The Lovecraft News Network 2010

  • In other words, in every case I can think of, eschatology is synonymous with war crimes and should be looked upon in the same light.

    Archive 2010-03-01 2010

  • In a compressed pivotal dialectic, the form of Victorian eschatology is formulated coextensively with its own historical force — as, so to say, the inherent

    Phonemanography: Romantic to Victorian 2008

  • If the goal is to interest more people in eschatology and bring the message of salvation to more people, then I pray God blesses those efforts.

    Archive 2006-12-01 Andrew Beckner 2006

  • If the goal is to interest more people in eschatology and bring the message of salvation to more people, then I pray God blesses those efforts.

    Maybe this isn't the best idea Andrew Beckner 2006

  • The unfortunate fact of this sort of eschatology is that it encourages us to withdraw from the world — to become, in Carl Henry’s words, world-resisters rather than world-changers, a generation of enlightened spectators rather than empowered ambassadors.

    Second Coming in 2015! 2008

  • This is what's called eschatology — a belief, or psychology, that we are approaching the End Time.

    What's the Next 'Global Warming'? Bret Stephens 2010

Comments

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  • the study of "final things" like death and the end of the world.

    March 6, 2007