Michael Patrick Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195333527
- eISBN:
- 9780199868896
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333527.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
In addition to laying out a general groundwork for the Catholic imagination as a critical lens—and suggesting a variety of ways that the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar aids critics in articulating ...
More
In addition to laying out a general groundwork for the Catholic imagination as a critical lens—and suggesting a variety of ways that the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar aids critics in articulating such a theological vision—the chapter also attempts to locate the particular phenomena of postmodernism and deconstruction within the intersection of theology and narrative art. Balthasar anticipates the tendency of current critical theory to privilege and emphasize the amorphous breadth of both linguistic and cultural expression; and he anticipates the critical tension between those who read Catholicism as theological truth and those that might read Catholicism as a “fluctuating signifier,” as a cultural and/or literary text. Under this general theme, a dialog is opened with such diverse critics as William Lynch, Paul Giles, Michel De Certeau, and Jacques Derrida. Like them, Balthasar's theology plots a route for appreciating the aesthetic complexity and theological possibility of a broadly canvassed intertextuality and interdisciplinarity. However, Balthasar's program also defends the critical uniqueness of certain theological commitments (e.g., the transcendentals, the Incarnation, and the trinitarian structure of being) and looks to the arts to demonstrate the formal expression and aesthetic span of these phenomena. The chapter concludes with the proposition that it is the recognition of these essential questions that both challenge and aid the articulation of a Catholic imagination and that a turn to representative work in literature, poetry, and film will aid in such an articulation.Less
In addition to laying out a general groundwork for the Catholic imagination as a critical lens—and suggesting a variety of ways that the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar aids critics in articulating such a theological vision—the chapter also attempts to locate the particular phenomena of postmodernism and deconstruction within the intersection of theology and narrative art. Balthasar anticipates the tendency of current critical theory to privilege and emphasize the amorphous breadth of both linguistic and cultural expression; and he anticipates the critical tension between those who read Catholicism as theological truth and those that might read Catholicism as a “fluctuating signifier,” as a cultural and/or literary text. Under this general theme, a dialog is opened with such diverse critics as William Lynch, Paul Giles, Michel De Certeau, and Jacques Derrida. Like them, Balthasar's theology plots a route for appreciating the aesthetic complexity and theological possibility of a broadly canvassed intertextuality and interdisciplinarity. However, Balthasar's program also defends the critical uniqueness of certain theological commitments (e.g., the transcendentals, the Incarnation, and the trinitarian structure of being) and looks to the arts to demonstrate the formal expression and aesthetic span of these phenomena. The chapter concludes with the proposition that it is the recognition of these essential questions that both challenge and aid the articulation of a Catholic imagination and that a turn to representative work in literature, poetry, and film will aid in such an articulation.
Michael Patrick Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195333527
- eISBN:
- 9780199868896
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333527.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The chapter serves both as a brief biography of Balthasar and a protracted bibliography of his work. The consideration of Balthasar's monumental opus (The Glory of the Lord, Theo‐drama, and ...
More
The chapter serves both as a brief biography of Balthasar and a protracted bibliography of his work. The consideration of Balthasar's monumental opus (The Glory of the Lord, Theo‐drama, and Theo‐logic) provides a critical “system” in which to read texts and begins to illustrate Balthasar's unique contribution to current discussions about the intersection between theology, history, philosophy, and narrative art. The chapter demonstrates that not only is Balthasar one of the most important Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, but also his work has practical contributions to make to discourses in critical theory. Like critical theory, Balthasar's work is theological, literary, anthropological, philosophical, psychological, political, and historical, which are critical theory's main components. In the spirit of the ressourcement theology that shaped him, Balthasar is primarily interested in renewing attention to older sources in order to critique the idealistic excesses of modernity. In this sense, Balthasar reveals a postmodern temperament: he too is concerned with issues of language and difference, with aporia, with plurality, with surplus, and with horizons of meaning, to name a few. The difference between Balthasar and the majority of critical theorists resides in ontological and theological orientation: it is therefore a difference of imagination and of grammar. The chapter elaborates on these and other dynamic relationships.Less
The chapter serves both as a brief biography of Balthasar and a protracted bibliography of his work. The consideration of Balthasar's monumental opus (The Glory of the Lord, Theo‐drama, and Theo‐logic) provides a critical “system” in which to read texts and begins to illustrate Balthasar's unique contribution to current discussions about the intersection between theology, history, philosophy, and narrative art. The chapter demonstrates that not only is Balthasar one of the most important Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, but also his work has practical contributions to make to discourses in critical theory. Like critical theory, Balthasar's work is theological, literary, anthropological, philosophical, psychological, political, and historical, which are critical theory's main components. In the spirit of the ressourcement theology that shaped him, Balthasar is primarily interested in renewing attention to older sources in order to critique the idealistic excesses of modernity. In this sense, Balthasar reveals a postmodern temperament: he too is concerned with issues of language and difference, with aporia, with plurality, with surplus, and with horizons of meaning, to name a few. The difference between Balthasar and the majority of critical theorists resides in ontological and theological orientation: it is therefore a difference of imagination and of grammar. The chapter elaborates on these and other dynamic relationships.
