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Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory #5
Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory : The Last Act
Hans Urs von Balthasar This is the final volume of this series on "theological dramatic theory" by the great 20th century theologian Balthasar. This series is the second part of Balthasar's trilogy on the good, the beautiful and the true which is his major work. The first series in the trilogy is The Glory of the Lord, and following this Theo-Drama series will be Theo-Logic. In this series "the good" has been the focus. Balthasar maintains that it is in the theater that man attempts a kind of transcendence to observe and to judge his own truth about himself. He sees the phenomenon of theater as a source of fruitfulness for theological reflection on the cosmic drama that involves earth and heaven. This fifth volume is trinitarian, focusing on the mystery of God. He draws heavily on Scripture and many passages from the works of the mystic Adrienne von Spyer. Some of the topics covered include "A Christian Eschotology", "The World is from the Trinity", "Earth moves Heavenward", "The Final Act: A Trinitarian Drama."
529 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1998
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About the author
Hans Urs von Balthasar
456 books312 followersHans Urs von Balthasar was a Swiss theologian and priest who was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is considered one of the most important theologians of the 20th century.
Born in Lucerne, Switzerland on 12 August 1905, he attended Stella Matutina (Jesuit school) in Feldkirch, Austria. He studied in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich, gaining a doctorate in German literature. He joined the Jesuits in 1929, and was ordained in 1936. He worked in Basel as a student chaplain. In 1950 he left the Jesuit order, feeling that God had called him to found a Secular Institute, a lay form of consecrated life that sought to work for the sanctification of the world especially from within. He joined the diocese of Chur. From the low point of being banned from teaching, his reputation eventually rose to the extent that John Paul II asked him to be a cardinal in 1988. However he died in his home in Basel on 26 June 1988, two days before the ceremony. Balthasar was interred in the Hofkirche cemetery in Lucern.
Along with Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan, Balthasar sought to offer an intellectual, faithful response to Western modernism. While Rahner offered a progressive, accommodating position on modernity and Lonergan worked out a philosophy of history that sought to critically appropriate modernity, Balthasar resisted the reductionism and human focus of modernity, wanting Christianity to challenge modern sensibilities.
Balthasar is very eclectic in his approach, sources, and interests and remains difficult to categorize. An example of his eclecticism was his long study and conversation with the influential Reformed Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, of whose work he wrote the first Catholic analysis and response. Although Balthasar's major points of analysis on Karl Barth's work have been disputed, his The Theology of Karl Barth: Exposition and Interpretation (1951) remains a classic work for its sensitivity and insight; Karl Barth himself agreed with its analysis of his own theological enterprise, calling it the best book on his own theology.
Balthasar's Theological Dramatic Theory has influenced the work of Raymund Schwager.
Born in Lucerne, Switzerland on 12 August 1905, he attended Stella Matutina (Jesuit school) in Feldkirch, Austria. He studied in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich, gaining a doctorate in German literature. He joined the Jesuits in 1929, and was ordained in 1936. He worked in Basel as a student chaplain. In 1950 he left the Jesuit order, feeling that God had called him to found a Secular Institute, a lay form of consecrated life that sought to work for the sanctification of the world especially from within. He joined the diocese of Chur. From the low point of being banned from teaching, his reputation eventually rose to the extent that John Paul II asked him to be a cardinal in 1988. However he died in his home in Basel on 26 June 1988, two days before the ceremony. Balthasar was interred in the Hofkirche cemetery in Lucern.
Along with Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan, Balthasar sought to offer an intellectual, faithful response to Western modernism. While Rahner offered a progressive, accommodating position on modernity and Lonergan worked out a philosophy of history that sought to critically appropriate modernity, Balthasar resisted the reductionism and human focus of modernity, wanting Christianity to challenge modern sensibilities.
Balthasar is very eclectic in his approach, sources, and interests and remains difficult to categorize. An example of his eclecticism was his long study and conversation with the influential Reformed Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, of whose work he wrote the first Catholic analysis and response. Although Balthasar's major points of analysis on Karl Barth's work have been disputed, his The Theology of Karl Barth: Exposition and Interpretation (1951) remains a classic work for its sensitivity and insight; Karl Barth himself agreed with its analysis of his own theological enterprise, calling it the best book on his own theology.
Balthasar's Theological Dramatic Theory has influenced the work of Raymund Schwager.
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September 14, 2018
This book concludes Balthasar's 5-volume treatise on the good; preceded by his 7-volume treatise on the beautiful ("The Glory of the Lord"), and followed by his 3-volume treatise on the true ("Theo-Logic").
"The Last Act" is intensely Trinitarian, showing how the world originates in the Trinity; is surrounded and upheld by the Trinity; and (through the Cross) has a path back to the Trinity. Balthasar continues to be unique in my experience, in that he gives full weight to divine freedom (there is no necessity in God), human freedom (our free will is not an illusion, and is never absorbed into union with the All), the mystery of sin, and the possibility to participate in the life of the trinity even before death. The Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection are all aspects of God's love for His creation.
This one volume, along with the other 14 volumes in the full series, is well worth your attention. It takes time and concentration to absorb Balthasar's thought. But aside from God, what topic is so worth our time? In this book, Balthasar makes the case that even after death, we continue the drama of our life on earth, by continuing to learn more about Our Father, who continues to reveal Himself in ever new ways.
"The Last Act" is intensely Trinitarian, showing how the world originates in the Trinity; is surrounded and upheld by the Trinity; and (through the Cross) has a path back to the Trinity. Balthasar continues to be unique in my experience, in that he gives full weight to divine freedom (there is no necessity in God), human freedom (our free will is not an illusion, and is never absorbed into union with the All), the mystery of sin, and the possibility to participate in the life of the trinity even before death. The Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection are all aspects of God's love for His creation.
This one volume, along with the other 14 volumes in the full series, is well worth your attention. It takes time and concentration to absorb Balthasar's thought. But aside from God, what topic is so worth our time? In this book, Balthasar makes the case that even after death, we continue the drama of our life on earth, by continuing to learn more about Our Father, who continues to reveal Himself in ever new ways.
Displaying 1 of 1 review