Art and Metaphysics in the Theological Aesthetics of Han

367 Pages·2016·4.58 MB·English

Broken
 Open
 by
 Beauty:

Art
 and
 Metaphysics
 in
 the
 Theological
 Aesthetics
 of
 Hans
 Urs
 von
 Balthasar

by

Brett
 David
 Potter

A
 Thesis
 submitted
 to

the
 University
 of
 St.
 Michael’s
 College

and
 the
 Theological
 Department
 of
 the
 Toronto
 School
 of
 Theology

in
 partial
 fulfilment
 of
 the
 requirements

for
 the
 degree
 of
 Doctor
 of
 Philosophy
 in
 Theology

awarded
 by
 the
 University
 of
 St.
 Michael’s
 College

 ©
 Copyright
 by
 Brett
 David
 Potter
 2016
Broken
 Open
 by
 Beauty:

Art
 and
 Metaphysics
 in
 the
 Theological
 Aesthetics
 of
 Hans
 Urs
 von
 Balthasar

Brett
 David
 Potter

Doctor
 of
 Philosophy
 in
 Theology

University
 of
 St.
 Michael’s
 College

2016

Abstract

The
 work
 of
 the
 influential
 Jesuit
 theologian
 Hans
 Urs
 von
 Balthasar
 (1905-­‐1988)
 has

become
 a
 common
 point
 of
 reference
 in
 discussing
 the
 relationship
 of
 theology
 and
 the

arts.
 However,
 the
 full
 significance
 of
 his
 theological
 aesthetics
 for
 both
 the
 emerging

field
 of
 theology
 and
 the
 arts,
 as
 well
 as
 for
 interdisciplinary
 conversation
 with

contemporary
 art
 and
 theory,
 remains
 to
 be
 unfolded.
 Indeed,
 his
 continued
 relevance

to
 theological
 aesthetics
 has
 been
 called
 into
 question
 from
 a
 number
 of
 angles.
 Taking

heed
 of
 such
 criticisms
 while
 ultimately
 moving
 beyond
 them,
 this
 project
 contends
 that

Balthasar’s
 theo-­‐aesthetics,
 when
 taken
 together
 with
 his
 theological
 dramatics
 and

theo-­‐logic,
 yield
 a
 theologically
 informed
 phenomenology
 of
 the
 work
 of
 art
 with
 rich

implications
 for
 postmodern
 and
 contemporary
 theologies
 of
 art.
 This

phenomenological
 approach
 is
 consonant
 with
 Balthasar’s
 controlling
 analogy
 (“seeing

the
 form”)
 between
 Christ
 (as
 supreme
 “form”)
 and
 the
 work
 of
 art.
 As
 is
 demonstrated,

Balthasar’s
 nascent
 phenomenology
 of
 art
 is
 best
 seen
 in
 the
 light
 of
 Martin
 Heidegger’s

fundamental
 questioning
 of
 the
 “origin”
 of
 the
 work
 of
 art,
 a
 question
 which
 Balthasar

answers
 ontologically
 and
 ultimately
 christologically
 through
 his
 concept
 of
 “form.”
 In

investigating
 the
 nature
 and
 disclosure
 of
 Being
 through
 art;
 Balthasar’s
 theological
 re-­‐
ii
reading
 of
 Heidegger;
 the
 dramatic
 relation
 of
 all
 forms
 to
 Christ;
 and
 his

phenomenology
 of
 truth,
 Balthasar’s
 philosophical
 and
 theological
 insights
 into
 the

nature
 of
 art
 are
 presented
 as
 a
 resource
 for
 a
 constructive
 theology
 of
 art
 which

“springs”
 from
 the
 depths
 of
 his
 theological
 aesthetics.

iii
Acknowledgements

This
 project
 is
 the
 culmination
 of
 a
 journey
 of
 research
 and
 writing
 which
 I
 now
 realize

will
 only
 lead
 to
 more
 roads
 to
 travel.
 I
 would
 first
 like
 to
 acknowledge
 with
 thanks
 the

generous
 funding
 provided
 by
 the
 Social
 Sciences
 and
 Humanities
 Research
 Council

(SSHRC)
 of
 Canada,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 Ontario
 Graduate
 Scholarship
 program.
 Without
 this

support
 my
 doctoral
 studies
 would
 have
 been
 impossible.

