The Systematic Thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar: An Irenaean Retrieval

by Kevin Mongrain

Is there a single driving force unifying the diverse writings of Hans Urs von Balthasar? Kevin Mongrain points to von Balthasar’s retrieval of Irenaeus of Lyons. In Irenaeus, von Balthasar found inspiration for a genuinely Christian theology that resists the recurring danger of gnosticism while honoring the Mystery of God.

Genres: Theology

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not realize how much of Balthasar’s theology influenced me. I’ve never actually read Balthasar himself, but his retrieval of the church fathers, sacramental ontology, Christological hermeneutics, and his disdain for Gnosticism are all ideas that influence much of my theology. His desire to reestablish prayer and the mystical life at the heart of theological studies is a refreshing pushback against Neo-Scholasticism (though I’m still a huge fan of Thomism).

Kevin Mongrain’s overview of Balthasar’s theology is helpful, readable, and encouraging. He traces Balthasar’s thought through both Balthasar’s Theo-Drama and The Glory of the Lord series. Balthasar’s theology is much needed in the Evangelical circles I grew up in (which can be gnostic or “heady”). I see much of Balthasar in Milbank, Hart, Coakley, and the Radical Orthodoxy groupie, even James K.A. Smith.

I’m still not completely sold when it comes to theological aesthetics. I sometimes think it’s a little too bougie of a project to reestablish beauty at the center of Christian belief. My hesitancy about theological aesthetics stems from Shusaku Endo’s attitude about how the Christian preoccupation with beauty can include negating the cross, the poor, and the forgotten. Mongrain addresses this dilemma briefly in the book, but I still wasn’t sure how Balthasar works this out, so I’ll probably have to read Balthasar himself to grasp what he means by this.