Hans Urs Von Balthasar: Introduction and Sourcebook

Hans Urs von Balthasar’s work has had an increasingly significant imapact on theology of 20th century.

This anthology of Balthasar’s writings seeks to encourage readers to take the tour of the ‘Balthasarian Cathedral’ by employing an architectural metaphor, which is based on Balthasar’s own depiction of his thinking. The cathedral trope enables readers to locate and engage his works and key themes without losing a sense of the whole. It also provides a blueprint for the structure of Balthasar’s thought as a tool to position his writings in order to grasp the breadth and depth of his thinking. So, while the anthology only serves as an introduction by laying out the cathedral floor plan, glancing momentarily at several prominent features, and suggesting extended tours and excursions that require more time and contemplation, it is hoped that patrons will turn these into longer, more sustained gazes of Balthasar’s theology. This is enhanced by the inclusion of original source texts and summaries of key ideas, designed to engage with the reader as they survey Balthasar’s work. Perhaps, then, the seeds of this anthology will bear the fruit of sustained, critical engagement at a depth indicative of the man himself. Welcome to the tour!