Moltmann, Jürgen. In the End—the Beginning: The Life of Hope. Translated by Margaret Kohl. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004. Pp. 180. $17.00.

Eschatology has been at the core of Jürgen Moltmann's theological project since the publication of Theologie der Hoffnung in 1965 (ET 1967). In that volume, he refashioned the question of the “last things” in light of God's promissory history with humanity. Eschatology, he argued, should be understood as the comprehensive doctrine of Christian hope, which permeates every dimension of Christian doctrine. In the End—the Beginning, which Moltmann calls a “little doctrine of hope,” is a concise meditation of some of these same issues.

“The last is not the end but the new beginning,” states Moltmann. As such, eschatology should begin, not with a consideration of the end of life, but with its beginnings. Thus Moltmann opens with a consideration of the theological dimensions of childhood and youth. Childhood, Moltmann argues, is a time of open possibility and expectation for the future. Both through his incarnation and in his teaching, Christ transforms and elevates the status of the child as one in whom God dwells: “Just as God is in Christ by virtue of Christ's messianic mission, so Christ is present in every child. Anyone who 'receives' a child receives God.”

This elevation of the child, however, should not be confused with the modern cult of the young. Youth is no protection against the depredations of modern society. The future does not belong to the young, but rather, according to Moltmann, the future “makes us young.” The life of hope is to be lived in the midst of these new beginnings, even in the face of catastrophe and injustice.

In what is perhaps the most intriguing portion of the book, Moltmann attempts a refashioning of the doctrine of justification. He argues that justification should not be understood primarily in terms of the forgiveness of sins, but must take into account the suffering of the victims of injustice. Justification then has a two-fold meaning. For the perpetrator of evil, justification is found in pardon. But this pardon cannot take place unless there is a parallel justification that sets right the wrong done to the victims. Justification then is not about justifying the unjust, but about transforming injustice and bringing about conditions of justice.

In the final section of the book, Moltmann turns to the classic eschatological questions of death, hell, and eternal life. Rather than what awaits us after death, Moltmann argues that we should more properly ask who awaits us. Death need not be feared, he argues, if we recognize that the one who awaits us beyond death is the one who became incarnate, suffered, and died on our behalf. A basic trust in the love of God ought to comfort us in the face of our own deaths and the deaths of those we love.

This idea is particularly pronounced when he considers the question of hell. Arguing that the traditional image of hell is that of the “religious torture chamber,” Moltmann insists that Christian faith ought to affirm the divine love that will storm the gates of hell on behalf of the damned. “All its gates are open. Hell is no longer inescapable, and in hell no one must 'abandon hope,'………If there were still any lost in hell, it would be a tragedy for Christ, who came 'to seek that which is lost.'…”

Moltmann's Reformed roots are apparent in his emphasis on God's sovereignty and the triumph of grace over human self-regard and intransigence. Salvation is more than simply the salvation of human beings, or even of society. Rather, the fates of individuals, communities, and the whole cosmos are bound up together, and no element of what God has created will be finally lost. “In the restoration of all things, everything that happened in sequence in the progress of time will be present in the eternal moment. It is only then that what God promises in Rev. 21.5 can come to fulfillment: 'Behold I make all things new.'…”

Moltmann's books tend to alternate between large volumes of academic theology and briefer, more popular treatments of the same subjects. In the End—the Beginning is of the latter sort. It treats some of the same themes discussed in Moltmann's The Spirit of Life and The Coming of God, but in a more accessible and engaging manner. There are also some new twists on standard Moltmannian themes. As usual, Moltmann displays the strengths and weaknesses of a creative and fertile theological imagination. He is willing to take risks with ideas. The risks don't always pay off, but in asking Moltmann's questions and considering his answers, we are brought to a deeper consideration of the issues he addresses.

Scott R. Paeth
DePaul University