Kingdom of God

This article refers to the concept in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. For the 2005 film, see Kingdom of Heaven (film).

The Kingdom of God (Greek basileia tou theou,Strong’s Greek Dictionary, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006 or the Kingdom of Heaven) is a key concept in Christianity based on a phrase attributed to Jesus of Nazareth in the gospels. The phrase occurs in the New Testament more than 100 times. Basileia tou theou was commonly translated into English as “Kingdom of God” in the New Testament, and refers to the reign or sovereignty of God over all things. This was as opposed to the reign of earthly powers, especially the Roman empire, which occupied Nazareth and Capernaum, where Jesus lived, as well as other cities mentioned in the Bible as visited by Jesus, most notably, Jerusalem.

Overview

Discussion of the basileia dates backs for centuries. Eusebius identified basileia with monarchy while Augustine foresaw a merger of the church and basileia. Aquinas, however, ignores the concept and, considering its prominence in Jesus dialectic, it was relatively little discussed by Christian theologians until Johannes Cocceius (1660} and Hermann Samuel Reimarus in the 18th century, during what has become known as the "first quest" for the historical Jesus. Kevin Hart, The Experience of the Kingdom of God, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006 "Von dem Zwecke Jesu und seiner Junger." Noch ein Fragment des Wolfenbuttelschen Ungenannten. Herausgegeben von Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Braunschweig, 1778, 276 pp. (The Aims of Jesus and His Disciples A further Instalment of the anonymous Woltenbiittel Fragments. Published by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Brunswick, 1778.)

Viewpoint of Historical Jesus Scholars and Liberal Theologians

During the period of the second quest for the historical Jesus, Albert Schweitzer wrote: "The fact that He (Jesus) did not need to explain to His contemporaries what He meant by the Kingdom of God constitutes a difficulty for us. The parables do not enlighten us, for they presuppose a knowledge of the conception." Schweitzer, Albert, "The Quest of the Historical Jesus," (A&C Black, Ltd. 1910), p. 18. (public domain) H. G. Wells wrote: "This doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the main teaching of Jesus, and which plays so small a part in the Christian creeds, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that ever stirred and changed human thought."

Even greater attention has been paid to the concept of the Kingdom of God by scholars during the current third quest for the historical Jesus, most notably represented by the work of the Jesus Seminar scholars. These scholars have translated the phrase "Kingdom of God" as "God's imperial rule", or sometimes "God's domain", to better grasp its sense in today's language. Jesus use of the phrase is believed by the historical school of New Testament scholars and liberation theologists to have been a deliberate but indirect criticism of the Roman system of domination. The Christian understanding of the Kingdom of God encompasses several ideas. John Dominic Crossan, a prominent Catholic New Testament scholar, confesses difficulty with the translation of basileia as kingdom but fears any other term will lead to confusion. John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006 , The Jesus Seminar has chosen to translate basileia as ‘empire.’ John B. Cobb points out that this has the advantage of being easily contrasted to the Roman empire but the disadvantage of implying a hierarchical nature to the realm of God, a concept clearly lacking from Jesus thought, in Cobb’s view. Cobb, John and David Tracy, Talking About God: Doing Theology in the Context of Modern Pluralism, Seabury Press, 1983, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006

Leading feminist theologians, especially Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza emphasize the feminine gender of the word basileia and the feminist nature of the early teachings of Jesus and the important and counter-cultural role and contributions of women in the Jesus cult. Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza , A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins, Crossroads, New York, 1992 From a purely etymological viewpoint, Basileia is believed to have derived from the greek word for base or foundation. [http://www.sacrednamebible.com/kjvstrongs/STRGRK9.htm Strong’s Greek Dictionary, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006 Some writers prefer this root definition because it eliminates the confusion with monarchy. Nevertheless, others suggested that Jesus use of the word empire was intended to demonstrate the injustice of Roman domination.

With this growing attention to the Kingdom of God in the post-modern deconstructionist works of liberation theology, the term basiliea theology was coined by Peter C. Phan, Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University and a Past President of the Catholic Theological Society of America, in writings on the kingdom of God as a theological symbol for Asians. He identifies Choan-Seng Song as the most notable exponent of modern basileia theology. Peter Phan, “Kingdom of God: A Theological Symbol for Asians, webpage, retrieved June 24, 2006 Liberation theology literature points to ‘basileia tou theou’ as the heart of the message of Jesus and his earliest followers.

Viewpoint of Evangelical Christian Scholars

The idea of God's Kingdom is found predominantly in the New Testament, specifically the Synoptic Gospels. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom that is entered through understanding, acceptance with humility, spiritual rebirth, and doing the will of God. It is a kingdom peopled by the righteous and stands in stark contrast to the only other kingdom available to people: the kingdom of earthly things or Satan.

The Kingdom of God is a term used interchangeably with Kingdom of Heaven in the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew usually uses the term "Kingdom of Heaven", while Luke and Mark use "Kingdom of God". The standard explanation for this is that Matthew's Gospel was addressed to a Jewish audience who would avoid the direct use of the name of God. Mark and Luke addressed their gospels to a more general audience who would be unfamiliar with the term "Kingdom of Heaven".

