Kingdom of God (Christianity)

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"Kingdom of Jesus Christ" redirects here. For the Philippine-based Restorationist church, see Kingdom of Jesus Christ (church). For the depiction of Jesus Christ as king, see Christ the King. For any kingdom that endorses Christianity, see Christian state.
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]

The New Testament is written against the backdrop of

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

The word Kingdom (in Greek: βασιλεία basileíā) 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".

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

See also:
Name of God in Christianity

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,

state of Israel.[18]

The kingdom of God is first introduced in 1 Chronicles 28:5 [1], then in 2 Chronicles 13:8 [2], 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]

Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven", (Matthew 16:18),[21] 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.

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

See also: Christian eschatology and Eschatology
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

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]

Judgment

See also:
Last Judgement

Acts 10:42) and later credal confessions indicate that the task of judgment is assigned to Jesus.[5][6] John 5:22 states that "neither does the Father judge any man, but he has given all judgment unto the Son".[5] Acts 10:42 refers to the resurrected Jesus as: "he who is ordained of God to be the Judge of the living and the dead."[5] The role played by Jesus in the judgment of God is emphasized in the most widely used Christian confessions, with the Nicene Creed stating that Jesus "sits on the right hand of the Father; shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end".[29] The Apostles' Creed includes a similar confession.[29]

Denominational variations

Main article: Kingdom of God (Christian 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.[30][31]

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.[30][31]
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.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0684148897
    pp. 5-191 [I, "Nothing Matters but the Kingdom of God," ch. 1-10]
  2. ^
    ISBN 080282501X
    pp. 101–103
  3. ^
    ISBN 0865543739
    p. 490
  4. ^
    ISBN 0830814515
    pp. 478–479
  5. ^
    ISBN 0801022509
    pp. 391–392
  6. ^
    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. ISBN 978-0-8028-3512-3
    .
  9. ^ "Kingdom of God". Lord Message.
  10. ^
    ISBN 1573832448
    pp. 1–3
  11. ^
    ISBN 0802826806
    pp. 77–79
  12. ^
    ISBN 9004111425
    pp. 255–257
  13. ISBN 0802847552
    p. 473
  14. ISBN 0813206677
    p. 176
  15. ^
    ISBN 0801026849
    Baker Academic. p. 37
  16. ISBN 0801026849
    p. 41
  17. ISBN 080282501X
    p. 480
  18. 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. ISBN 0801026946
    p. 420
  21. ISBN 978-0-8146-5803-1
    p. 248
  22. ^
    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. ^
    ISBN 0860120066
    p. 1354
  25. ^ Vatican website Dominus Iesus, item 5
  26. ISBN 0801026512
    p. 197
  27. ^
    ISBN 0521007208
    p. 246
  28. ISBN 0802806805
    pp. 55–57
  29. ^ a b The Oxford Companion to the Bible by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael David Coogan (1993) [ISBN missing] p. 157
  30. ^
    ISBN 0202362981
    p. 158
  31. ^
    ISBN 0801026628
    pp. 139–141

Further reading

  • Leo Tolstoy (1886–94) The Kingdom of God Is Within You
  • John Bright (1953), The Kingdom of God
  • Georg Kühlewind, Le Royaume de Dieu
  • Beno Profetyk (2017) Christocrate, la logique de l'anarchisme chrétien
  • Joseph Alexander (2018) Christocracy: Christ Kingdom Governance on Earth by True Followers
  • Patrick Schreiner (2018), The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross
  • Beno Profetyk (2020) Credo du Christocrate – Christocrat's creed (Bilingual French-English edition)
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