Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved? With a Short Discourse on Hell [Paperback]

Hans Urs von Balthasar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1988

The Church's teaching on Hell has been generally neglected by theologians, with the notable exception of Fr. von Balthasar. However, what he has said has stirred controversy both in Europe and in the United States. Here he responds in a clear and concise way, grounding his reflections clearly in Scripture. Revelation gives us neither the assurance that all will be saved, nor the certitude that any are condemned. What it does require of us is the "hope that all men be saved" rooted in a love of Christ that reaches even into the depths of Hell.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (November 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898702070
• ISBN-13: 978-0898702071
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative!, November 30, 2001

By 

Pete Vere (Ottawa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved? With a Short Discourse on Hell (Paperback)

This is one of my two favorite books written by Hans Urs von Balthasar. The Catholic Church asserts that certain individuals are in Heaven, but never declares a specific individual to be in Hell. In fact, the Church still hopes that in their final moments of life, even the greatest sinners such as Judas Iscariot and Adolph Hitler would have repented of their terrible sins.

In this book, Hans Urs von Balthasar pushes the hope that in their final moments of life, all souls will repent and make their peace with God. He hopes all will be saved, not because all deserve Heaven, but rather because all will come to know the great mercy and forgiveness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nevertheless, von Balthasar HOPES for the salvation of all. He does not maintain all will indeed be saved, but rather this is his hope. Several times in the work, von Balthasar reminds the reader that Hell remains a very real possibility, and that man must always keep this possibility before his eyes.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the more controversial titles. . ., October 15, 2001

By 

David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved? With a Short Discourse on Hell (Paperback)

. . .by the late Catholic theologian Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar -- but arguably one of the most important.

Critics have unfairly suggested that Fr. von Balthasar is either denying the existence of a literal hell, or denying that anyone is/has been/will be located there. These critics miss the point entirely.

My (extremely brief) summary of Fr. von Balthasar's argument does not concern the existence of hell but rather of the duty of the Christian, which is to fervently pray and hope that all men ARE eventually saved; that the love of Christ CAN eventually reach and be accepted by all; and that knowing through Holy Writ that some will NOT be saved and will choose against God does not free the Christian from the duty of praying for such persons.

In today's troubling times, von Balthasar's message is of timeless importance. To dare to hope and to dare to pray that the love of God will melt the heart of even the most heinous of sinners is a difficult duty. Indeed, such a reminder is liable to make many people angry. But it is, nevertheless, a reminder which needs to be made.

This book is less technical than much of von Balthasar's work, and thus should be much more widely accessible to the informed layman.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hell is not about what God is going to do, but about what we are capable of, November 25, 2007

By 

Didaskalex "Eusebius Alexandrinus" (Kellia on Calvary, Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved? With a Short Discourse on Hell (Paperback)

"We are allowed to hope that no human is eternally damned. This is a founded theological hope, it is not a certitude. Indeed each person must existentially live with the real possibility that he or she might be doomed. The thesis itself is prompted, we believe, by mercy." Balthasar



Hell and Salvation:
The Church's teaching on Hell has been generally avoided by Christian theologians, who believe that the Lord's own desire that everyone be saved 1Tim 2:4. Hans Urs Cardinal von Balthasar is a notable exception of this attitude, who amended Dare We Hope "That All Men Be Saved"? With a Short Discourse on Hell (1988).

Apokatastasis, Restoration of all things:
Since the soul is essentially rational, argued Origen, it will eventually be restored to the divine truth, salvation will follow. The word Origen used to describe this process of universal salvation "restoration of all things," was apokatastasis. Prompted by his idea of the pre-existence of souls, Origen may have come to view the mission of the temporal Church as "a gathering up of all lost, fallen souls into a unity resembling that which subsisted primordially." Origen could not rationalize the standard Christian idea that certain souls will inevitably fail to achieve salvation, and be plunged into eternal torment. Apokatastasis, may be viewed as restoration, the culmination of gathering souls in a unity of faith. "Origen held a firm conviction that not a single rational being will be lost to the darkness of ignorance and sin. Even the most recalcitrant sinner, he argued, will eventually attain salvation." Edward Moore.

A Historical Debate:
Since Origen proposed his breaking through hope, some of the Church Fathers, including Gregory of Nyssa, and Didymus the Blind held for the universal restoration and salvation of all (apokatastasis). Ultimately Emperor Justinian who provoked the condemnations of Origen was compelled to respond to this teaching through a Church council. This condemnation, directed at those labeled 'Origenists', was adopted by a provincial Synod in Constantinople in 543, approved by Pope Vigilius during his detention in Constantinople (547-55).

Balthasar on Salvation:
Von Balthasar mentions as well theologians and other Christian writers who, he maintains, agree with what he is saying. In all cases these men speak of hell as being a "real possibility" but few ask the specific question about whether any humans are actually damned. von Balthasar charges that when writing and speaking of hell "the great man, to whom posterity owes so much, did not do that within the limits laid down by the Gospel."

Balthasar Contra Infernalists:
The in the manner in which he describes the convictions opposed to his, unveil the pain he took writing these views reflects in the unusual amount of reactionary polemic the author targets those criticising his views or are in contradiction of his own, characterizing them as 'infernalists.' He recognizes that some of the Church's historical teacher and theologians; from Augustine, Gregory the Great, Anselm, to Bonaventure, Aquinas, and recently John Newman, belong to this group. von Balthasar finds Augustine's opinion "has cast an enormous shadow over the history of Western Theology," worthy of sharp criticism, while being praised for his ardent charity and as being the pioneering 'Father of the Western World,' " We might ask the great Augustine... whether he ever worried, after his conversion, about his eternal salvation."

von Balthasar's Hell:
"I claim nothing more than this: that give us a right to have hope for all men, which simultaneously implies that I see no need to take the step from the threats to the positing of a hell occupied by our brothers and sisters, through which our hopes would come to naught. I do not wish to contradict anyone who, as a Christian, cannot be happy without denying the universality of hope to us so that he can be certain of his full hell: that is, after all, the view of a large number of important theologians, especially among the followers of Augustine. But, in return, I would like to request that one be permitted to hope that God's redemptive work for his creation might succeed. Certainty cannot be attained, but hope can be justified. ... If we take our faith seriously and respect the words of Scripture, we must resign ourselves to admitting such an ultimate possibility, our feelings or revulsion notwithstanding. We may not simply ignore such a threat; we may not easily dismiss it, neither for ourselves nor for any of our brothers and sisters in Christ."

Comment from a Blog:
- "On the one hand, hell is very real, though it is not about what God is going to do, but about what we are capable of. On the other hand, may hell be empty!, because the Crucified experienced the heart of human darkness and desolation. Passionate, beautiful stuff." kim Fabricius

*In memory of my father, who believed in the merciful restoration.