Kingdom of God (Christianity)

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God the Father on his throne, Westphalia, Germany, late 15th century. Gottvater thronend Westfalen 15 Jh.jpg
God the Father on his throne, Westphalia, Germany, late 15th century.

The Kingdom of God (and its related form the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew) is one of the key elements of the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. [1] [2] Drawing on Old Testament teachings, the Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity inherently involves the notion of the Kingship of God. [3] [4] The Old Testament refers to "God the Judge of all" and the notion that all humans will eventually "be judged" is an essential element of Christian teachings. [5] Building on a number of New Testament passages, the Nicene Creed indicates that the task of judgment is assigned to Jesus. [5] [6]

Contents

The New Testament is written against the backdrop of Second Temple Judaism. The view of the kingdom developed during that time included the restoration of Israel to a Davidic Kingdom and the intervention of God in history via the Danielic Son of Man. The coming of the kingdom of God involved God finally taking back the reins of history, which he had allowed to slacken as pagan Empires had ruled the nations.[ citation needed ] Most Jewish sources imagine a restoration of Israel and either a destruction of the nations or a gathering of the nations to obedience to the One True God. Jesus stands firmly in this tradition.[ citation needed ] His association of his own person and ministry with the "coming of the kingdom" indicates that he perceives that God's great intervention in history has arrived and that he is the agent of that intervention. However, in the Parable of the Mustard Seed , [7] Jesus seems to indicate that his own view on how the kingdom of God arrives differs from the Jewish traditions of his time. It is commonly believed that this multiple-attested parable suggests that the growth of the kingdom of God is characterized by a gradual process rather than an event, and that it starts small like a seed and gradually grows into a large firmly rooted tree. [8] His suffering and death, however, seem to cast doubt upon this (how could God's appointed king be killed?) but his resurrection affirms his claim with the ultimate proof of only God having resurrection power over death. The claim includes his exaltation to the right hand of God and establishes him as "king". Jesus' predictions of his return make it clear that God's kingdom is not yet fully realized according to inaugurated eschatology but in the meantime the good news that forgiveness of sins is available through his name is to be proclaimed to the nations. Thus the mission of the Church begins and fills the time between the initial coming of the Kingdom, and its ultimate consummation with the Final Judgment.

Christian interpretations or usage of the term "kingdom of God [9] " regularly make use of this historical framework and are often consistent with the Jewish hope of a Messiah, the person, and ministry of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, his return, and the rise of the Church in history. A question characteristic to the central theme of most interpretations is whether the "kingdom of God" has been instituted because of the appearance of Jesus Christ or whether it is yet to be instituted; whether this kingdom is present, future or is omnipresent simultaneously in both the present and future existence.

The term "kingdom of God" has been used to mean Christian lifestyle, a method of world evangelization, the rediscovery of charismatic gifts and many other things. Others relate it not to our present or future earthly situation but to the world to come. The interpretation of the phrase is often based on the theological leanings of the scholar-interpreter. [10] A number of theological interpretations of the term the Kingdom of God have thus appeared in its eschatological context, e.g., apocalyptic, realized or Inaugurated eschatologies, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars. [11] [12]

Etymology

Gospel of Matthew, c. 1700 Matthew's Gospel - British Library Add. MS 59874 Ethiopian Bible.jpg
Gospel of Matthew, c. 1700

The word Kingdom (in Greek : βασιλείαbasileíā) appears 162 times in the New Testament and most of these uses relate to either basileíā toû Theoû (βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ) i.e. the Kingdom of God or to basileíā tō̂n Ouranō̂n (βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν) i.e. Kingdom of Heaven in the Synoptic Gospels. [13] Kingdom of God is translated to Latin as Regnum Dei and the Kingdom of Heaven as Regnum caelorum. [14] Kingdom of Heaven (Basileíā tō̂n Ouranō̂n) appears 32 times in the Gospel of Matthew and nowhere else in the New Testament. [15] Matthew also uses the term the Kingdom of God (Basileíā toû Theoû) in a handful of cases, but in these cases, it may be difficult to distinguish his usage from the Kingdom of Heaven (Basileíā tō̂n Ouranō̂n). [15]

There is general agreement among scholars that the term used by Jesus himself would have been "Kingdom of God". [1] [2] Matthew's use for the term the Kingdom of Heaven is generally seen as a parallel to the usage of Kingdom of God in Mark and Luke's gospels. [1] [2] Matthew is likely to have used the term Heaven due to the fact that the background of his Jewish audience imposed restrictions on the frequent use of the name of God. [16] R.T. France suggests that in the few cases where the Kingdom of God is used, Matthew seeks a more specific and personal reference to God and hence goes back to that term. [17]

