The Poem as Sacrament: The Theological Aesthetic of Gerard Manley Hopkins

Through a study of the writings and intellectual development of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dr. Philip Ballinger demonstrates why poetry is, as Hans Urs von Balthasar stated, the absolutely appropriate theological language . While circling Hopkins’ visions of the nature of sensual experience, intuitive cognition, and the function of language, Ballinger focuses upon the sacramental intention of the Victorian Jesuit’s poetry. Underlying Hopkins’ poetry is a vision of reality as divinely revelatory or ‘self-expressive’. For Hopkins, this revelatory character of creation is determined by the incarnation, and beauty, in fact, is a word for ‘Christic self-expressiveness’. Ballinger’s work is not only an introduction and primer to the subtle thought and poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins; it is also a well-crafted invitation to reassess the value of the senses, the power of language, and the centrality of beauty for the life of faith. Born in Bordeaux, France and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Philip Ballinger brings variety of experiences to his theological reflection. After undergraduate studies in Washington and Kentucky in both philosophy and history, he continued his education with extensive graduate theological studies at the Catholic University of Louvain. A doctor of theology, he is now Dean of Admission and a lecturer in Doctoral Studies at Gonzaga University.