07 — The Question of Universal Hope
The eschatological flashpoint, handled per METHODOLOGY §4. Isaac’s teaching — foreshadowed in the First Part’s “scourge of love” and made explicit in the Second Part — that the torment of Gehenna is remedial, that God does not requite evil but sets it aright, and that divine mercy may have the last word. Presented honestly in Isaac’s own words, with the Orthodox reception debate set out on both sides, and held at its proper dogmatic altitude: neither suppressed nor asserted as the dogma of the Church.
Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| isaac-and-the-last-things.md | The flagship treatment: Isaac on Gehenna as remedial (Second Part chs. 39–41); the Orthodox reception debate (Ware, Alfeyev, the critics); the contested status of the 553 anathemas |
| gehenna-as-mercy.md | The “scourge of love”; hell as the suffering of love refused; the inner logic by which mercy and Gehenna are reconciled in Isaac |
See Also
- 05 — The Theology of Mercy — the theology of mercy of which this is the eschatological edge
- 04 — The Second Part and Beyond — the textual home and authenticity of the controversial chapters
- Master README — the collection overview