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Nouvelle Théologie and Sacramental Ontology: A Return to Mystery
An in-depth study of nouvelle theologie and the ressourcement movement. Hans Boersma argues that a return to mystery was the movement's deepest motivation. He sets out the context for the early development of the movement prior to Vatican II and provides detailed analysis of its characteristic elements and thinkers.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2009
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145 people want to read
About the author
Hans Boersma
31 books97 followersI serve in the Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House in Wisconsin—a community of formation marked by the fullness of Anglican faith and practice, Benedictine spirituality, and classical Christian thought and teaching. (If you’re interested in studying at Nashotah House, contact me: hboersma@nashotah.edu). I am a Priest in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).
Before coming to Nashotah House in 2019, I taught for fourteen years at Regent College in Vancouver, BC and for six years at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. I also served several years as a pastor in a Reformed church. I grew up in the Netherlands and have been in Canada since 1983.
My interests range across a variety of areas: patristic theology, twentieth-century Catholic thought, and spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In each of these areas, I am driven by a desire to retrieve the ‘sacramental ontology’ of the pre-modern tradition. So, much of my work looks to the past in hopes of recovering a sacramental mindset. I suppose this makes me a ressourcement (retrieval) theologian of sorts. Retrieval of the Great Tradition’s sacramental ontology has been at the heart of almost all my publications over the past twenty years or so.
Before coming to Nashotah House in 2019, I taught for fourteen years at Regent College in Vancouver, BC and for six years at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. I also served several years as a pastor in a Reformed church. I grew up in the Netherlands and have been in Canada since 1983.
My interests range across a variety of areas: patristic theology, twentieth-century Catholic thought, and spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In each of these areas, I am driven by a desire to retrieve the ‘sacramental ontology’ of the pre-modern tradition. So, much of my work looks to the past in hopes of recovering a sacramental mindset. I suppose this makes me a ressourcement (retrieval) theologian of sorts. Retrieval of the Great Tradition’s sacramental ontology has been at the heart of almost all my publications over the past twenty years or so.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 12, 2011
Considering I was woefully ignorant of 20th century of French Roman Catholic theology this turned into an incredibly in depth look at a few theological issues of modern Catholicism.
While there is much to recommend here, I was espeically rewarded through two chapters on Scripture and History. I think now, more than ever the, the Christian Church is having to seriously re-evaluate their understanding how we exist in both time and space in relation the rest of the world.
And as someone who is gererally frustrated by source criticism and Q fundamenalism, I appreciate looking deeply at any other hermeneutical technique. While an embrace of typology and spritiual meanings might seem a backwards way of studying Scripture. It often slaughters the historical context and can lead to all kinds of excess. Still, it does take seriously Scripture's role as a normative witness to revelation. And that, I can get behind.
As it so happens, the books biggest weakness isn't a weakness at all. The book was conceived and developed in the hopes that nouvelle theologie's saccramental ontology might be a way forward in ecumenical discussions. This wasn't nearly developed enough. I fail to see how a sacramental ontology will prove super helpfeul. However, for this protestant, knowing the theological suppositions of nouvelle theologie is huge.
While there is much to recommend here, I was espeically rewarded through two chapters on Scripture and History. I think now, more than ever the, the Christian Church is having to seriously re-evaluate their understanding how we exist in both time and space in relation the rest of the world.
And as someone who is gererally frustrated by source criticism and Q fundamenalism, I appreciate looking deeply at any other hermeneutical technique. While an embrace of typology and spritiual meanings might seem a backwards way of studying Scripture. It often slaughters the historical context and can lead to all kinds of excess. Still, it does take seriously Scripture's role as a normative witness to revelation. And that, I can get behind.
As it so happens, the books biggest weakness isn't a weakness at all. The book was conceived and developed in the hopes that nouvelle theologie's saccramental ontology might be a way forward in ecumenical discussions. This wasn't nearly developed enough. I fail to see how a sacramental ontology will prove super helpfeul. However, for this protestant, knowing the theological suppositions of nouvelle theologie is huge.
January 1, 2018
Genealogical critiques are always dangerous, but it seems they are necessary. Hans Boersma examines the ideas that undercut late medieval Catholicism and also provided for the rise of “nouvelle theologie” in the 20th century.
Thesis: “I have made the case that the historical embodiment of theological truth expressed a sacramental ontology that would enable the reintegration of nature and the supernatural—of history and theology” (202).
There are several villains in this narrative. One, obviously, is modernity. The other is early 20th century Neo-Thomism. Boersma notes, “The theological manuals of the neo-Thomist scholastic theologians tried to be faithful to the theology of Thomas Aquinas (1224/5–74), and they believed that this could be done only by maintaining a strict separation between the natural and supernatural realms” (4). In other words, nature is a hermetically sealed realm.
By contrast, as Boersma reads them, Nouvelle Theologie theologians wanted to argue for an “interpenetration of sign (signum) and reality (res) [that] meant, according to the nouvelle theologians, that external, temporal appearances contained the spiritual, eternal realities which they represented and to which they dynamically pointed forward. For nouvelle theologie, theology had as its task the dynamic exploration of the reality of the divine mystery: (292).
There were several ways to do this, not all of them equally successful. To shorten the review: while de Lubac had promising insights on nature and grace, his medieval-style exegesis was simply too unwieldy to be an effective tool.
Von Balthasar’s concepts of analogy and participation not only served as a critique of Karl Barth, but allowed him to appropriate Henri de Lubac’s Neo-Platonic project without the latter’s tendency to downplay physical creation. Boersma: “Contra Barth: “According to Balthasar, analogia entis did not assume a neutral concept of being; it merely implied that God’s salvation in Christ was the saving of his created order:... For Balthasar, the doctrine of analogy simply served to defend that there was a natural stability to the created order that God had redeemed in Christ (132).
