Abrahamitiese eskatologie en die bekragtiging van godsdienstige identiteite

Abstract

Eskatologiese narratiewe, veral gegewe hul kenmerkende apokaliptiese fokus, dien as kragtige retoriese instrumente om godsdiensgemeenskappe te mobiliseer, veral in krisistye. Hierdie studie beklemtoon die rol wat eskatologiese narratiewe in die monoteïstiese Abrahamitiese godsdienstige tradisies speel met betrekking tot die vorming, bekragtiging en handhawing van godsdienstige identiteit te midde van sosiogodsdienstige veranderings en uitdagings. Daar word in hierdie verband gekyk na drie Abrahamitiese kanonieke tekste: Daniël 2:37–45 uit die Hebreeuse kanon, Openbaring 14 uit die Nuwe Testament, en Soera 81 uit die Koran. By wyse van David Carr se fenomenologies-narratiewe benadering word die retoriese waarde van hierdie eskatologiese narratiewe geanaliseer met betrekking tot die manier waarop hulle gelowiges oproep tot aktiewe deelname in die een goddelike plan en die uiteindelike vervulling daarvan. In Daniël 2:37–45 word die opkoms en val van wêreldryke beskryf, wat die geloofsgemeenskap herinner aan die verbygaande aard van menslike mag en die uiteindelike koms van die ewige koninkryk van God. Openbaring 14 bied aan die vroeë Christelike gemeenskap ’n visie van kosmiese verlossing en oordeel, wat hierdie gemeenskap versterk tot volharding in hul geloof. Soera 81 in die Koran gebruik dramatiese apokaliptiese beelde om lesers te konfronteer met die onafwendbare koms van die oordeel van die eindtyd, waardeur die Islamitiese geloofsgemeenskap aangespoor word tot gehoorsaamheid aan Allah. Die studie toon hoe hierdie eskatologiese narratiewe nie net uitdagings van ’n bepaalde historiese konteks aanroer nie, maar ook ’n blywende retoriese impak op gelowiges het deur ’n gemeenskaplike toekomsvisie te bied wat godsdiensgemeenskappe oor geslagte heen saambind. By wyse van hul unieke kognitiewe appèl, help hierdie narratiewe om ’n kollektiewe godsdienstige identiteit te bekragtig en te versterk. Veral die monoteïstiese klem op die goddelike voorsienigheid en belofte van eskatologiese verlossing kenmerkend van hierdie narratiewe bied hoop en rigting aan Abrahamitiese godsdiensgemeenskappe en verbind hul tot ’n gemeenskaplike missie.This study explores the role of eschatological narratives within the Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – in terms of shaping and affirming religious identities. Eschatology, defined as the configuration of religious beliefs about the ultimate end or destiny of humanity, is present in every religion and not only reflects human curiosity about the future but also serves as a crucial mechanism whereby religious communities position themselves within their own historical contexts and respond to external challenges. Abrahamic eschatological narratives are characterised by the monotheistic belief in a divine plan guiding history towards ultimate fulfilment. This involves themes of final judgment, divine victory over evil, transition to eternal life, and the establishment of an everlasting messianic kingdom. This study explores how these narratives provide a framework for understanding the role and purpose of humanity in embodying the divine plan for the world. To this end, eschatological texts from the canonical scriptures of the Abrahamic religions are investigated to examine their impact on religious communities across different contexts and time periods. In the Hebrew Bible, the vision of the fifth and final eschatological kingdom following four earthly empires recorded in Daniel 2:37–45 serves as a prime example of Jewish apocalyptic literature. Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a statue with materials symbolising successive empires, highlighting the transience of earthly kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar, the golden head, represents a powerful reign granted by God. The narrative concludes with God’s eternal kingdom overcoming earthly empires, underscoring God’s ultimate authority over history. This narrative highlights the sovereignty of God over history and the ultimate triumph of a messianic kingdom. The text emphasises that earthly rulers’ power is entirely dependent on the God of heaven, reinforcing a sense of divine providence that transcends temporal circumstances. In the New Testament, Revelation 14 presents a vivid apocalyptic vision of the end times, focusing on divine judgement and cosmic recreation. The narrative contrasts the redeemed with those aligned with Babylon (Rome), who face divine wrath. The imagery of harvest symbolises divine judgement, encouraging early Christians to persevere in faith for eternal reward. This narrative underscores the exclusivity and identity of the Christian community through liturgical imagery and the distinction between believers and non-believers. The text serves as a call to perseverance and faithfulness amidst persecution, offering hope for an eternal eschatological reward. The Qur’an’s Sura Al-Takwir (Surah 81) offers a compelling depiction of the end times, marked by cosmic upheaval and divine judgement. This narrative envisions the final judgment with vivid apocalyptic images, conveying the overwhelming power of divine reckoning. The narrative underscores the revolutionary nature of the early Islamic community (ummah) as transcending ethnic and tribal boundaries. The eschatological vision unifies the community around a shared expectation of divine fulfilment, providing a sense of purpose and identity. By means of the phenomenological narrative approach of David Carr, this paper analyses how these eschatological narratives shape human experience and the understanding of reality. Carr’s narrative realism posits that human existence and interaction with reality are inherently narrative, with the present serving as a pivotal point between past and future. This framework offers insight into how religious communities interpret their place and calling in the world by means of eschatological narratives. This study highlights the rhetorical power of apocalyptic imagery within these narratives. Such imagery evokes emotional and cognitive responses, motivating religious communities to view themselves as active participants in the divine narrative. This is significant particularly in times of crisis when religious communities face persecution and eschatological narratives challenge the status quo and inspire hope for a future kingdom where the community prevails. Through their apocalyptic nature and images of light and darkness, judgement, redemption, and destruction, eschatological narratives convey a vision of the future that is uniquely received and internalised by religious adherents. Because of the immense rhetorical appeal of these narratives, amplified in times of religious suppression, they have often been viewed with suspicion in terms of their potential to incite socio-political implications, often justifying revolutionary actions and political unrest. This article explains the unique ways in which eschatological texts from the canonical scriptures of the Abrahamic religions function in terms of authorising, affirming and sustaining delineated religious identities across various contexts and times. This is accomplished by means of utilising Carr’s phenomenological narrative approach, exploring how key apocalyptic narratives within the Abrahamic canon rhetorically impact on religious audiences and shape religious communities and their engagement. The study also highlights the historical continuity and transformation of eschatological narratives, demonstrating their adaptability to changing socio-political contexts. The reinterpretation of these texts over time underscores their enduring relevance and rhetorical appeal in shaping religious identities. The apocalyptic writings of Daniel, Revelation and the Qur’an provide audiences with eschatological perspectives that serve to remind believers of the ultimate triumph of the divine plan. These narratives situate religious communities within a larger historical narrative, calling them to align their identity and actions with the expectation of future divine glorification, redemption and judgement. This vision of the end times provides a source of hope and gears the audience towards socio-religious engagement in their own context, even amidst significant challenges and persecution. The power of eschatological narratives is further exemplified by their historically proven ability to offer a shared vision of the future across generations. Through a fixed narrative point of reference, religious communities continually define and redefine their identity and mission, adapting to remain relevant even amidst changing socio-political and socio-religious contexts. In this regard, David Carr’s phenomenological narrative approach helps us understand how these eschatological narratives serve as frameworks through which believers interpret their experience of reality. The structural and rhetorical features of these apocalyptic texts, describing cosmic events and divine judgement, elicit strong emotional and cognitive responses, contributing to the formation of a collective religious identity. In conclusion, the eschatological narratives of the Abrahamic religions have a profound impact on shaping religious identities through the authorisation, consolidation and affirmation thereof. These narratives, embedded in the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, not only offer a vision of hope for the future but also function as powerful tools for mobilising religious communities, particularly in times of crisis. The enduring relevance of these texts attests to a distinct continuity in the way humans experience narratives and make sense of our place in the world. The eschatological narratives of the Abrahamic religions continue to play a lasting role in affirming religious identities in our contemporary context by offering a hopeful vision of the future – one that encourages believers to live their lives in accordance with that vision. These narratives strengthen the religious community’s identity, bind its members together, and serve as a source of resilience and perseverance, even in the face of obstacles and external threats.