Author of the article makes an effort to prove, that the main questions and problems, that emerge in the contemporary eschatology and at the same time considered as the new one, were formulated a way earlier, in the teaching of the Fathers of the Church. Unfortunately, the patristic eschatology shall be still counted among the number of less researched branches of theological knowledge. However, in the patristic sources we can find theses, including original and innovative standpoints of the Fathers in the eschatologically fundamental questions. They concern: 1) the interpretation of the human souls fate directly after death and the issue of judgement (the convergent statement is, that the soul itself recognizes and estimates the state of its likeness to Christ); 2) the interpretation of happiness of the delivered until time of the resurrection of the bodies (the essence of the happiness is sojourning with Christ); 3) the interpretation of the purgatory (purification, which is, maturation in love); 4) the interpretation of a possibility of permanent souls separation from God (a question of eternity of the infernal punishment, leading to the theory of apokatasthasis); 5) the interpretation of visio beatifica (contemplation and perception of the nature of God). The conclusion is, that in the trends of contemporary eschatology the reflection as well as development of Fathers of the Church teaching on "the last things" is significantly represented.

The methodology used in patrology - patristics results from its classification into purely theological disciplines. Before Vaticanum II the term patrology was used in a historical-philosophical sense, which led to perceiving patrology as a historical field of study. The study dealt with the old Christian writings from the chronological and literary point of view. This approach implied using research methodology typical of historical sciences. Since the Vatican Council II patrology has been considered a branch of theology and the name patristics has been used more often. Gradually its close association with dogmatics has been observed. The aim of patristics is to present theological thoughts of the Church Fathers. To achieve this objective a researcher has to carry out a thorough analysis of the Church Fathers’ writings by means of theological and literary criteria within the historical context. By resorting to the teaching of the Church Fathers patristics should show the development of theological thinking without identifying itself with Church history, the history of dogmas or ancient Christian literature.