Pattern of Redemption: The Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar

by Edward T. Oakes

Pattern of The Theology of Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Genres: Theology

Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

Edward T. Oakes, S.J. teaches theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois and is the author of Pattern of Redemption: The Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Reviews

[Father Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another class where the primary text is by the author. I can honestly say, however, that while Father Oakes himself is a fascinating study in himself, the book stands on its own as a valuable piece of scholarship. To comprehend the whole scheme of Balthasar's work is the project of a lifetime, and it leads into so many nooks and crannies of history and thought that one could easily curl up in one of them and spend the rest of one's life just exploring this or that tendril of the whole giant tree. It definitely starts out on a difficult subject: the concept of the analogy of being, which stands at the very center of Balthasar's theology. Comprehension of this subject will pay dividends in other apparently unrelated areas, and Oakes is right to place it first. The first chapter is a fine exposition of the issue through the lens of Balthasar's mentor Erich Prszywara (sp?), one which stands on its own as a valuable contribution to my own philosophical and theological understanding. He then proceeds through a short intellectual biography of Balthasar, and then marches "chronologically" through the trilogy, part by part, picking up many of Balthasar's other less seminal works along the way. It's been said before that merely to read Balthasar requires erudition of a scale not achievable by many, but Oakes makes this massive corpus digestible--even palatable. His tendency to footnote copiously is annoying, since what he relegates to the notes is often helpful and seems like it should be incorporated into the text itself, especially given the introductory nature of the book. Having read Pattern of Redemption, I now feel more comfortable with the idea of one day tackling the trilogy piece by piece with a reasonable level of confidence that if I get lost, I can always find my way back to where I can make headway again.

[Mauberley]

This is a wonderfully helpful introduction to the thought of von Balthasar and his place in contemporary theology. Oakes is particularly good in laying out some of the background of von Balthasar's thought in the first four chapters and his discussions of the 'analogy of being' as well as the dialogue with Barth are worthy of special praise. Other chapters are less successful - the discussion of von Balthasar's theology of the Trinity is weak and Oakes really doesn't spend much time outlining the 'Theologik'. According to von Balthasar, there is no way to separate his work from that of Adrienne von Speyr but you can sense that this is somewhat embarrassing for Oakes to discuss. The book concludes with 'Last Things', a look at von Balthasar's eschatology and Oakes brings his work to a satisfying conclusion. On a personal note, I wish that Oakes had spent more time exploring von Balthasar's book on prayer but I also understand that a work of this nature cannot be expected to cover everything. For a novice such as myself, Oakes has provided what appears to be a valuable map and it is now up to the reader to continue his or her own explorations.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent review of the theological thought of Hans Urs Von Balthasar.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to Balthasar on the market.