Michael Patrick Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195333527
- eISBN:
- 9780199868896
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333527.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Chapter 3 focuses on Balthasar's theological aesthetics as a well‐articulated critical methodology. Balthasar's fusion of aesthetics with history forges both a Christology and an analogy of being ...
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Chapter 3 focuses on Balthasar's theological aesthetics as a well‐articulated critical methodology. Balthasar's fusion of aesthetics with history forges both a Christology and an analogy of being that is developed in light of that Christology. Balthasar urges us to “see the form [of Christ]” in all manner of being and experience—human activities, natural phenomena, and especially human works of art. “Seeing the form” becomes a central critical and theological hermeneutic; and the chapter cultivates a parallel between “seeing the form” and interpreting, broadly, the “word(s)” of narrative art. The first three sections of the chapter develop an aesthetics of a representative word (in this case, the term “hierarchy”); the last section is an application of what is gleaned from the first three upon Flannery O'Connor's “Revelation.” While a close reading of O'Connor's text serves as a literary exemplum of a Catholic imagination, other poets and authors who demonstrate a similar theological aesthetic are considered in order round out the discussion.Less
Chapter 3 focuses on Balthasar's theological aesthetics as a well‐articulated critical methodology. Balthasar's fusion of aesthetics with history forges both a Christology and an analogy of being that is developed in light of that Christology. Balthasar urges us to “see the form [of Christ]” in all manner of being and experience—human activities, natural phenomena, and especially human works of art. “Seeing the form” becomes a central critical and theological hermeneutic; and the chapter cultivates a parallel between “seeing the form” and interpreting, broadly, the “word(s)” of narrative art. The first three sections of the chapter develop an aesthetics of a representative word (in this case, the term “hierarchy”); the last section is an application of what is gleaned from the first three upon Flannery O'Connor's “Revelation.” While a close reading of O'Connor's text serves as a literary exemplum of a Catholic imagination, other poets and authors who demonstrate a similar theological aesthetic are considered in order round out the discussion.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126228
- eISBN:
- 9780199853496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126228.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses the notion of “theological aesthetics.” In its wide sense, theological aesthetics includes “aesthetic theology” — that is, the use by theology of the language, methods, and ...
More
This chapter discusses the notion of “theological aesthetics.” In its wide sense, theological aesthetics includes “aesthetic theology” — that is, the use by theology of the language, methods, and contents of the aesthetic realm. The art of making theological discourse affecting and beautiful (“theopoesis”) is appropriate to all branches and kinds of theology. The application of aesthetic theory (e.g. literary analysis) to theological contents is most pertinent to those “functional specialties” that Lonergan names research, interpretation, history, and communications. The remaining specialties — dialectics, foundations, doctrines, and systematics — are the principal field of theological aesthetics in its narrower sense: the use of properly theological starting points, categories, and methods to formulate an account of (i) perception (including sensation and imagination), (2) beauty, and (3) the arts. Such an account may be formulated from the point of view of what Tracy calls “systematic” theology, or from the complementary perspectives of foundational and practical theology.Less
This chapter discusses the notion of “theological aesthetics.” In its wide sense, theological aesthetics includes “aesthetic theology” — that is, the use by theology of the language, methods, and contents of the aesthetic realm. The art of making theological discourse affecting and beautiful (“theopoesis”) is appropriate to all branches and kinds of theology. The application of aesthetic theory (e.g. literary analysis) to theological contents is most pertinent to those “functional specialties” that Lonergan names research, interpretation, history, and communications. The remaining specialties — dialectics, foundations, doctrines, and systematics — are the principal field of theological aesthetics in its narrower sense: the use of properly theological starting points, categories, and methods to formulate an account of (i) perception (including sensation and imagination), (2) beauty, and (3) the arts. Such an account may be formulated from the point of view of what Tracy calls “systematic” theology, or from the complementary perspectives of foundational and practical theology.
Michael Patrick Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195333527
- eISBN:
- 9780199868896
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333527.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Chapter 5 presents a reading of David Lodge's novel Therapy (1995) in light of Balthasar's Theo‐logic. Lodge does well to illustrate that the erasure of God that preoccupies postmodern consciousness ...
