This
is an anthology about Hans Urs von Balthasar, the controversial Catholic
theologian who died in 1988. The anthology deals almost exclusively with
Balthasar's theology, and is therefore of primary interest to serious students
of theology, especially modern Catholic theology, and perhaps philosophy. The
book says very little about Balthasar's life, curiously, since the alliances
and controversies he was involved in surely had a bearing on his ideas and
their reception. Balthasar cooperated with Josef Ratzinger (the future pope
Benedict XVI) after Vatican II, since both of them wanted a conservative
interpretation of the decisions taken at the council. Later, Balthasar was
involved in a controversy with conservative Catholics, who accused him of
denying the existence of Hell. The controversy was...well, heated. In passing,
the anthology also mentions Balthasar's dependence on the female Catholic
mystic Adrienne von Speyr. Yet, there is no further information about this.
Since the anthology is quite extensive, this feels like a major short-coming.
Nor does the book say anything about Balthasar writing the introduction to an
occult book by Valentin Tomberg.
I sometimes get the impression, that Balthasar is simply too hot to handle!
Still, "The Cambridge Companion" is interesting. The articles deal with Balthasar's Christhology, metaphysics, eschatology, Biblical interpretation, and his views on Mary, the saints and the eucharist. His major theological writings are reviewed, and there are also pieces on his patristic scholarship and literary criticism. His theological and philosophical encounters with Karl Barth, Karl Rahner and Martin Heidegger are mentioned. There is also a critical text on his hopelessly patriarchal view of Woman.
Balthasar's ideas on the Trinity, the nature of Being and the theological aesthetics are particularly interesting, but too subtle to do justice in a customer review!
When all is said and done, I give this (all too non-controversialist) anthology four stars.
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