Church militant and church triumphant
The Christian Church is traditionally divided into the Church Militant (Ecclesia Militans), comprising Christians who are living, and the Church Triumphant (Ecclesia Triumphans), comprising those who are in Heaven. Roman Catholic theology adds a third category: the Church Suffering or Church Expectant (ecclesia expectans), comprising those Christians presently in Purgatory.
Latin militans has a primary meaning "serving as a soldier, military", but it acquired a secondary meaning of "to struggle, to make an effort", which is the intended sense here, the highest priorities of the church militant being the conversion and baptism of infidels. The term is thus analogous to the jihad in Islam, which also may have both military and spiritual meanings.
A fresco named Church militant and church triumphant covers the Southern wall of the Spaniards' Chapel of the Dominican Cloister connected to the Gothic church.
See also
External links and references
- Providence Baptist Ministries. Eschatology, ""The ascension of the church militant. An aspect of the rapture". ". Chapter III. Baptist Trumpeter Publications, 2004.
- "The Church Militant and Triumphant". 1365-68. Fresco. Cappella Spagnuolo, Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
- Militantis, "The Church Militant". This site demonstrates a use of the term by an Eastern Orthodox Christian.
- "Ecclesia Militans": a Traditional Catholic site.