Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory: Prolegomena

Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory #1

by Hans Urs von Balthasar

This is the introduction to the second part of the trilogy which is von Balthasar's major work. The Glory of the Lord approaches revelation from the standpoint of the beautiful. The final part of the trilogy, the Theo-Logic, will treat Christian revelation from the standpoint of the true.

In this first volume von Balthasar shows how many of the trends of modern theology (e.g. "event", "history", "orthopraxy", "dialogue", "political theology") point to an understanding of human and cosmic reality as a divine drama. He will then consider objections to such a theological dramatic theory and also the relationship between the Church and the theatre. This volume assembles the materials and the themes that will make it possible in subsequent volumes to develop this theological dramatic theory.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Religion, Catholic, Faith, Philosophy, Christian

663 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Hans 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.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the greatest theologian of the last hundred years complaining that Shakespeare isn’t taught in theology classes. Nothing to see here…

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a tour-de-force of dramatic theory (which is, how do plays work). von Balthasar considers the roles and relationships between the playwright, the director, the actors, and the audience; the actor and the role; the actor's responsibility to the playwright and the director; the director's responsibility to the playwright and the actors. The purpose is to establish a set of dramatic categories, which can then be used to flesh out a theology based on drama.

Then von Balthasar moves from considering the role to considering the player, exploring the question "Who am I"? What is a person, really and essentially? Society gives us roles to play, but God gives us a mission. We become ourselves in our encounter with God, both personally and within our church. This is true even for non-Christians or lapsed Christians; everyone has a God, and everyone has a Church; the god may be football, and the church may be a sports arena, but everyone has some religion.

It is volume one of "Theo-Drama", a 5-volume work about goodness: how we interact with God and with other people. This 5-volume work is part 2 of the overall trilogy: part 1 is 7 volumes on beauty ("the glory of the Lord"), and and part 3 is 3 volumes on truth ("Theo-logic"). The volumes on beauty establish our encounter with the Lord. The volumes on goodness explore our response to this encounter, which changes our life completely.

[Nathan Mladin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow, but rewarding. You’ll hopefully find my extensive ’review’ in my thesis, roughly 2 years from now.

[Zeke Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plays, theology, “Who am I?”