Review of von Balthasar's "Credo" | Carl E. Olson

Here is a short review of Credo: Meditations on the Apostles’ Creed by Hans Ur von Balthasar (read excerpt from the book here, posted today on IgnatiusInsight.com) that I wrote for This Rock magazine a few years ago:

Ignatius Press (San Francisco, 2000). Trans. by David Kipp. 105 pages.

The Swiss priest, spiritual director, and scholar Hans Ur von Balthasar (1905-1988) was one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century. The author of over a thousand books and articles, Balthasar was described by his good friend Henri de Lubac as "perhaps the most cultured man of our time," a deeply spiritual man whose breadth of knowledge in the fields of theology, philosophy, patristics, literature, music, and spirituality was nearly unparalleled. In addition to his many writings, Balthasar founded a secular community, the Community of St. John, and the theological journal Communio. The intention of his lifelong work, according to Aidan Nichols, was to "combine the mind of St Thomas with the heart of St Augustine, all in the spirit of St Ignatius Loyola, that burning obedience––at once interior and missionary––to the Word of God." ("An Introduction to Balthasar" ). Balthasar described his theology as a "kneeling theology" which was rooted as much in an obvious humility as it was in powerful intellect.

Fortunately for English readers, Ignatius Press has been translating and publishing Balthasar’s work for many years now. However, many of Balthasar’s thick volumes are intimidating to the average reader, filled with daunting terms and phrases and references to authors and books beyond the scope of non-specialists. But in Credo, a series of meditations on the twelve "articles" of the Apostles’ Creed, the reader will enjoy both access to Balthasar’s thought and a perfect introduction to the major themes of his theological vision. There is little doubt that this slim volume contains the last writings of Balthasar and therefore, because of its focus on the "symbol of faith," forms a fitting conclusion to his life work.

In these meditations Balthasar draws almost exclusively from Scripture. Like the Church Fathers whose works he knows so well, Balthasar uses Scripture in an organic manner, citing Biblical words and phrases freely throughout the text, forming a contemplative tapestry of commentary. He begins by emphasizing that the Apostles’ Creed, while traditionally divided in twelve, is more importantly divided into three questions: "Do you believe in the God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit?" (p. 29) One of the major themes of this book and his larger corpus is the centrality of the Trinity, as doctrine and reality: "Only with a constant view to this ground of unity, which discloses itself to us, too, is there any sense in unraveling the Christian creed." (p. 29) The Mystery of God is not a static dogma, but a "flowing wellspring" and "the pure act of self-pouring-forth." (p. 30)

Unless we recognize that the three Persons of the Trinity are continually surrendering themselves one to the other in perfect love, we cannot properly approach the Incarnation or live the Christian life. This basic truth is, sadly, often ignored in homilies, in catechesis, and perhaps especially in apologetics and evangelization. How often are Catholics accused of practicing a repetitive and lifeless religion when in actuality the Catholic faith is intensely personal and life-giving? As Balthasar writes, "[Jesus] wants something more: that we receive his forgiveness through confession and that we nourish ourselves on him eucharistically. . . . He wants us, the problematical creatures, to gain entry, having become in him ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ into the inward life of divine love." (p. 41)

One of the many pleasures in reading Balthasar is that he enjoys the art of apologetics and never considers himself above the fray. His short section on the phrase "Born of the Virgin Mary" is a masterpiece of apologetic incisiveness. Addressing the contention that Mary was a virgin only until the birth of Christ, he writes: "And how typical of our age of minimalistic faith is the conceding of a virginal conception while dispensing the believer from having to accept a virginal birth. As if the second would not be as easy for God to bring about as the first." (p. 48) Later, he takes on the popular liberal belief that Jesus knew nothing of his approaching death, again masterfully weaving together Scripture and logic. The entire mission of the Son, Balthasar stresses, was oriented towards the Cross, where perfect love and self-gift were realized.

At the end of his life Balthasar was to be made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, but he passed away just two days prior. Cardinal Ratzinger later wrote that "what the pope wanted to express by this gesture of recognition and even of respect remains justified: not in some isolated and private fashion but in virtue of her ministerial responsibility the Church tells us that he is an exact master of the faith, a guide towards the sources of living waters––a witness of the Word from whom we learn Christ, from whom we can learn life." (quoted by Nichols, "An Introduction to Balthasar" ) In Credo we find a sublime expression of faith given by this great witness of the Word.

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