Apocatastasis is a Greek word that means:

1) Restoration, re-establishment, renovation

2) Return to a previous condition

3) (Astronomy) Return to the same apparent position, completion of a period of revolution.

Apocatastasis has a special meaning in the Christian theology: it is the doctrine of the ultimate reconciliation of good and evil. Apocatastasis maintains that all moral creatures -- angels, humans, and devils -- will eventually come to a harmony in God's kingdom. It is based on the Biblical passage in 1 Corinthians 15:28, and was extensively preached in the eastern church by St. Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century. The belief was also expressed by Clement of Alexandria, as well as Origen. Augustine of Hippo was against the doctrine and wrote against it, and it was formally pronounced Anathema by the Synod of Constantinople in 543.

The Gospel of Philip 67c contains the term itself and in other sayings expresses the idea that all comes from a common, eternal source: "Of what a nature is the resurrection! And the image must rise again through the image. The bridegroom and the image must enter through the image into the truth, which is the apocatastasis."

There have been diverse attempts to revive the idea over the centuries. In modern times it is associated with Universalism and the doctrine of "universal salvation" or the "eventual reconciliation of all with God."

Apocatastasis in popular culture

• Sympathy for the Devil c.1996 - Holly Lisle's contemporary science fantasy works through these issues in an imaginative way.
• Lilith (1895) by George MacDonald explores the redemption of Adam's first demon wife Lilith.
• The Young Wizards series c.1983 - Diane Duane's young adult fantasy series features an apocatastatic mythology as an important element, particularly in the series's third book, High Wizardry.
• Inferno c.1976 - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's science fantasy parody of Dante's Divine Comedy allows for a way beyond hellfire and eternal damnation.
• The Great Divorce c.1945 - C. S. Lewis, while having a character warn of the dangers of Universalism, nonetheless suggests that it is at least possible for the damned to pass through a cleansing "fire" and join the ranks of the blest in Heaven, and that some - but not all - take the opportunity to do so.
• The War Hound and the World's Pain c.1985 - Michael Moorcock's fantasy has a sympathetic, repentant Lucifer organising a quest for the Holy Grail in an effort to reconcile himself with God

See also

• Origen's eschatology
• Julian of Norwich
• George MacDonald
• Madeleine L'Engle
• Diane Duane
• Tikkun Olam
• Bodhisattva's Vow
• Signal to Noise, a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean

External links

• Tentmaker Ministries has put on line many articles and books supporting the idea that apocatastasis, that is, the restoration of all things was the prominent teaching of the early church during the first five centuries.
• Apocatastasis - The Catholic Encyclopedia article with a more comprehensive look at the theological concept.
• In the Fulness of Time, a poem by James Stephens.
• Hope of the Gospel (1892) by George MacDonald.
• Biblical Universalism: Universal Salvation as Taught in the Greek Text of the New Testament
• A Word to the Elect, a poem by Anne Bronte.

Ancient Roman Christianity | Theology | Christian theology | Life after death

Apokatastasis | Apocatastasi | Apokatastaza