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Chapter 5 presents a reading of David Lodge's novel Therapy (1995) in light of Balthasar's Theo‐logic. Lodge does well to illustrate that the erasure of God that preoccupies postmodern consciousness significantly affects contemporary conceptions about “subject formation” and “people in relation.” Lodge develops these themes by constructing a narrative that mirrors both the theological trajectory of Balthasar's tripartite program and the existential progression identified by the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard—namely, the aesthetic, ethical, and religious “stages” of human experience. Importantly, a close consideration of Kierkegaard's stages reveals a direct analogy with the transcendentals, which, in turn, illuminates one of the many reasons why Balthasar admired Kierkegaard and why Lodge's novel is a fertile literary example of Balthasar's Theologic. By a close consideration of the triadic structure of being presented by a variety of sources, the chapter begins to discern how God's logic—how human logic—exists in a trinitarian dynamic.Less
Chapter 5 presents a reading of David Lodge's novel Therapy (1995) in light of Balthasar's Theo‐logic. Lodge does well to illustrate that the erasure of God that preoccupies postmodern consciousness significantly affects contemporary conceptions about “subject formation” and “people in relation.” Lodge develops these themes by constructing a narrative that mirrors both the theological trajectory of Balthasar's tripartite program and the existential progression identified by the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard—namely, the aesthetic, ethical, and religious “stages” of human experience. Importantly, a close consideration of Kierkegaard's stages reveals a direct analogy with the transcendentals, which, in turn, illuminates one of the many reasons why Balthasar admired Kierkegaard and why Lodge's novel is a fertile literary example of Balthasar's Theologic. By a close consideration of the triadic structure of being presented by a variety of sources, the chapter begins to discern how God's logic—how human logic—exists in a trinitarian dynamic.
A. N. Williams
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199236367
- eISBN:
- 9780191728556
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199236367.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This work proposes a new reading of Christian theology. Examining theological warrants, philosophical debates over the structures of arguments, and the role of beauty in intellectual structures, it ...
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This work proposes a new reading of Christian theology. Examining theological warrants, philosophical debates over the structures of arguments, and the role of beauty in intellectual structures, it suggests theology is inherently systematic, its systematicity reflecting its two subjects, ‘God and other things as they are related to God’ (Aquinas). The roles of the warrants (scripture, tradition, and reason) are re‐evaluated, showing their necessary interdependence. Debates in philosophical epistemology are also examined; these have conventionally contrasted foundationalism and coherentism. A contemporary consensus has emerged, however, of a chastened foundationalism or hybrid foundationalism‐coherentism, in light of which, arguments are understood both as reasoning from foundational propositions and as gaining plausibility from the coherence of claims. Theological arguments also exhibit a dual structure, with propositions underwritten by their dependence on both scripture and tradition and by their coherence in integrated webs, or systems. Theology is therefore shown to be systematic in its fundamental structure. The systematicity of theology is a function of its subject matter, ‘God and other things as they are related to God’. Both the two chief subjects of theology (God and humanity) and theology itself are characterized by rationality and relationality. Theology is therefore doubly mimetic, reflecting its subject matter in its structures of reasoning. The order and harmony of those structures however have an aesthetic appeal and potentially attract because of their beauty, rather than their truth. Theological aesthetics is surveyed, asking whether the beauty of systematic structures counts for or against their truth.Less
This work proposes a new reading of Christian theology. Examining theological warrants, philosophical debates over the structures of arguments, and the role of beauty in intellectual structures, it suggests theology is inherently systematic, its systematicity reflecting its two subjects, ‘God and other things as they are related to God’ (Aquinas). The roles of the warrants (scripture, tradition, and reason) are re‐evaluated, showing their necessary interdependence. Debates in philosophical epistemology are also examined; these have conventionally contrasted foundationalism and coherentism. A contemporary consensus has emerged, however, of a chastened foundationalism or hybrid foundationalism‐coherentism, in light of which, arguments are understood both as reasoning from foundational propositions and as gaining plausibility from the coherence of claims. Theological arguments also exhibit a dual structure, with propositions underwritten by their dependence on both scripture and tradition and by their coherence in integrated webs, or systems. Theology is therefore shown to be systematic in its fundamental structure. The systematicity of theology is a function of its subject matter, ‘God and other things as they are related to God’. Both the two chief subjects of theology (God and humanity) and theology itself are characterized by rationality and relationality. Theology is therefore doubly mimetic, reflecting its subject matter in its structures of reasoning. The order and harmony of those structures however have an aesthetic appeal and potentially attract because of their beauty, rather than their truth. Theological aesthetics is surveyed, asking whether the beauty of systematic structures counts for or against their truth.
Michael P. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195333527
- eISBN:
- 9780199868896
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333527.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The turn of the millennium has brought with it a vigorous revival in the interdisciplinary study of theology and art. The notion of a Catholic imagination, however, as a specific category of ...
More
The turn of the millennium has brought with it a vigorous revival in the interdisciplinary study of theology and art. The notion of a Catholic imagination, however, as a specific category of aesthetics, lacks thematic and theological coherence. More often, the idea of a Catholic imagination functions at this time as a deeply felt intuition about the organic connections that exist among theological insights, cultural background, and literary expression. The book explores the many ways that the theological work of Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) provides the model, content, and optic for demonstrating the credibility and range of a Catholic imagination. Since Balthasar views arts and literatures precisely as theologies, the book surveys a broad array of poetry, drama, fiction, and film and sets these readings against the central aspects of Balthasar's theological program. A major consequence of this study is the recovery of the legitimate place of a distinct “theological imagination” in the critical study of literary and narrative art. The book also argues that Balthasar's voice both complements and challenges contemporary critical theory and contends that postmodern interpretive methodology, with its careful critique of entrenched philosophical assumptions and reiterated codes of meaning, is not the threat to theological meaning that many fear. On the contrary, postmodernism can provide both literary critics and theologians alike with the tools that assess, challenge, and celebrate the theological imagination as it is depicted in literary art today.Less
The turn of the millennium has brought with it a vigorous revival in the interdisciplinary study of theology and art. The notion of a Catholic imagination, however, as a specific category of aesthetics, lacks thematic and theological coherence. More often, the idea of a Catholic imagination functions at this time as a deeply felt intuition about the organic connections that exist among theological insights, cultural background, and literary expression. The book explores the many ways that the theological work of Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) provides the model, content, and optic for demonstrating the credibility and range of a Catholic imagination. Since Balthasar views arts and literatures precisely as theologies, the book surveys a broad array of poetry, drama, fiction, and film and sets these readings against the central aspects of Balthasar's theological program. A major consequence of this study is the recovery of the legitimate place of a distinct “theological imagination” in the critical study of literary and narrative art. The book also argues that Balthasar's voice both complements and challenges contemporary critical theory and contends that postmodern interpretive methodology, with its careful critique of entrenched philosophical assumptions and reiterated codes of meaning, is not the threat to theological meaning that many fear. On the contrary, postmodernism can provide both literary critics and theologians alike with the tools that assess, challenge, and celebrate the theological imagination as it is depicted in literary art today.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126228
- eISBN:
- 9780199853496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126228.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines ways in which art mediates the value of the sacred or “holy”. The first part deals with art as the expression or mediation of “general” categorical revelation: the encounter ...
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This chapter examines ways in which art mediates the value of the sacred or “holy”. The first part deals with art as the expression or mediation of “general” categorical revelation: the encounter with transcendence or with the sacred in human experience in general. The second part considers art in its relation to the “special” categorical revelation that occurs in Christ and is transmitted through the Christian tradition.Less
This chapter examines ways in which art mediates the value of the sacred or “holy”. The first part deals with art as the expression or mediation of “general” categorical revelation: the encounter with transcendence or with the sacred in human experience in general. The second part considers art in its relation to the “special” categorical revelation that occurs in Christ and is transmitted through the Christian tradition.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126228
- eISBN:
- 9780199853496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126228.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The concern in Chapters 3–5 centered on the positive side of the relation of the transcendent to human imagination, the beautiful, and the arts. Chapter 2 showed that Christian theology from early on ...
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The concern in Chapters 3–5 centered on the positive side of the relation of the transcendent to human imagination, the beautiful, and the arts. Chapter 2 showed that Christian theology from early on frequently found itself on uneasy terms with the realm of imagination. Iconoclasm was the epitome of the effort to protect the transcendence of God and God's self-revelation from the dangers of human projection and “idolatry.” This chapter turns its attention to a “dialectical” consideration in which our concerns overlap those of a more properly “systematic” theology. It first examines the negative aspects of the relationship we have been exploring, and then attempts a theological understanding of the way in which feeling, art, and beauty may be transformed in the light of Christian revelation.Less
The concern in Chapters 3–5 centered on the positive side of the relation of the transcendent to human imagination, the beautiful, and the arts. Chapter 2 showed that Christian theology from early on frequently found itself on uneasy terms with the realm of imagination. Iconoclasm was the epitome of the effort to protect the transcendence of God and God's self-revelation from the dangers of human projection and “idolatry.” This chapter turns its attention to a “dialectical” consideration in which our concerns overlap those of a more properly “systematic” theology. It first examines the negative aspects of the relationship we have been exploring, and then attempts a theological understanding of the way in which feeling, art, and beauty may be transformed in the light of Christian revelation.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126228
- eISBN:
- 9780199853496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126228.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The previous chapter engaged in theological aesthetics in the first sense of the term: the epistemology of perception of the transcendent. This chapter pursues the second sense: theological ...
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The previous chapter engaged in theological aesthetics in the first sense of the term: the epistemology of perception of the transcendent. This chapter pursues the second sense: theological aesthetics as the consideration of beauty and of art in relation to the divine. It explores the connection of beauty with “natural theology.” It examines the possibility of seeing the beautiful as a “way” to God through a process parallel to the “transcendental” arguments of Rahner and Lonergan: God as the “condition of possibility” not only of thought and love, but also of the apprehension of beauty. The “proofs” for God are relevant to a theology of revelation because they attempt to discern its primary condition of possibility: the structure of mind insofar as it is implicitly capable of knowing infinite being and can hence assign meaning to the term God and can affirm, if not the reality, at least the debatability of its referent.Less
The previous chapter engaged in theological aesthetics in the first sense of the term: the epistemology of perception of the transcendent. This chapter pursues the second sense: theological aesthetics as the consideration of beauty and of art in relation to the divine. It explores the connection of beauty with “natural theology.” It examines the possibility of seeing the beautiful as a “way” to God through a process parallel to the “transcendental” arguments of Rahner and Lonergan: God as the “condition of possibility” not only of thought and love, but also of the apprehension of beauty. The “proofs” for God are relevant to a theology of revelation because they attempt to discern its primary condition of possibility: the structure of mind insofar as it is implicitly capable of knowing infinite being and can hence assign meaning to the term God and can affirm, if not the reality, at least the debatability of its referent.
James Voiss
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823228089
- eISBN:
- 9780823236954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823228089.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological project has often been juxtaposed to Karl Rahner's theological methodology and optimistic tenor. If Rahner was hopeful about the Catholic Church's engagement with ...
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Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological project has often been juxtaposed to Karl Rahner's theological methodology and optimistic tenor. If Rahner was hopeful about the Catholic Church's engagement with modernity and the progress of Vatican II, von Balthasar was highly critical of what he called the epic pretensions of the modern theological project. Von Balthasar's starting point in theological aesthetics is a markedly different starting point than Rahner's Transcendental Thomism. The two theologians, often at odds in their theological judgment of the other's work, continue to represent two competing visions of theological investigation today. This chapter offers a conciliatory reading of Rahner and von Balthasar and argues against the notion that Rahner lacks a theological aesthetic. In effect, it helps both to expose the somewhat artificial gap that exists between Rahner and von Balthasar's theology and to extend paths in which future Rahner scholarship might lead.Less
Hans Urs von Balthasar's theological project has often been juxtaposed to Karl Rahner's theological methodology and optimistic tenor. If Rahner was hopeful about the Catholic Church's engagement with modernity and the progress of Vatican II, von Balthasar was highly critical of what he called the epic pretensions of the modern theological project. Von Balthasar's starting point in theological aesthetics is a markedly different starting point than Rahner's Transcendental Thomism. The two theologians, often at odds in their theological judgment of the other's work, continue to represent two competing visions of theological investigation today. This chapter offers a conciliatory reading of Rahner and von Balthasar and argues against the notion that Rahner lacks a theological aesthetic. In effect, it helps both to expose the somewhat artificial gap that exists between Rahner and von Balthasar's theology and to extend paths in which future Rahner scholarship might lead.
CAROL HARRISON
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263425
- eISBN:
- 9780191682544
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263425.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, History of Christianity
On the one hand, the alliance of beauty and matter can be seen in a negative way: matter is subject to the mind; beauty in matter can be taken as an ultimate in itself, and can cause man to sin. On ...
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On the one hand, the alliance of beauty and matter can be seen in a negative way: matter is subject to the mind; beauty in matter can be taken as an ultimate in itself, and can cause man to sin. On the other hand, the fact that matter can incarnate and, so to speak, mediate ultimate beauty, makes their alliance a very positive thing. Both approaches are present in St Augustine's thought, and are held together in a somewhat paradoxical and problematic way. The first, negative approach to matter and beauty predominated in his early theory and is never totally lost in his later thought. The second, more positive approach, though present in the early works, becomes increasingly important as his theology, especially his theology of the Fall, develops. This work has focused on Augustine's theological analysis of the beautiful in the context of his exposition of Christian doctrine.Less
On the one hand, the alliance of beauty and matter can be seen in a negative way: matter is subject to the mind; beauty in matter can be taken as an ultimate in itself, and can cause man to sin. On the other hand, the fact that matter can incarnate and, so to speak, mediate ultimate beauty, makes their alliance a very positive thing. Both approaches are present in St Augustine's thought, and are held together in a somewhat paradoxical and problematic way. The first, negative approach to matter and beauty predominated in his early theory and is never totally lost in his later thought. The second, more positive approach, though present in the early works, becomes increasingly important as his theology, especially his theology of the Fall, develops. This work has focused on Augustine's theological analysis of the beautiful in the context of his exposition of Christian doctrine.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126228
- eISBN:
- 9780199853496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126228.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Schoenberg's Moses und Aron raises a wealth of interconnected problems for theological reflection. First there are questions regarding God and imagination: can God be imagined? Can God be thought? ...
