Title: A Critical Analysis of the Views of Schleiermacher and Jonathan Edwards on the Impact of the Torment of Hell&#039;s Inhabitants on the Blessedness of Heaven&#039;s Dwellers

خسروانی, حمید; Darvishpour, Abedin

doi:10.22034/jrr.2025.497196.2253

Title: A Critical Analysis of the Views of Schleiermacher and Jonathan Edwards on the Impact of the Torment of Hell's Inhabitants on the Blessedness of Heaven's Dwellers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

حمید خسروانی ¹

Abedin Darvishpour ²

¹ استاد مدعو دانشگاه لرستان

² عضو هیئت علمی گروه فلسفه و کلام اسلامی دانشگاه لرستان

10.22034/jrr.2025.497196.2253

Abstract

This article is written with the aim of examining and challenging the opposing views of Jonathan Edwards and Schleiermacher in one of the areas of the philosophy of religion, namely the relationship between the inhabitants of heaven and hell. Edwards believes that the awareness of heaven's dwellers regarding the torment of sinners in hell not only signifies divine justice but also increases their joy. In contrast, Schleiermacher and other critics find this view incompatible with concepts such as divine mercy, human ethics, and conventional justice, critiquing it from psychological and ethical perspectives. This research, through a descriptive-analytical method and a critical approach, examines the arguments of both groups and analyzes the theological, ethical, and psychological implications of these views. In doing so, it attempts to clarify the impact of these views on the understanding of divine justice, divine mercy, and the meaning of eternal happiness. The results of this study show that both views have limitations in interpreting divine justice and the relationship between the inhabitants of heaven and hell. The article argues that despite their differences, Edwards and Schleiermacher fail to provide a comprehensive depiction of divine justice.

Keywords

Schleiermacher

Jonathan Edwards

Heaven

Hell

The Redeemed

Divine Justice

Divine Mercy

Subjects