A
 note
 of
 thanks
 goes
 to
 my
 committee,
 including
 my
 supervisor
 Rebekah
 Smick
 of
 the

Institute
 for
 Christian
 Studies,
 whose
 comments
 on
 matters
 vocational
 and
 philosophical

have
 always
 proved
 insightful.
 Thanks
 as
 well
 to
 Gill
 Goulding
 and
 John
 Dadosky
 of
 Regis

College
 whose
 work
 on
 beauty,
 theology,
 and
 culture
 continues
 to
 challenge
 and
 inspire.

I
 am
 grateful
 to
 the
 Faculty
 of
 Theology
 at
 the
 University
 of
 St.
 Michael’s
 College
 for
 the

opportunity
 to
 teach
 during
 my
 studies,
 and
 in
 this
 regard
 am
 indebted
 to
 Dennis

O’Hara
 for
 his
 excellent
 mentorship
 in
 the
 area
 of
 effective
 and
 meaningful
 teaching.
 I

am
 also
 grateful
 for
 scholarship
 and
 bursary
 funding
 from
 the
 Faculty
 of
 Theology
 at
 St.

Michael’s,
 including
 an
 award
 in
 honour
 of
 Sister
 Anne
 Anderson
 whose
 name
 I
 hope
 to

honour
 in
 my
 theological
 pursuits.
 Within
 the
 Faculty
 of
 Theology,
 a
 special
 thanks
 to

Lee
 Cormie,
 John
 McLaughlin,
 Mario
 D’Souza,
 and
 Emil
 Iruthayas
 for
 their
 warm

encouragement.

A
 great
 thanks
 to
 Dennis
 Ngien,
 whose
 mentorship
 and
 warmth
 have
 been
 invaluable
 as

I
 have
 completed
 my
 studies.
 Dr.
 Ngien
 has
 opened
 up
 many
 opportunities
 for
 me
 to

teach
 theology
 at
 Tyndale
 Seminary,
 as
 well
 as
 to
 learn
 from
 him
 about
 investing
 deeply

in
 the
 lives
 of
 students
 and
 scholarly
 rigour.
 Additional
 thanks
 to
 Jim
 Beverley,
 John

Franklin,
 Arnold
 Neufeldt-­‐Fast,
 Ivan
 Khan,
 Tom
 Reynolds,
 and
 Michael
 Stoeber.

During
 my
 time
 at
 the
 Toronto
 School
 of
 Theology,
 I
 have
 split
 my
 time
 between

teaching
 at
 a
 number
 of
 schools
 all
 around
 Ontario
 –
 in
 the
 School
 of
 Religion
 at

Queen’s
 University
 in
 Kingston;
 in
 the
 Faculty
 of
 Humanities
 at
 Sheridan
 College
 in

Oakville;
 at
 Tyndale
 Seminary
 in
 North
 York;
 and
 most
 recently
 at
 the
 Institute
 for

Christian
 Studies
 in
 Toronto.
 Whether
 Catholic,
 evangelical,
 mainline
 Protestant,
 or

none
 of
 the
 above,
 my
 students
 and
 colleagues
 at
 these
 institutions
 have
 deeply

enriched
 my
 own
 study
 of
 theology
 and
 helped
 me
 consider
 how
 my
 research
 can
 be
 of

use
 to
 church,
 academy,
 and
 culture.

Thanks
 to
 friends
 and
 family
 for
 their
 encouragement.
 Most
 of
 all,
 however,
 I
 am

grateful
 to
 my
 wife
 Andrea
 whose
 beauty,
 truth,
 and
 goodness
 has
 been
 a
 constant

source
 of
 strength
 and
 encouragement
 to
 me.
 It
 is
 her
 dedication,
 passion,
 and
 hard-­‐
earned
 wisdom
 which
 has
 inspired
 me
 to
 persevere
 in
 pursuing
 a
 generous
 and
 credible

theology.
 Together
 with
 our
 two
 delightfully
 creative
 children,
 who
 are
 also
 my

cheerleaders,
 we
 are
 trying
 our
 best
 to
 find
 a
 life
 full
 of
 beauty
 and
 shalom.

iv
TABLE
 OF
 CONTENTS

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Table
 of
 Contents

Introduction
 .................................................................................................................
 1

Goals
 ...............................................................................................................................
 5

The
 State
 of
 the
 Question

 ..............................................................................................
 7

Scope
 and
 Content

 ......................................................................................................
 14

I:
 Context
 ...................................................................................................................
 21

Theology
 and
 the
 Artworld:
 Aesthetics
 and
 Anti-­‐Aesthetics
 ........................................
 22

Contemporary
 Theological
 Aesthetics

 .........................................................................
 30

Finding
 a
 Place
 for
 Balthasar
 in
 Contemporary
 Theological
 Aesthetics

 ......................
 36

Richard
 Viladesau

 ........................................................................................................
 48

William
 Dyrness

 ...........................................................................................................
 53

A
 Reformed
 critique

 ....................................................................................................
 55

Balthasar
 and
 the
 Contemporary
 Situation

 .................................................................
 61

Balthasar
 and
 Enchantment

 ........................................................................................
 63

Conclusion

 ...................................................................................................................
 66

II:
 Miracle
 ..................................................................................................................
 68

The
 Uniqueness
 of
 the
 Work
 of
 Art
 ..............................................................................
 68

Toward
 a
 Balthasarian
 Phenomenology
 of
 Art
 .............................................................
 73

Beauty
 ...........................................................................................................................
 78

Karl
 Barth
 and
 the
 Beauty
 of
 the
 Cross
 ........................................................................
 88

Balthasar
 as
 Phenomenologist
 .....................................................................................
 91

Balthasar
 and
 Kant
 .......................................................................................................
 93

Balthasar
 and
 Twentieth-­‐Century
 Phenomenology
 .....................................................
 97

Theological
 Aesthetics
 as
 Theological
 Phenomenology
 .............................................
 100

Ethical
 Implications
 .....................................................................................................
 109

Artists
 and
 Saints
 ........................................................................................................
 112

III:
 Being
 ..................................................................................................................
 118

G.W.F
 Hegel
 ................................................................................................................
 121

Arthur
 Danto...............................................................................................................
 126

Balthasar’s
 Genealogy
 of
 Art
 ......................................................................................
 130

v
Balthasar’s
 Reading
 of
 Classical
 Aesthetics
 ................................................................
 132

On
 Wonder
 .................................................................................................................
 134

The
 Analogy
 of
 Being
 ..................................................................................................
 138

Wonder
 and
 Christology
 .............................................................................................
 148

Metaphysics
 and
 Art
 ...................................................................................................
 149

Meister
 Eckhart
 ..........................................................................................................
 153

Theological
 Anthropology
 ..........................................................................................
 155

The
 Holy
 Fool
 ..............................................................................................................
 157

Conclusion
 ..................................................................................................................
 160

IV:
 The
 Fugitive
 Gods:
 Balthasar
 and
 Heidegger
 .......................................................
 165

Revisiting
 Art’s
 “Origin”
 ..............................................................................................
 169

The
 early
 Heidegger
 ....................................................................................................
 171

The
 later
 Heidegger
 –
 “The
 Origin
 of
 the
 Work
 of
 Art”
 (1935)
 …………………..
 .............
 180

The
 holy
 in
 the
 Kehre
 ..................................................................................................
 186

Phenomenology
 and
 Theology
 ...................................................................................
 188

New
 Horizons
 .............................................................................................................
 200

Opening
 ......................................................................................................................
 202

Balthasar
 on
 Heidegger
 ..............................................................................................
 203

Gelassenheit
 ...............................................................................................................
 206

Comparison
 ................................................................................................................
 209

Balthasar,
 Heidegger,
 and
 Postmetaphysical
 Theological
 Aesthetics
 ........................
 218