Kingship and kingdom

The Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity involves the notion of the "Kingship of God", whose origins go back to the Old Testament, and may be seen as a consequence of the creation of the world by God. [3] [4] The "enthronement psalms" (Psalms 45, 93, 96, 97–99) provide a background for this view with the exclamation "The Lord is King". [4] However, in later Judaism a more "national" view was assigned to God's Kingship in which the awaited Messiah may be seen as a liberator and the founder of a new state of Israel. [18]

The kingdom of God is first introduced in 1 Chronicles 28:5 , then in 2 Chronicles 13:8 , and Daniel 2:44, where the prophet Daniel foretells a coming kingdom that would begin during the days of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:44). [19] The term "Kingdom of God" does not appear in the Old Testament, although "his Kingdom" and "your Kingdom" are used in some cases when referring to God. [20] However, the Kingdom of God (the Matthean equivalent being "Kingdom of Heaven") is a prominent phrase in the Synoptic Gospels and there is near-unanimous agreement among scholars that it represents a key element of the teachings of Jesus. [4] [10]

Jesus giving Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven", (Matthew 16:18), depicted by Perugino, 1492. Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino.jpg
Jesus giving Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven", (Matthew 16:18), depicted by Perugino, 1492.

Historically, the Church Fathers presented three separate interpretations of the Kingdom of God: the first (by Origen in the 3rd century) was that Jesus himself represents the Kingdom. [22] [23] The second interpretation (also by Origen) is that the Kingdom represents the hearts and minds of the faithful captured by the love of God and the pursuit of Christian teachings. [22] [24] The third interpretation (influenced by Origen but brought forth by Eusebius in the 4th century) is that the Kingdom represents the Christian Church composed of the faithful. [22] [24]

Over the centuries a wide range of theological interpretations for the term Kingdom of God have appeared. [10] [22] [24] For instance, in Catholic teachings, the official declaration Dominus Iesus (item 5) states that the kingdom of God cannot be detached either from Christ or from the Church, for "if the kingdom is separated from Jesus, it is no longer the kingdom of God which he revealed." [22] [25] Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that the Kingdom of God is present within the Church and is communicated to believers as it interacts with them. [26]

R. T. France has pointed out that while the concept of "Kingdom of God" has an intuitive meaning to lay Christians, there is hardly any agreement among theologians about its meaning in the New Testament. [10] Some scholars see it as a Christian lifestyle, some as a method of world evangelization, some as the rediscovery of charismatic gifts, others relate it to no present or future situation, but the world to come. [10] France states that the phrase the Kingdom of God is often interpreted in many ways to fit the theological agenda of those interpreting it. [10]

Eschatology

An angel blows the "last trumpet", as in 1 Corinthians 15:52, Langenzenn, Germany, 19th century Langenzenn Stadtkirche - Fenster Wilhelm II 3.jpg
An angel blows the "last trumpet", as in 1 Corinthians 15:52, Langenzenn, Germany, 19th century

Interpretations of the term Kingdom of God have given rise to wide-ranging eschatological debates among scholars with diverging views, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars. [11] [12] [27] From Augustine to the Reformation the arrival of the Kingdom had been identified with the formation of the Christian Church, but this view was later abandoned by some Christian Churches and by the beginning of the 20th century, some Protestant churches had adopted the apocalyptic interpretation of the Kingdom. [11] [27] [28] In this view (also called the "consistent eschatology") the Kingdom of God did not start in the first century, but is a future apocalyptic event that is yet to take place. [11]

By the middle of the 20th century, realized eschatology, which viewed the Kingdom as non-apocalyptic but as the manifestation of divine sovereignty over the world (realized by the ministry of Jesus), had gathered a scholarly following. [11] In this view the Kingdom is held to be available in the present. [12] The competing approach of inaugurated eschatology was later introduced as the "already and not yet" interpretation. [11] In this view the Kingdom has already started, but awaits full disclosure at a future point. [12] These diverging interpretations have since given rise to a good number of variants, with various scholars proposing new eschatological models that borrow elements from these. [11] [12]

Denominational variations

Given no general agreement on the interpretation of the term Kingdom of God, significant diversity exists in the way Christian denominations interpret it and its associated eschatology. [10] Over the centuries, as emerging Christian denominations introduced new concepts, their teachings and experiments with the linking of personalism with new notions of Christian community often involved new interpretations of the Kingdom of God in various socio-religious settings. [29] [30]

Thus the denominational attempt at incorporating the ideals expressed in the Acts of Apostles regarding the sharing of property within the Christian community came to interact with the social issues of the time to produce various interpretations regarding the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. [29] [30] Eschatological perspectives that emphasized the abandonment of the utopian visions of human achievement and the placement of hope in the work of God whose Kingdom were sought thus resulted in the linking of social and philanthropic issues to with the religious interpretations of the Kingdom of God in ways that produced distinct variations among denominations. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

