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The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics #3
Studies in Theological Style: Lay Styles
Hans Urs von Balthasar A continuation of monographs in Volume II in which the aesthetical dimension of theology, its intrinsic beauty, is traced through some of the great Christian thinkers of modern times.
500 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Hans Urs von Balthasar
445 books322 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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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 23, 2021
Much like the previous volume in the series, each chapter stands independently from the other. Each reads like an essay with no interweaving between. Perhaps von Bathasar will tie all these interesting and intriguing threads together in a future volume to bring out the overall theological aesthetic of the tradition. I hope so. It is quite staggering to encounter one mind who comprehended so much as is on display in his treatment of this wide cast of Christian thinkers as is presented in volumes 2 and 3. His isn't just a cursory presentation or summation of ideas, it is a reading of the core insights and essence of ideas. Very valuable contribution!
September 4, 2015
OK, I admit I haven't even come close to reading all of this volume, let alone all of the seven volumes of which it is a part. I flatter myself that I'm a fairly serious reader, but there are limits. Von Balthasar was a highly respected Swiss Catholic theologian (he died in 1988) whose book on Karl Barth was regarded by Barth himself as the best thing written about him. The reason I picked up this volume was that it has 100 pages on Dante, and they are the most brilliant description of the theological aspects of Dante's poetry and thought that I have ever read. I've read a fair amount about him, some of it very good, much of it repetitive and derivative; but this cut right to the bone with apt quotes and clear, careful analysis. The volume also has about 50 pages on Gerard Manley Hopkins, which I am looking forward to.
October 25, 2018
Even with von Balthasar devoting more than enough details per theologian/writer/artist, I still do not have a great grasp of each of them. My goal is to write a sentence or more or less description of each.
★★★★
Dante - The heights of Eros
St. John of the Cross - God-filled, God-forsaken Darkness
pascal - Finite infinities
hamann - Bouncing oddities
soloviev -Roman Catholic Russian
hopkins - Inscape 'n Freshness
peguy - very incarnate, universal hope
★★★★
Dante - The heights of Eros
St. John of the Cross - God-filled, God-forsaken Darkness
pascal - Finite infinities
hamann - Bouncing oddities
soloviev -Roman Catholic Russian
hopkins - Inscape 'n Freshness
peguy - very incarnate, universal hope
April 24, 2015
I don't see how you can go wrong with anything von Balthasar wrote. The chapters on Dante, Soloviev, and Charles Peguy were even more mind-expanding than the other ones. Always a thrill to read these books.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews