Liberalizing Salvation in Medieval Vision Literature

Authors

Drew Sorber, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Medieval Vision Literature, Salvation, Christianity

Abstract

in 1960, the Chicago Congress of World Mission declared, "in the years since World War II more than one billion souls have passed into eternity and more than half of those went to the torment of Hell fire without even hearing of Jesus Christ, who He was or why He died on the Cross of Calvary." The issue of a restricted salvation-one granted only to those who fulfil a specific set of requirements-has remained central to Christian eschatology since the pre-Nicene period and before. While this issue is addressed throughout Christian history, a dramatic reaction to it came in the form of medieval vision literature. While the idea of a restricted salvation remains central to Christian theology, seventh and eighth-century Britain and Gaul and twelfth-century Italy found themselves liberalized, advocating salvation for many who would have otherwise been thought to be damned.

Recommended Citation

Sorber, Drew (2011) "Liberalizing Salvation in Medieval Vision Literature," The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 40: Iss. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol40/iss1/9