The Beatific Vision: Columns, Interviews, and More
The beatific vision is not a doctrine that must be deduced from scripture by good and necessary consequence. For the beatific vision is expressly set down in scripture. Paul calls the beatific vision the church’s blessed hope. John says God’s children shall be like him because they shall see him as he is. And Jesus himself calls the pure in heart blessed because they will see God. However, Protestants have let other traditions claim the beatific vision as their own, as if it is a doctrine antithetical to the evangelical faith. In this issue of Credo Magazine, the contributors lay claim to the beatific vision, not only demonstrating its biblical and theological credibility but showcasing its rich history from the Great Tradition to the Reformed faith itself. Far from a suspicious doctrine, the beatific vision is natural to the task of theology, pastoral care in the Christian life, and the telos of church’s happiness in the eschaton.
Columns:
First Principles
Stretch that he may fill us: 1 John and the purse of Augustine
BY MATTHEW BARRETT
The Natural Desire of Human Beings for Beatitude
Thomas Aquinas on the Ultimate End of Human Beings
BY TRACY WIETECHA
The Beatific Vision and Augustine
Happiness and Beatific Enjoyment in Seeing God
BY SHAWN J. WILHITE
Interviews & More:
10 Questions with Hans Boersma
HANS BOERSMA
Why have we lost transcendence?
JORDAN B. COOPER, SAMUEL G. PARKISON
Whose Visibility?
MICHAEL ALLEN
Book Reviews:
God, and All Things in Relation to God
THOMAS HEXT
A Theological Jack-of-all-Trades
JAKE RAINWATER
The Restorative Potential of Beauty
AARON TRENT