Some premillennialist interpreters believe that "Kingdom of Heaven" refers to the millennial kingdom of God, while "Kingdom of God" refers to His universal reign. However, most interpreters, including many premillennialists, believe that there is no basis for such a distinction.

Present aspect

The Gospels describe Jesus as proclaiming the Kingdom as something that was "at hand", and forcefully advancing since the days of John the Baptist, and not merely a future reality (see ). The reported activity of Jesus in healing diseases, driving out demons, teaching a new ethic for living, and offering a new hope in God to the poor, is understood to be a demonstration of that Kingdom in action. Having the Messiah, the King of the Jews, with them, is of course one aspect of the Kingdom: the King coming to represent His Kingdom. By His sinless life, and through His miracles, He demonstrated what the Kingdom of Heaven would be like.

Jesus treated the subject with great importance, so that in the Lord's Prayer, he said it should be the second most important subject in prayer (). The Kingdom of God is referred to 36 times in the book of Matthew alone, primarily in parables beginning with phrases such as "The kingdom of heaven is like...". Jesus maintained the importance of seeking the Kingdom throughout his ministry (; ). Following his resurrection, the Kingdom of God was the centerpoint of the teaching of the Twelve Apostles and Paul of Tarsus as they carried the message out to the gentiles.

The Kingdom of God also refers to the changed state of heart or mind (metanoia) within Christians (see ), emphasizing the spiritual nature of His Kingdom by saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within (or among) you."

Jesus' use of "Kingdom of God" language can be contrasted with that of the first century AD Jewish revolutionaries who believed that the Kingdom was a political reality, that would come about by the violent overthrow of Roman rule and its replacement by a Jewish theocracy.

In Roman Catholic theology, the Kingdom of God can also refer to the Church. Protestants, however, believe that the Church is the instrument by which the Kingdom is manifested, but is not synonymous with the Kingdom itself.

Few modern evangelical scholars since George E. Ladd view the concept of the Kingdom of God as pertaining in its realm exclusively to the heart of believers, where the commandments of God are proclaimed, heard and observed. Instead, the phrase "inaugurated eschatology" has achieved near consensus among evangelical interpreters as expressing the essence of the present/future tension inherent in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles regarding the kingdom of God. "Inaugurated eschatology" posits that Jesus Christ, through his epochal incarnation, death, resurrection, and exaltation, has ushered in the messianic age so that the kingdom of God may be understood to be present in an incipient fashion, while at the same time awaiting consummation in the future age following the parousia of Christ. The regal authority of Jesus, in addition, possesses dominion not only over believers (in the church) but over the cosmos itself, though this latter reign remains veiled until the Second Coming.

In Roman Catholicism, Jesus's proclamation of the Kingdom of God is one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.

Future aspect

The present fulfillment of the Kingdom was treated by Jesus as a provisional foretaste of a greater, future reality.

The future aspect of the Kingdom is the belief of a future, post-apocalyptic implementation of God's theocratic rule, especially in a premillennialist interpretation of the prophetic genre of scriptural texts.

The tension between the present and future aspects of the Kingdom has been referred to as "the now and the not yet" of God's Kingdom. Traditionally, Catholic, Liberal Christian and Pentecostal denominations have tended to emphasize its present aspect, while conservative Fundamentalists and evangelicals have emphasized its future aspect.

Occasionally, some groups, such as Sabbatarians or Adventists, reject the idea of a present Kingdom of Heaven as interpreted by other groups. Instead, they preach of a Kingdom of Heaven that exists only in heaven, but that will later be extended over the Earth after the Second Coming of Jesus.

Possible Parallels in Other Monotheistic Religions

Certain writers assert that the Kingdom of Heaven is a concept detailed in all the three major monotheistic religions of the world — Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The fundamentalist view of Kingdom of Heaven is that it refers to the reign or sovereignty of God over all things, as opposed to the reign of earthly or satanic powers.

The Kingdom in Islam

For Muslims, belief in the kingdom of heaven revolves around the holy land of Jerusalem. In Islam, Jerusalem is the third most holy site after Makkah and Madina, both located in current day Saudi Arabia.

Muslims believe that the name Jerusalem suggests "a place of peace". This corresponds closely to the Muslim concept of the sacred: a place where peace reigns and conflicts are excluded. Islam holds a great estimation as the location of many events associated with the life of Jesus. From that day, Jerusalem has had a very important spiritual meaning for Muslims, not only being the first Qibla but also the mystical experience of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's ascension to heaven (Isra).

The Kingdom in Judaism

The Kingdom of God is referred to frequently in the Tanakh (see 1 Chronicles and for example). It is tied to Jewish understanding that God will intervene to restore the nation of Israel, and return to rule over them. The Kingdom of God was expressly promised to the patriarch and prophet, King David, because he was a man "after God's own heart"; and God made the Davidic Covenant with King David, promising him that he would "never lack a man to sit upon His throne, forever". This has been interpreted by believing Jews and Christians to mean that "King David's descendants, or his Descendant, the Jewish Messiah of Israel, would sit upon the Throne of David and rule for eternity".

External links

Notes

Bible | Jewish Christian topics | Luminous Mysteries

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