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Schoenberg's Moses und Aron raises a wealth of interconnected problems for theological reflection. First there are questions regarding God and imagination: can God be imagined? Can God be thought? What is the relation between “idea,” “word,” and “image”? Between “feeling” and thinking? Second, there are questions regarding the nature of our relationship to God—that is, religion: How is God's transcendence reconciled with the human need for images and affect? Can human beings love a God who is truly transcendent? Third, there are issues that concern the place of art and beauty in our relation to God. Is God beautiful as well as sublime? Does God correspond to human longing? What is the place of the artist, the creator of images, in the representation of God's revelation? This chapter looks at the first two sets of questions, which belong to the realm of theological “aesthetics” in the Kantian sense: the theory of perception, imagination, and feeling with regard to God and revelation.Less
Schoenberg's Moses und Aron raises a wealth of interconnected problems for theological reflection. First there are questions regarding God and imagination: can God be imagined? Can God be thought? What is the relation between “idea,” “word,” and “image”? Between “feeling” and thinking? Second, there are questions regarding the nature of our relationship to God—that is, religion: How is God's transcendence reconciled with the human need for images and affect? Can human beings love a God who is truly transcendent? Third, there are issues that concern the place of art and beauty in our relation to God. Is God beautiful as well as sublime? Does God correspond to human longing? What is the place of the artist, the creator of images, in the representation of God's revelation? This chapter looks at the first two sets of questions, which belong to the realm of theological “aesthetics” in the Kantian sense: the theory of perception, imagination, and feeling with regard to God and revelation.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126228
- eISBN:
- 9780199853496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126228.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter begins by discussing the most basic epistemological presuppositions of a fundamental theology of the imagination that would respond to the questions raised in the preceding chapter. It ...
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This chapter begins by discussing the most basic epistemological presuppositions of a fundamental theology of the imagination that would respond to the questions raised in the preceding chapter. It utilizes a transcendental examination of the acting subject to provide the anthropological conditions of possibility for the knowledge of God and the reception of a divine revelation. It shows that among these conditions of “transcendent” knowledge are sensibility and the exercise of imagination. The chapter then constructs the outline of the first part of a “fundamental” theological aesthetics—that is, the discernment of the conditions of possibility for the communication and perception of revelation in sensible form. The central concern is to examine how words and images can be used to mediate the knowledge of God's self-revelation. This involves confronting two other more basic issues: how God is knowable to a mind intrinsically tied to sense perception, and how God can be revealed through human history.Less
This chapter begins by discussing the most basic epistemological presuppositions of a fundamental theology of the imagination that would respond to the questions raised in the preceding chapter. It utilizes a transcendental examination of the acting subject to provide the anthropological conditions of possibility for the knowledge of God and the reception of a divine revelation. It shows that among these conditions of “transcendent” knowledge are sensibility and the exercise of imagination. The chapter then constructs the outline of the first part of a “fundamental” theological aesthetics—that is, the discernment of the conditions of possibility for the communication and perception of revelation in sensible form. The central concern is to examine how words and images can be used to mediate the knowledge of God's self-revelation. This involves confronting two other more basic issues: how God is knowable to a mind intrinsically tied to sense perception, and how God can be revealed through human history.
Joshua Furnal
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198754671
- eISBN:
- 9780191816307
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198754671.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Chapter 4 examines the writings of de Lubac’s protégé, Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) to re-evaluate Balthasar’s critique of Kierkegaard’s view of anxiety and aesthetics. It argues that there is ...
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Chapter 4 examines the writings of de Lubac’s protégé, Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) to re-evaluate Balthasar’s critique of Kierkegaard’s view of anxiety and aesthetics. It argues that there is a particular Christological problem in Balthasar’s thematization of ‘distance’ in his theology of anxiety and beauty, which could be better addressed if Balthasar attended to Kierkegaard’s dialectical view of anxiety and aesthetics.Less
Chapter 4 examines the writings of de Lubac’s protégé, Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) to re-evaluate Balthasar’s critique of Kierkegaard’s view of anxiety and aesthetics. It argues that there is a particular Christological problem in Balthasar’s thematization of ‘distance’ in his theology of anxiety and beauty, which could be better addressed if Balthasar attended to Kierkegaard’s dialectical view of anxiety and aesthetics.
