The New Tower of Babel: Modern Man's Flight from God

by Dietrich von Hildebrand

The New Tower of Modern Man's Flight from God

Genres: Catholic, Theology, Religion

217 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1977

About the author

Dietrich von Hildebrand was a German Catholic philosopher and theologian who was called (informally) by Pope Pius XII "the 20th Century Doctor of the Church."

Pope John Paul II greatly admired the work of von Hildebrand, remarking once to von Hildebrand's widow, Alice von Hildebrand, "Your husband is one of the great ethicists of the twentieth century." Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has a particular admiration and regard for Dietrich von Hildebrand, whom he already knew as a young priest in Munich. In fact, as young Fr. Ratzinger, he even served as an assistant pastor in the church of St. Georg in Munich, which von Hildebrand frequented in the 1950s and 1960s. It was also in St. Georg that Dietrich and Alice von Hildebrand were married.

The degree of Pope Benedict's esteem is expressed in one of his statements about von Hildebrand, "When the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is written, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time." Von Hildebrand was a vocal critic of the changes in the church brought by the Second Vatican Council. He especially resented the new liturgy. Of it he said "Truly, if one of the devils in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters had been entrusted with the ruin of the liturgy, he could not have done it better."

Von Hildebrand died in New Rochelle, New York, in 1977.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FAMOUS CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHER ARGUES THAT MAN IS "IN DENIAL"

Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977) was a German Catholic philosopher and theologian, and the author of many books (e.g., 'Trojan Horse in the City of God: The Catholic Crisis Explained') from a conservative Catholic perspective. This book was first published in 1953.

He begins by stating, "The mark of the present crisis is man's attempt to free himself from his condition as a created being, to deny his metaphysical situation, and to disengage himself from all bonds with anything greater than himself. Modern man is attempting to build a new Tower of Babel." (Pg. 10)

He argues that "We are not merely POSTULATING the objective reality of moral values when, in arguing against the moral relativist, we proffer as argument the fact that he admits objective moral values in his life---at least in his response of indignation or admiration." (Pg. 69) He passionately asserts that "only the suprarational light of Christ can reestablish truth in its God-given place and bring reason back to its ordination toward truth; only the light of Christ can reestablish reason and save it from self-destruction." (Pg. 90)

He concludes on the note, "Not until this absolute primacy of one's vocation as a Christian has been clearly brought out, not until the heresy of efficiency has been overcome, can human life breathe liberty and be filled with sovereign greatness." (Pg. 213)

Though about 70 years old (and even pre-Vatican II), Hildebrand's books still have a dedicated readership among Catholics in the modern world.

[Stephen Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this by dim lamplight before going to bed, and I have interesting, strange dreams.