Timeline: Hell as the Experience of God’s Love

 

 

Timeline: Hell as the Experience of God’s Love

 

Century	Figure	Key Teaching on Hell
2nd c.	Irenaeus of Lyons	Separation from God = death; punishment arises from refusal of Life, not divine cruelty.
2nd–3rd c.	Clement of Alexandria	Punishment is medicinal and corrective; God acts as teacher/physician, not avenger.
3rd c.	Origen of Alexandria	Divine fire is spiritual, exposing sin; souls punish themselves by resisting divine reality.
4th c.	Basil the Great	God remains good; suffering results from human opposition to divine goodness; fire = God revealed.
	Gregory the Theologian	Divine light illuminates saints, burns sinners; God’s presence is the measure of judgment.
	Gregory of Nyssa	The same divine light that glorifies saints torments the unrighteous; suffering comes from resistance to God.

The Eschatological Iconography of the Preparation of the Throne

The Preparation of the Throne (Etoimasia tou Thronou, Η Ετοιμασία του Θρόνου) is consistently depicted within the multifigured representation of the Second Coming, precisely beneath the throne of Jesus the Judge.

Within a circular glory there stands an empty throne with the cushion and the cloth spread upon it, as well as the footstool. Behind the throne is the Precious Cross with the crown of thorns and the symbols of the Passion (the Spear and the Sponge) on either side of the Cross.

Directly beneath the throne kneel in supplication the two First-Created, Adam and Eve. Behind Eve stand two half-naked figures, who stand in awe before the Righteous Judge and are ready to be “judged.”

The iconographic theme of the Preparation of the Throne was originally an independent representation, but from the 11th or 12th century it was incorporated into the scene of the Second Coming. The empty throne is accompanied either by the Holy Spirit (a dove) and the Gospel placed upon the throne, or by the symbols of the Passion (the Cross and others), thus symbolizing the mystical presence of Christ, following the models of corresponding imperial iconography.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

"Beware of False Prophets" (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

By St. Theophan the Recluse

"Beware of false prophets" (Matt. 7:15).

From the beginning of Christianity and to this day there has not been a time when this warning was not applicable.

The Lord did not indicate exactly which false prophets to beware of, for how could they be pinpointed?

They change like fashions and are continually generating more like them. They always appear in sheep’s clothing, with a likeness of good will in their deeds and a mirage of truth in their speech.

In our time their clothing is sewn of progress, civilization, education, freedom of thought and deed, a personal conviction which does not allow for faith, and such like. All of this is a deceptive cloak.