The Glory of the Lord, vol. I: Seeing the Form
Overview
Volume one of The Glory of the Lord opens with a critical review of developments in Protestant and Catholic theology since the Reformation which have led to the steady neglect of aesthetics in Christian theology. From here, von Balthasar turns to the central theme of the volume: the question of theological knowledge. He re-examines the nature of Christian believing (here he quickly draws widely on such theological figures as Anselm, Pascal, and Newman) which gives due place to the particular kind of “knowing” which develops within the personal relationship to the believer to the God mediated through the revelation-form of Jesus Christ.
With the Logos edition the reader has an abundance of resources that offer applicable and insightful material for their study. You can easily search the subject of theological aesthetics to access an assortment of useful resources and perspectives from a variety of pastors and theologians.
- Critical review of developments in Protestant and Catholic theology
- Series of monographs on those who have most characteristically moulded theology
- Develops a Christian theology in the light of the third transcendental
Top Highlights
“The primal form is not a form among others, but a form which is identical with existence, a form beyond ‘open’ and ‘closed’, beyond ‘I’ and ‘Thou’ (since it, and it alone, encompasses both), a form which is even beyond autonomy and heteronomy since it unites God and man in an unimaginable intimacy.” (Page 25)
“pave the way to our actual concern, which is the confrontation of beauty and revelation in dogmatic theology” (Page 9)
“But all those who have been once affected inwardly by the worldly beauty of either nature, or of a person’s life, or of art, will surely not insist that they have no genuine idea of what beauty is. The beautiful brings with it a self-evidence that en-lightens without mediation. This is why, when we approach God’s revelation with the category of the beautiful, we quite spontaneously bring this category with us in its this-worldly form.” (Pages 36–37)
“Nevertheless, even such a historical reminder cannot go beyond a theoretical and practical call to the constant vigilance required to keep the transcendental beauty of revelation from slipping back into equality with an inner-worldly natural beauty.” (Page 41)
“Even so truly a ‘church of the people’ as the Catholic Church does not abolish genuine esotericism. The secret path of the saints is never denied to one who is really willing to follow it. But who in the crowd troubles himself over such a path?” (Page 33)
Balthasar’s most important works, at least in his own eyes, are not his writings but his foundations.
—Peter Henrici
. . . meeting Balthasar was for me the beginning of a lifelong friendship I can only be thankful for. Never again have I found anyone with such a comprehensive theological and humanistic education as Balthasar . . . and I cannot even begin to say how much I owe to my encounter with him.
—Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
- Title: The Glory of the Lord, vol. I: Seeing the Form
- Author: Hans Urs von Balthasar
- Publisher: Ignatius
- Publication Date: 1982
- Pages: 675
Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Catholic intellectuals and writers of the twentieth century. Incredibly prolific and diverse, he wrote over one hundred books and hundreds of articles. He was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church, but died two days before his ceremony.