Christian eschatology is a minor branch of study within Christian theology which deals with the doctrine of the "last things", especially the Second Coming of Christ, or Parousia. Eschatology – the word derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" (ἔσχατος) and "study" (-λογία) – involves the study of "end things", whether of the end of an individual life, of the end of the age, of the end of the world, or of the nature of the Kingdom of God. Broadly speaking, Christian eschatology focuses on the ultimate destiny of individual souls and of the entire created order, based primarily upon biblical texts within the Old and New Testaments. Christian eschatology looks to study and discuss matters such as death and the afterlife, Heaven and Hell, the Second Coming of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, the rapture, the tribulation, millennialism, the end of the world, the Last Judgment, and the New Heaven and New Earth in the world to come.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eschatology</span> Part of theology concerned with the final events of history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity

Eschatology concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions, which teach that negative world events will reach a climax. Belief that the end of the world is imminent is known as apocalypticism, and over time has been held both by members of mainstream religions and by doomsday cults. In the context of mysticism, the term refers metaphorically to the end of ordinary reality and to reunion with the divine. Religions treat eschatology as a future event prophesied in sacred texts or in folklore. While other religions may have concepts of renewal or transformation after significant events, the explicit description of a new earth is primarily found in Christian teachings within the context of eschatology, this description can be found in Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gospel of Mark</span> Book of the New Testament

The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the burial of his body, and the discovery of his empty tomb. It portrays Jesus as a teacher, an exorcist, a healer, and a miracle worker, though it does not mention a miraculous birth or divine pre-existence. He refers to himself as the Son of Man. He is called the Son of God but keeps his messianic nature secret; even his disciples fail to understand him. All this is in keeping with the Christian interpretation of prophecy, which is believed to foretell the fate of the messiah as suffering servant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gospel of Luke</span> Book of the New Testament

The Gospel of Luke tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts, accounting for 27.5% of the New Testament. The combined work divides the history of first-century Christianity into three stages, with the gospel making up the first two of these – the life of Jesus the Messiah from his birth to the beginning of his mission in the meeting with John the Baptist, followed by his ministry with events such as the Sermon on the Plain and its Beatitudes, and his Passion, death, and resurrection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gospel of Matthew</span> Book of the New Testament

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people but is rejected by them and how, after his resurrection, he sends the disciples to the gentiles instead. Matthew wishes to emphasize that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church that was increasingly becoming gentile. The gospel reflects the struggles and conflicts between the evangelist's community and the other Jews, particularly with its sharp criticism of the scribes and Pharisees with the position that through their rejection of Christ, the Kingdom of God has been taken away from them and given instead to the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gospel of John</span> Book of the New Testament

The Gospel of John is the fourth of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "signs" culminating in the raising of Lazarus and seven "I am" discourses culminating in Thomas' proclamation of the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God". The gospel's concluding verses set out its purpose, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord's Prayer</span> Christian prayer taught by Jesus

The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father, is a central Christian prayer that Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and a shorter form in the Gospel of Luke when "one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples'". Regarding the presence of the two versions, some have suggested that both were original, the Matthean version spoken by Jesus early in his ministry in Galilee, and the Lucan version one year later, "very likely in Judea".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sermon on the Mount</span> Collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is the first of five discourses in the Gospel and has been one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus Seminar</span> American biblical research project

The Jesus Seminar was a group of about 50 biblical criticism scholars and 100 laymen founded in 1985 by Robert Funk that originated under the auspices of the Westar Institute. The seminar was very active through the 1980s and 1990s, and into the early 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus in Christianity</span> Jesus as seen in the Christian tradition

In Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God as chronicled in the Bible's New Testament, and in most Christian denominations he is held to be God the Son, a prosopon (Person) of the Trinity of God.

The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" but does not include the term "Kingdom of God".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocalypticism</span> Religious belief about the end of the world

Apocalypticism is the religious belief that the end of the world is imminent, even within one's own lifetime. This belief is usually accompanied by the idea that civilization will soon come to a tumultuous end due to some sort of catastrophic global event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus</span> Central figure of Christianity

Jesus, also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe Jesus to be the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited messiah, the Christ that is prophesied in the Old Testament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parables of Jesus</span> Parables taught by Jesus of Nazareth according to Christian gospels

The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the words of Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God in Christianity</span> Christian conception of God

In Christianity, God is believed to be the eternal, supreme being who created and preserves all things. Most Christians believe in a monotheistic, trinitarian conception of God, which is both transcendent and immanent. Most Christians believe in a singular God that exists in a Trinity, which consists of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christian teachings on the transcendence, immanence, and involvement of God in the world and his love for humanity exclude the belief that God is of the same substance as the created universe but accept that God the Son assumed hypostatically united human nature, thus becoming man in a unique event known as "the Incarnation".

This is a glossary of terms used in Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eternal life (Christianity)</span> Concept of continued life after death

Eternal life traditionally refers to continued life after death, as outlined in Christian eschatology. The Apostles' Creed testifies: "I believe... the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting." In this view, eternal life commences after the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, although in the New Testament's Johannine literature there are references to eternal life commencing in the earthly life of the believer, possibly indicating an inaugurated eschatology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of God (Christian denominational variations)</span> Christian denominational views on the Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God has different meanings in different Christian denominations and they interpret its meaning in distinctly different ways. While the concept of Kingdom of God may have an intuitive meaning to lay Christians, there is hardly any agreement among theologians about its meaning in the New Testament, and it is often interpreted to fit the theological agenda of those interpreting it.

Kingdom of heaven is a phrase used in the Gospel of Matthew. It is generally seen as equivalent to the phrase "kingdom of God" in the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke. Thought to be the main content of Jesus's preaching in the Gospel of Matthew, the "kingdom of heaven" described "a process, a course of events, whereby God begins to govern or to act as king or Lord, an action, therefore, by which God manifests his being-God in the world of men."

Scholars have given various interpretations of the elements of the Gospel stories.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels by Michael Grant (1977). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons ISBN   0684148897 pp. 5-191 [I, "Nothing Matters but the Kingdom of God," ch. 1-10]
  2. 1 2 3 The Gospel of Matthew by R.T. France (2007) ISBN   080282501X pp. 101–103
  3. 1 2 Mercer Dictionary of the Bible by Watson E. Mills, Edgar V. McKnight and Roger A. Bullard (2001) ISBN   0865543739 p. 490
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dictionary of Biblical Imagery by Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit and Tremper Longman III (1998) ISBN   0830814515 pp. 478–479
  5. 1 2 Introducing Christian Doctrine (2nd Edition) by Millard J. Erickson (2001) ISBN   0801022509 pp. 391–392
  6. ↑ Systematic Theology Vol 2 by Wolfhart Pannenberg (2004) ISBN   0567084663 pp. 390–391
  7. ↑ Parable of the Mustard Seed "Parable of the Mustard Seed", Wikipedia, 2020-09-07, retrieved 2020-09-08
  8. ↑ Marshall, I. Howard (1978-11-14). The Gospel of Luke. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN   978-0-8028-3512-3.
  9. ↑ "Kingdom of God". Lord Message.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Divine Government: God's Kingship in the Gospel of Mark by R.T. France (2003) ISBN   1573832448 pp. 1–3
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth by Michael James McClymond (2004) ISBN   0802826806 pp. 77–79
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research by Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans (1998) ISBN   9004111425 pp. 255–257
  13. ↑ Theology for the Community of God by Stanley J. Grenz (2000) ISBN   0802847552 p. 473
  14. ↑ A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin by John F. Collins (1985) ISBN   0813206677 p. 176
  15. 1 2 Matthew by David L. Turner (2008) ISBN   0801026849 Baker Academic. p. 37
  16. ↑ Matthew by David L. Turner (2008) ISBN   0801026849 p. 41
  17. ↑ The Gospel of Matthew by R.T. France (2007) ISBN   080282501X p. 480
  18. ↑ Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi by Karl Rahner (2004) ISBN   0860120066 p. 1351
  19. ↑ Schoenherr, Matthew (2022-01-04). "Kingdom of God Delayed? Parable of the Ten Minas (Nobleman)". Levaire. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  20. ↑ Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, N. T. Wright, Daniel J. Treier and Craig Bartholomew (2006) ISBN   0801026946 p. 420
  21. ↑ The Gospel of Matthew (Sacra Pagina Series, Vol 1) by Dainel J. Harrington (1991) ISBN   978-0-8146-5803-1 p. 248
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Letter & Spirit, Vol. 3: The Hermeneutic of Continuity: Christ, Kingdom, and Creation by Scott Hahn and David Scott (2007) ISBN   1931018464 pp. 35–36
  23. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity by John Anthony McGuckin (Editor) 2010 ISBN   978-1-4443-9254-8 John Wiley p. 439
  24. 1 2 3 Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi by Karl Rahner (2004) ISBN   0860120066 p. 1354
  25. ↑ Vatican website Dominus Iesus, item 5
  26. ↑ Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary Reader by Daniel B. Clendenin (2003) ISBN   0801026512 p. 197
  27. 1 2 An Introduction to the New Testament and the Origins of Christianity by Delbert Royce Burkett (2002) ISBN   0521007208 p. 246
  28. ↑ A Theology of the New Testament by George Eldon Ladd (1993) ISBN   0802806805 pp. 55–57
  29. 1 2 The Eastern Orthodox Church: Its Thought and Life by Ernst Benz (2008) ISBN   0202362981 p. 158
  30. 1 2 3 Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues by Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss and Timothy C. Tennent (2010) ISBN   0801026628 pp. 139–141

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