Hans Urs von Balthasar

After mulling over chapter 6 from Balthasar's book Love Alone is Credible for almost two days, I think I finally have a faint idea of what Balthasar is getting at. From a casual reading of the chapter, it seems like any chapter extolling the love of Christ and His obedience to the Father for dying on the cross. But once I dug deeper into Bathasar's lifetime work on aesthetic theology (or theological aesthetic), I begin to see that he is trying to establish a theology in light of the beauty of God. It is not a theology of aesthetic where one tries to understand the nature of God in beauty. Instead, Bathasar's work is thoroughly theological and his goal is to integrate the beauty in our apologetics and understanding of God so others may be drawn to Him. We are to see the beauty of the Lord in all of life. He notes that "beauty catches men off guard. Men are powerless against it. It enraptures them" (Pearson, 2008). For Balthasar, beauty is the way to correctly interpret God's love, not through historical or scientific approaches.

The book Love Alone is Credible combines the theme of beauty in theology and divine love together. The Absolute Love of God, the beauty of God's love is indeed credible. But credible for what? For our salvation, for our understanding of God, our devotion to Him, for everything!

Hence in the first part of Chapter 6 of the book, Love as Revelation, Balthasar focuses on the love of Christ, his self-surrender for His friends, for the many, for all. His love for us on the cross is not coerced, blindly following God's command, but is due to an obedience for God born out of love. The love is also a trinitarian love from God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, as this love is poured into our hearts.

In the second part of this chapter, Balthasar focuses further on love as the motivating factor for Christ death on the cross. Whereas other theologians may emphasize on the judgment of God, the spiritual transaction between heaven and hell, and the propitiation of God through Christ death, (and these are all important!!), Balthasar focuses on the "fiery abyss of divine love". He points out that the covenants of the Old Testament can be easily withdrawn, by man or by God. But Christ's death signifies that even though God can reject humanity, in the end, he will save us, because of His infinite and absolute love.

Balthasar then moves on to caution us that it is natural for man to abuse this kind of love, but once we truly consider the infinite love of God, this love awakens fear in us. We are entrusted with a hope, so our love may soar, and we will hope for the salvation of all men.

Aesthetic theology is thus a theology grounded in God's beauty especially manifested in Christ's love. It is a love that is credible, a love that is potent, a love that can save us, a love that will motivate us to love the world.

Reference:

urs Von Balthasar, Hans. (2008). Love Alone is Credible. Cambridge:Eerdmans.

Pearson, Chris. (March 19, 2008). Von Balthasar, an Aesthetic Theologian.