Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics, Vol. 4: The Realm of Metaphysics in Antiquity [Hardcover]

Hans Urs von Balthasar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1989

In this fourth volume of his magnnum opus, von Balthasar considers the metaphysical tradition of the contemplation of Being. He provides major studies of Homer, the Greek Tragedians, Plato and Plotinus and the development of this tradition in the Middle Ages. He then explores the analogy between the metaphysical vision of the Being and the Christian vision of the divine glory of the Trinity. The book is a remarkable attempt to rediscover the ancient vision of Being in all its awesomeness as the context within which the specifically Christian vision, rooted in God's gracious self-revelation, took form and was expressed.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 419 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (October 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898702461
• ISBN-13: 978-0898702460
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Western Culture in 400 pages, March 6, 2006

By 

Wilson Pruitt (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics, Vol. 4: The Realm of Metaphysics in Antiquity (Hardcover)

This book blew me away. After getting through volume II and III, I was not prepared for the power of his narrative and his argument. The text follows Western Metaphysics from Homer and Pindar through the classics all the way until Thomas Aquinas. The breadth of his erudition is absurd. At one point I had to stop and read Aeschylus, Euripides, and Virgil in order to grasp what he was discusses. If it has been a while since you have studied the classics I would recommend a brief tutorial before embarking on this adventure, it is well worth the wait.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing theology, October 14, 2006

By 

Greg (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics, Vol. 4: The Realm of Metaphysics in Antiquity (Hardcover)

I've read many works of theology and most are fairly forgettable. They trot out the basic dogma of their sect, usually followed in a mechanical fashion with the usual quotations from the Bible or from tradition.

Yet sometimes you are lucky enough to come across a creative theologian, a theologian who is able to make you look at religious ideas in a new an innovative way. Von Balthasar is one such theologian.

In this series of works (going to seven volumes) Balthasar introduces the idea of a 'theological aesthetic.' This idea sounds very abstract but to put it in simpler words; theology is about Beauty, the Beauty of God.

Balthasar argues a key attribute of the Absolute/God in Western tradition, be it religious, mythical or theological, is Beauty. Beauty is rightly associated with Goodness, Truth and Being, and all these are rightly associated with God.

Balthasar aims to restore the ideal of the beauty of God by examining the Beauty of God and of the created world, as shown in the Bible, in Greek myth, in philosophy, and in Catholic Theology. Balthasar's most insightful comments often are made about key Church fathers, including Denys, who emphasized the Beauty of God in his theology.

I myself felt Balthasar's work was very valuable for recovering a neglected aspect of theology, the role of theology and theological issues in relation to creative art. The focus in the 20th century and in much of the preceding centuries was to make theology compatible with economic or social thought or with science or philosophy, but not with creative art.

Balthasar also recognises the key element of art in the work of mystics like Eckhart and St John of Cross.

This series forms a valuable exploration of the aesthetic dimension to theology and I am sure future students of art and theology will find it a valuable aid to their own explorations.