Mark R. Wynn
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- August 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198862949
- eISBN:
- 9780191895456
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198862949.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This chapter discusses another domain within which hybrid goods may be realized, again seeking to extend the range of such goods beyond what is envisaged in Aquinas’s account. This time, we examine ...
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This chapter discusses another domain within which hybrid goods may be realized, again seeking to extend the range of such goods beyond what is envisaged in Aquinas’s account. This time, we examine the contribution of bodily demeanour to the spiritual life, distinguishing the phenomenon that is of interest for us from behaviour that is theologically appropriate because morally efficacious. We also explore the idea that the hybrid goods that arise in this context have an aesthetic character. We consider the novelty of this proposal by introducing two other accounts of the aesthetic significance of the body for the spiritual life, here drawing on the work of Jeremy Begbie and George Pattison. The approach developed in this volume occupies a middle ground, by affirming that there are distinctively theological aesthetic goods, while at the same time retaining, and extending, conventional measures of aesthetic excellence.Less
This chapter discusses another domain within which hybrid goods may be realized, again seeking to extend the range of such goods beyond what is envisaged in Aquinas’s account. This time, we examine the contribution of bodily demeanour to the spiritual life, distinguishing the phenomenon that is of interest for us from behaviour that is theologically appropriate because morally efficacious. We also explore the idea that the hybrid goods that arise in this context have an aesthetic character. We consider the novelty of this proposal by introducing two other accounts of the aesthetic significance of the body for the spiritual life, here drawing on the work of Jeremy Begbie and George Pattison. The approach developed in this volume occupies a middle ground, by affirming that there are distinctively theological aesthetic goods, while at the same time retaining, and extending, conventional measures of aesthetic excellence.
Mark McInroy
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199689002
- eISBN:
- 9780191768095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199689002.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Religious Studies
This chapter advances the central claim of this study: Balthasar’s theological aesthetics calls for perception of the ‘form’ (Gestalt), and the form consists of both sensory and ‘supersensory’ ...
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This chapter advances the central claim of this study: Balthasar’s theological aesthetics calls for perception of the ‘form’ (Gestalt), and the form consists of both sensory and ‘supersensory’ aspects (i.e., a material component and a ‘spiritual’ dimension, species and lumen, forma and splendor). Therefore, some account of the way in which this human perception exceeds the material realm is absolutely essential to the success of Balthasar’s project. In other words, it is precisely because the form itself has both sensory and supersensory aspects that the perception of that form must be both sensory and supersensory. Balthasar’s theological aesthetics thus clamours for a doctrine of the spiritual senses; in fact, one could go so far as to claim that if such a doctrine did not already exist, then for purposes of his theological aesthetics Balthasar would need to invent it.Less
This chapter advances the central claim of this study: Balthasar’s theological aesthetics calls for perception of the ‘form’ (Gestalt), and the form consists of both sensory and ‘supersensory’ aspects (i.e., a material component and a ‘spiritual’ dimension, species and lumen, forma and splendor). Therefore, some account of the way in which this human perception exceeds the material realm is absolutely essential to the success of Balthasar’s project. In other words, it is precisely because the form itself has both sensory and supersensory aspects that the perception of that form must be both sensory and supersensory. Balthasar’s theological aesthetics thus clamours for a doctrine of the spiritual senses; in fact, one could go so far as to claim that if such a doctrine did not already exist, then for purposes of his theological aesthetics Balthasar would need to invent it.
Mark McInroy
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199689002
- eISBN:
- 9780191768095
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199689002.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Religious Studies
In this study, Mark McInroy argues that the ‘spiritual senses’ play a crucial yet previously unappreciated role in the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar. The doctrine of the spiritual ...