Boersma realizes, however, that the rise of Nouvelle Theologie was not a complete victory. In some ways, one could argue that it was partly responsible for the horror that is Vatican II--though to be fair, some of the Nouvelle theologians saw that as well. Boersma mentions it in passing but probably doesn’t see the significance of it. In de Lubac’s short book on Nature and Grace, de Lubac mentions an “underground council” that worked at cross-purposes to his own work in Vatican II. He is right. That is the council that was probably responsible for the occultic practices documented by Fr Malachi Martin in Windswept House.
This is a good summary of a facet of 20th century Roman Catholicism, though many will get bogged down in the long lists of French names.
Thesis: “I have made the case that the historical embodiment of theological truth expressed a sacramental ontology that would enable the reintegration of nature and the supernatural—of history and theology” (202).
There are several villains in this narrative. One, obviously, is modernity. The other is early 20th century Neo-Thomism. Boersma notes, “The theological manuals of the neo-Thomist scholastic theologians tried to be faithful to the theology of Thomas Aquinas (1224/5–74), and they believed that this could be done only by maintaining a strict separation between the natural and supernatural realms” (4). In other words, nature is a hermetically sealed realm.
By contrast, as Boersma reads them, Nouvelle Theologie theologians wanted to argue for an “interpenetration of sign (signum) and reality (res) [that] meant, according to the nouvelle theologians, that external, temporal appearances contained the spiritual, eternal realities which they represented and to which they dynamically pointed forward. For nouvelle theologie, theology had as its task the dynamic exploration of the reality of the divine mystery: (292).
There were several ways to do this, not all of them equally successful. To shorten the review: while de Lubac had promising insights on nature and grace, his medieval-style exegesis was simply too unwieldy to be an effective tool.
Von Balthasar’s concepts of analogy and participation not only served as a critique of Karl Barth, but allowed him to appropriate Henri de Lubac’s Neo-Platonic project without the latter’s tendency to downplay physical creation. Boersma: “Contra Barth: “According to Balthasar, analogia entis did not assume a neutral concept of being; it merely implied that God’s salvation in Christ was the saving of his created order:... For Balthasar, the doctrine of analogy simply served to defend that there was a natural stability to the created order that God had redeemed in Christ (132).
Boersma realizes, however, that the rise of Nouvelle Theologie was not a complete victory. In some ways, one could argue that it was partly responsible for the horror that is Vatican II--though to be fair, some of the Nouvelle theologians saw that as well. Boersma mentions it in passing but probably doesn’t see the significance of it. In de Lubac’s short book on Nature and Grace, de Lubac mentions an “underground council” that worked at cross-purposes to his own work in Vatican II. He is right. That is the council that was probably responsible for the occultic practices documented by Fr Malachi Martin in Windswept House.
This is a good summary of a facet of 20th century Roman Catholicism, though many will get bogged down in the long lists of French names.
March 4, 2022
Boersma introduces ressourcement theology and its move to overcome the split between theology and life. He identifies the shared sensibility of this nouvelle theologie as the desire to reconnect nature and the supernatural, the return to mystery, with the recovery of a sacramental ontology. This book presents a concise overview of the various theologians which have shaped this movement over the last century and a half, the key elements of their works and beliefs, and the influences of each on the ensuing generations of theologians, particularly leading up to Vatican II.
I especially appreciated the historical context Boersma provided for the development of ressourcement theology, as he placed it within the historical theological context as well as within the broader forces and events taking place in the modern world. The desacralizing forces of modernism and post-modernism in a global world continue to broaden the chasm between nature and the supernatural. The work of recovering a sacramental ontology is crucial for the Church in this battle, even as it also provides grounds for ecumenical discussion and, ideally, movement towards unity. It is known by those who live outside the Western World, in cultures not founded in Judeo-Christian history, that Christians of any stream have more in common with each other than not. Recognizing that reality and the commonality of a sacramental ontology provides a foundation from which to work together.
Overall, Boersma presents an invaluable historical context which brings us to the current dialogue on recovering a sacramental ontology and the implications on theology and life. It is no small matter, which Boersma recognizes, and he acknowledges the additional difficulty of being too close, chronologically, to see clearly the extent of the movement. However, it is a valuable resource for understanding what was, what is now, and the elements which seem to be key for the future.
I especially appreciated the historical context Boersma provided for the development of ressourcement theology, as he placed it within the historical theological context as well as within the broader forces and events taking place in the modern world. The desacralizing forces of modernism and post-modernism in a global world continue to broaden the chasm between nature and the supernatural. The work of recovering a sacramental ontology is crucial for the Church in this battle, even as it also provides grounds for ecumenical discussion and, ideally, movement towards unity. It is known by those who live outside the Western World, in cultures not founded in Judeo-Christian history, that Christians of any stream have more in common with each other than not. Recognizing that reality and the commonality of a sacramental ontology provides a foundation from which to work together.
Overall, Boersma presents an invaluable historical context which brings us to the current dialogue on recovering a sacramental ontology and the implications on theology and life. It is no small matter, which Boersma recognizes, and he acknowledges the additional difficulty of being too close, chronologically, to see clearly the extent of the movement. However, it is a valuable resource for understanding what was, what is now, and the elements which seem to be key for the future.
June 26, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed Boersma’a introduction to the Nouvelle Théologie. I added about 15 books to my wishlist throughout my reading of this book—evidence of a good introduction. I’m reserving the fifth star for further confirmation that the author represented his subjects well.
January 16, 2014
Thorough account of the Movement. I didn't enjoy this as much as his 'Heavenly Participation' book. However, the book to read is Danielou, 'Liturgy and the Bible'.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews