Review article
Hans Urs von Balthasar and theology of history. Jesus Christ universale concretum et personale in re
Ivan Macut
Abstract
This work is divided into two parts. The first part is about the
origin and meaning of a theology of history. A theology of history
emerges relatively late, not before the XX century. Provoked
by the European historicism, Marxism and evolutionism,
Protestants were the first to respond to the challenges addressed
to theology. On the Catholic side two theologians were the first
who started to deal with these issues: Gottlieb Söhngen and
Jean Daniélou. God reveals himself to people in history and this
revelation also has its own history. The history that revelation
deals with is the history of salvation. Only faith in the event
(factum) recognizes the mystery (mysterium).
The second part of the work deals with Balthasar and his
theology of history. Balthasar says that Jesus went through
time in three ways: he did not forestall his Father’s will, he
was fulfilling his Father’s project part by part, he was fulfilling
his Father’s project as a permanent “yes” to Father in the Holy
Spirit. Jesus Christ is the centre of the whole history. But, how
is it possible that something that is universal, as God is, is in the
centre of something that is partial? By the expression universale
concretum Balthasar wants to clarify that God entered into our
human history in the concrete person of Jesus Christ, and that
Jesus Christ is universale concretum et personale in re, the
Idea made concrete, personal, historical i.e. Christ is universally
valid in the here and now.
Keywords
theology of history; time; Jesus Christ – the centre of history
Hrčak ID:
92413
URI
Publication date:
21.11.2012.
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