V:
 Art
 as
 Sensuous
 Presence
 ....................................................................................
 227

Phenomenology
 and
 the
 Body
 ...................................................................................
 229

Form
 and
 Aisthesis…………………………………………………………………………………….
 .............
 231

Sensuous
 Knowledge
 and
 Epiphany
 ...........................................................................
 236

Balthasar
 and
 Merleau-­‐Ponty
 .....................................................................................
 238

The
 Sensorium
 ............................................................................................................
 240

Senses
 and
 Revelation
 ................................................................................................
 245

The
 Spiritual
 Senses
 ....................................................................................................
 246

The
 Event
 of
 the
 Beautiful
 ..........................................................................................
 251

Secular
 Transcendence
 ...............................................................................................
 257

Flesh
 ...........................................................................................................................
 258

Theological
 Anaesthesis
 .............................................................................................
 259

Art
 and
 Death
 .............................................................................................................
 264

Postmodern
 Trajectories
 ............................................................................................
 268

Theological
 Implications
 .............................................................................................
 271

vi
VI:
 The
 Work
 of
 Art
 in
 the
 Age
 of
 Theo-­‐Drama
 .........................................................
 274

Walter
 Benjamin
 .........................................................................................................
 274

Balthasar
 and
 Theology
 of
 Culture
 .............................................................................
 285

Hypostatic
 Union
 ........................................................................................................
 291

Universalization
 ..........................................................................................................
 295

Universalism
 and
 Plurality
 ..........................................................................................
 298

Theology
 of
 Culture
 and
 Universalism
 ........................................................................
 301

Conclusion
 ..................................................................................................................
 308

VII:
 Art
 and
 Truth
 .....................................................................................................
 311

Theo-­‐Logic
 and
 Phenomenology
 ................................................................................
 315

Theological
 Aesthetics
 as
 a
 Way
 of
 Knowing
 ..............................................................
 318

What
 is
 Truth?
 ............................................................................................................
 320

Truth
 and
 the
 Sensorium
 ............................................................................................
 324

Truth
 and
 Phenomenality
 ...........................................................................................
 332

Conclusion
 ..................................................................................................................
 335

Conclusion
 ...............................................................................................................
 337

Bibliography
 ............................................................................................................
 349

vii
Introduction

There
 is
 no
 question
 that
 the
 Swiss
 Catholic
 theologian
 Hans
 Urs
 von
 Balthasar
 (1905—
1988)
 has
 become
 a
 common
 point
 of
 reference
 in
 the
 emerging
 field
 of
 theology
 and

the
 arts.
 This
 is
 largely
 due
 to
 the
 increasing
 influence
 of
 his
 major
 work
 Herrlichkeit

(translated
 into
 English
 as
 The
 Glory
 of
 the
 Lord),
 a
 seven-­‐volume
 exposition
 of

theological
 aesthetics
 often
 credited
 alongside
 the
 work
 of
 Karl
 Barth
 for
 reintroducing

the
 concept
 of
 beauty
 into
 contemporary
 theological
 discourse.1
 Much
 more
 so
 than

any
 of
 the
 Protestant
 theologians
 of
 his
 era
 writing
 at
 the
 intersection
 of
 art
 and

theology
 (Paul
 Tillich,
 Amos
 Wilder,
 Gerardus
 van
 der
 Leeuw)
 and
 arguably
 to
 a
 greater

extent
 than
 his
 famous
 Catholic
 contemporaries
 (Jacques
 Maritain,
 Étienne
 Gilson),

Balthasar
 has
 emerged
 as
 a
 necessary
 touchstone
 for
 subsequent
 theological

engagements
 with
 art
 and
 beauty,
 particularly
 his
 famous
 account
 of
 the
 loss
 of

transcendent
 Beauty
 in
 modernity.2
 Some
 contemporary
 theologians
 have
 gravitated

towards
 Balthasar’s
 insights
 but
 have
 sought
 to
 supplement
 them
 with
 a
 more

  1
 Hans
 Urs
 von
 Balthasar,
 Herrlichkeit:
 eine
 theologische
 Ästhetik,
 5
 vols.

(Einsiedeln:Johannes
 Verlag,
 1961–1965)
 English
 translation
 The
 Glory
 of
 the
 Lord,
 trans.

Erasmo
 Leiva-­‐Merikakis,
 Oliver
 Davies,
 et
 al,
 7
 vols.
 (San
 Francisco:
 Ignatius
 Press,
 1982).

  2
 The
 key
 texts
 here
 are
 Jacques
 Maritain,
 Art
 and
 Scholasticism,
 trans.
 J.
 F.

Scanlan
 (New
 York:
 Charles
 Scribner’s
 Sons,
 1954);
 Creative
 Intuition
 in
 Art
 and
 Poetry

(Cleveland/New
 York:
 World
 Publishing
 Co.,
 1954);
 and
 Étienne
 Gilson,
 Painting
 and

reality
 (New
 York:
 Meridian
 Books,
 1959).
 On
 Rahner’s
 implicit
 theology
 of
 art,
 see
 Gesa

Elsbeth
 Thiessen,
 “Karl
 Rahner:
 toward
 a
 theological
 aesthetics,”
 in
 The
 Cambridge

Companion
 to
 Karl
 Rahner,
 ed.
 Declan
 Marmion
 and
 Mary
 E.
 Hines
 (New
 York:

Cambridge
 University
 Press,
 2005).
 The
 question
 of
 whether
 Balthasar’s
 sometime
 rival

Karl
 Rahner
 yields
 a
 theological
 aesthetics
 without
 terming
 it
 as
 such
 is
 decisively

investigated
 in
 Peter
 Fritz,
 Karl
 Rahner’s
 Theological
 Aesthetics
 (Washington:
 Catholic

University
 of
 America
 Press,
 2014).

1
2

fundamental
 theological
 or
 philosophical
 method,
 such
 as
 John
 Dadosky
 (employing
 the

thought
 of
 Bernard
 Lonergan)
 or
 the
 late
 Alejandro
 García-­‐Rivera
 (turning
 to
 the

pragmatic
 philosophy
 of
 Charles
 Peirce).3
 Others
 have
 roundly
 criticized
 Balthasar
 for

being
 too
 hierarchical
 in
 his
 ecclesiology,
 too
 heterodox
 in
 his
 Trinitarian
 theology,
 too

“unsystematic”
 in
 his
 method,
 and/or
 too
 conservative
 on
 a
 number
 of
 social
 issues.4

Still
 others
 have
 found
 in
 his
 theology
 a
 compelling
 case
 for
 an
 integrative,
 even

symphonic
 vision
 of
 Christian
 theology
 centred
 on
 Trinitarian
 disclosure
 and
 the
 radiant

form
 of
 Christ.
 His
 influence
 continues
 to
 grow
 both
 in
 Catholic
 theology
 and
 within
 the

vibrant
 ecumenical
 discourse
 surrounding
 theology
 and
 the
 arts,
 both
 for
 his
 openness

to
 beauty,
 art,
 poetry,
 and
 literature
 and
 for
 the
 compelling
 analogy
 he
 draws
 between

“seeing
 the
 form”
 of
 Christ
 and
 our
 experience
 of
 a
 masterful
 work
 of
 art.
 Davide
 Zordan

and
 Stefanie
 Knauss
 sum
 up
 Balthasar’s
 contribution
 to
 subsequent
 theological

aesthetics
 succinctly:
 by
 combining
 “foundational
 theology”
 (“how
 God’s
 revelation
 can

be
 perceived
 and
 received
 by
 human
 beings”)
 and
 “a
 dogmatic
 theme”
 (“the
 doctrine
 of

participation
 in
 the
 divine
 life”),
 Balthasar,
 with
 his
 analogical
 approach,
 has
 exerted
 “a

decisive
 influence
 on
 the
 development
 of
 theology
 and
 in
 particular
 aesthetic
 theology”

which
 far
 surpasses
 the
 contributions
 of
 more
 straightforward
 theologians
 of
 art
 such
 as

  3
 See
 John
 D.
 Dadosky,
 “Philosophy
 for
 a
 theology
 of
 beauty,”
 Philosophy
 &

Theology
 19:1-­‐2
 (2007):
 7-­‐34;
 another
 example
 of
 this
 is
 Edward
 Farley,
 Faith
 and

Beauty:
 A
 Theological
 Aesthetic
 (Aldershot:
 Ashgate,
 2001);
 and
 finally,
 Alejandro

García-­‐Rivera,
 The
 Community
 of
 the
 Beautiful:
 A
 Theological
 Aesthetics
 (Collegeville,

MN:
 Liturgical
 Press,
 1999).

  4
 For
 criticism
 of
 Balthasar
 which
 even
 calls
 into
 question
 his
 value
 as
 a

‘systematic’
 theologian,
 one
 need
 look
 no
 further
 than
 Karen
 Kilby,
 Balthasar:
 a
 (very)

critical
 introduction
 (Grand
 Rapids,
 MI:
 Eerdmans,
 2012).
3

Paul
 Tillich,
 whose
 existential
 methods
 (e.g.
 correlation)
 have
 subsequently
 fallen
 out
 of

favour.5

However,
 the
 purpose
 of
 Herrlichkeit
 is
 not
 first
 and
 foremost
 to
 set
 out
 a
 natural

theology
 of
 art
 based
 on
 the
 primacy
 of
 beauty;
 as
 a
 result
 of
 this,
 the
 relationship
 of
 his

theological
 aesthetics
 to
 sacred
 and
 secular
 art
 is
 “frequently
 misunderstood.”6

Moreover,
 despite
 its
 palpable
 influence
 on
 the
 field,
 Balthasar’s
 theological
 aesthetics

steadfastly
 resists
 attempts
 to
 draw
 out
 a
 systematic
 theology
 of
 art.
 In
 fact,
 he
 explicitly

disavows
 what
 he
 terms
 “aesthetic
 theology,”
 an
 attempt
 to
 move
 directly
 from
 art
 to

divine
 mystery—a
 view
 of
 the
 work
 of
 art
 as
 directly
 mediating
 transcendence
 along

German
 Idealist
 or
 Romantic
 lines—suggesting
 in
 a
 Barthian
 (and
 explicitly

Kierkegaardian)
 vein
 that
 such
 a
 move
 leads
 ultimately
 to
 idolatry,
 and
 a
 failure
 to

grapple
 seriously
 with
 the
 compelling
 otherness
 of
 the
 divine.7
 Balthasar’s
 aim
 in
 The

Glory
 of
 the
 Lord
 is
 rather
 to
 uncover
 a
 biblical,
 philosophical
 theology
 of
 glory,
 carefully

appropriating
 the
 language
 we
 commonly
 use
 to
 describe
 experience
 of
 a
 work
 of
 art
 to

convey
 something
 of
 the
 divine
 radiance
 across
 the
 dynamic,
 “ever-­‐greater”

  5
 Davide
 Zordan
 and
 Stefanie
 Knauss,
 “Following
 the
 Traces
 of
 God
 in
 Art:

Aesthetic
 Theology
 as
 Foundational
 Theology,”
 CrossCurrents
 (March
 2013),
 5.

  6
 Kevin
 Mongrain,
 “Von
 Balthasar’s
 Way
 from
 Doxology
 to
 Theology,”
 Theology

Today
 64
 (2007):
 58.

  7
 Hans
 Urs
 von
 Balthasar,
 Herrlichkeit:
 eine
 theologische
 Ästhetik,
 vol.
 1
 Schau

der
 Gestalt
 (Einsiedeln:
 Johannes
 Verlag,
 1961)
 English
 translation
 The
 Glory
 of
 the
 Lord:

A
 Theological
 Aesthetics.
 Volume
 I:
 Seeing
 the
 Form,
 trans.
 Erasmo
 Leiva-­‐Merikakis
 (San

Francisco:
 Ignatius
 Press,
 1982),
 79.
 Henceforth
 GL1.