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In this study, Mark McInroy argues that the ‘spiritual senses’ play a crucial yet previously unappreciated role in the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar. The doctrine of the spiritual senses typically claims that human beings can be made capable of perceiving non-corporeal, ‘spiritual’ realities. After a lengthy period of disuse, Balthasar recovers the doctrine in the mid-twentieth century and articulates it afresh in his theological aesthetics. At the heart of this project stands the task of perceiving the absolute beauty of the divine form through which God is revealed to human beings. Although extensive scholarly attention has focused on Balthasar’s understanding of revelation, beauty, and form, what remains curiously under-studied is his model of the perceptual faculties through which one beholds the form that God reveals. McInroy claims that Balthasar draws upon the tradition of the spiritual senses in order to develop the means through which one perceives the ‘splendour’ of divine revelation. McInroy further argues that, in playing this role, the spiritual senses function as an indispensable component of Balthasar’s unique, aesthetic resolution to the high-profile debates in modern Catholic theology between Neo-Scholastic theologians and their opponents. As a third option between Neo-Scholastic ‘extrinsicism’, which arguably insists on the authority of revelation to the point of disaffecting the human being, and ‘immanentism’, which reduces God’s revelation to human categories in the name of relevance, McInroy proposes that Balthasar’s model of spiritual perception allows one to be both delighted and astounded by the glory of God’s revelation.Less
In this study, Mark McInroy argues that the ‘spiritual senses’ play a crucial yet previously unappreciated role in the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar. The doctrine of the spiritual senses typically claims that human beings can be made capable of perceiving non-corporeal, ‘spiritual’ realities. After a lengthy period of disuse, Balthasar recovers the doctrine in the mid-twentieth century and articulates it afresh in his theological aesthetics. At the heart of this project stands the task of perceiving the absolute beauty of the divine form through which God is revealed to human beings. Although extensive scholarly attention has focused on Balthasar’s understanding of revelation, beauty, and form, what remains curiously under-studied is his model of the perceptual faculties through which one beholds the form that God reveals. McInroy claims that Balthasar draws upon the tradition of the spiritual senses in order to develop the means through which one perceives the ‘splendour’ of divine revelation. McInroy further argues that, in playing this role, the spiritual senses function as an indispensable component of Balthasar’s unique, aesthetic resolution to the high-profile debates in modern Catholic theology between Neo-Scholastic theologians and their opponents. As a third option between Neo-Scholastic ‘extrinsicism’, which arguably insists on the authority of revelation to the point of disaffecting the human being, and ‘immanentism’, which reduces God’s revelation to human categories in the name of relevance, McInroy proposes that Balthasar’s model of spiritual perception allows one to be both delighted and astounded by the glory of God’s revelation.
Mark McInroy
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199689002
- eISBN:
- 9780191768095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199689002.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Religious Studies
This chapter explores the far-reaching implications of the claim made in Chapter 5 by looking at Balthasar’s engagement with the pressing theological issues of his day. It demonstrates that many of ...
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This chapter explores the far-reaching implications of the claim made in Chapter 5 by looking at Balthasar’s engagement with the pressing theological issues of his day. It demonstrates that many of Balthasar’s critiques of Neo-Scholasticism, Catholic Modernism, Rahner, and Barth all actually have, at their core, his version of the spiritual senses. By examining topics such as the nature of faith, natural theology, apologetics, aesthetic experience, and the relationship between nature and grace, we shall see that the spiritual senses comprise an integral component of the Balthasarian solution to the problems encountered in these debates. Therefore, the treatment of the spiritual senses in this chapter offers ways of advancing theological discussion, not only for Balthasar scholarship, but, more broadly, for a recurrent set of challenges presented to modern theology.Less
This chapter explores the far-reaching implications of the claim made in Chapter 5 by looking at Balthasar’s engagement with the pressing theological issues of his day. It demonstrates that many of Balthasar’s critiques of Neo-Scholasticism, Catholic Modernism, Rahner, and Barth all actually have, at their core, his version of the spiritual senses. By examining topics such as the nature of faith, natural theology, apologetics, aesthetic experience, and the relationship between nature and grace, we shall see that the spiritual senses comprise an integral component of the Balthasarian solution to the problems encountered in these debates. Therefore, the treatment of the spiritual senses in this chapter offers ways of advancing theological discussion, not only for Balthasar scholarship, but, more broadly, for a recurrent set of challenges presented to modern theology.
Richard Viladesau
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- December 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190876005
- eISBN:
- 9780190905132
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190876005.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This work surveys the ways in which theologians, artists, and composers of the early modern period dealt with the passion and death of Christ. The fourth volume in a series, it locates the theology ...
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This work surveys the ways in which theologians, artists, and composers of the early modern period dealt with the passion and death of Christ. The fourth volume in a series, it locates the theology of the cross in the context of modern thought, beginning with the Enlightenment, which challenged traditional Christian notions of salvation and of Christ himself. It shows how new models of salvation were proposed by liberal theology, replacing the older “satisfaction” model with theories of Christ as bringer of God’s spirit and as social revolutionary. It shows how the arts during this period both preserved the classical tradition and responded to innovations in theology and in style.Less
This work surveys the ways in which theologians, artists, and composers of the early modern period dealt with the passion and death of Christ. The fourth volume in a series, it locates the theology of the cross in the context of modern thought, beginning with the Enlightenment, which challenged traditional Christian notions of salvation and of Christ himself. It shows how new models of salvation were proposed by liberal theology, replacing the older “satisfaction” model with theories of Christ as bringer of God’s spirit and as social revolutionary. It shows how the arts during this period both preserved the classical tradition and responded to innovations in theology and in style.