Love Alone Is Credible [Paperback]

Hans Urs von Balthasar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2005

In Hans Urs von Balthasar's masterwork, The Glory of the Lord, the great theologian used the term "theological aesthetic" to describe what he believed to the most accurate method of interpreting the concept of divine love, as opposed to approaches founded on historical or scientific grounds. In this newly translated book, von Balthasar delves deeper into this exploration of what love means, what makes the divine love of God, and how we must become lovers of God in the footsteps of saints like Francis de Sales, John of the Cross and Therese of Lisieux.

Based in the theological aesthetic form, Love Alone is Credible brings a fresh perspective on an oft-explored subject. A deeply insightful and profound theological meditation that serves to both deepen and inform the faith of the believer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 153 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898708818
• ISBN-13: 978-0898708813
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Primacy of Love, August 5, 2004

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wvano "wvano" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Love Alone Is Credible (Paperback)

This small book, first published in 1963, can serve as an entry point to von Balthasar's vast and sometimes intimidating oeuvre.

Its first two chapters critique the cosmological and anthropological arguments for God's existence. Because the author presumes a more than passing familiarity with European philosophy, this section may be tough sledding for some. But keep reading. The bulk of the book is an accessible exploration of the primacy of love in Christian faith and life.

Essentially, Von Balthasar seeks to remind modern Christians that God's absolute love in Jesus Christ is the source, center, means, and goal of the Christian faith. In light of this love, the dogmas of Christian orthodoxy are seen not as distant and restrictive abstractions but as liberating preconditions for human fulfillment.

There is inspiration as well as intellectual challenge here. Love Alone is Credible asks its readers to contemplate anew the heart of the Christian faith, and to venture forth transformed.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginning to Read von Balthasar, February 25, 2006

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Clint A. Schnekloth - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Alone Is Credible (Paperback)

It is difficult to know where to begin in von Balthasar. Until recently, I had usually recommended Mysterium Paschale, because the topic (Holy Saturday) is seldom written about in depth, and because the book is simply beautiful.

But now this is the volume I will recommend. It is a brief introduction to von Balthasar's overall project, especially his magnum opus, the multi-volume The Glory of the Lord. It is an unusual kind of apologetic work, yet it is compelling.

It may be especially helpful because it charts a course between the Scylla and Charybdis of the "credible" options- the Roman Catholic tradition or Protestant sola scriptura, and posits a third way, the love itself, Trinitarian and therefore encompassing of us as well.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read slowly. Again and again, October 24, 2007

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A. Doug Floyd "pilgrim" (Louisville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Love Alone Is Credible (Paperback)

Von Balthasar's writings are like good wine. They require time. Don't try and plow through this little book trying to extract the key points. Rather, soak in it. Read and reread and reread the passages.

Almost like a liturgy, the rythmn of his thought gradually begins to weave around into the rythmn of your own thoughts. The goal of the book is simple and in the title: love alone is credible. Not thought, not subjective experience, not service, not great theology, but love fully expressed in the absolute kenosis (self-emptying/self-giving) love of the Son.

I hate to write too much about the content except to say that it is worthy for reading multiple times. As I was reading this book, I realized in a deeper sense why that it is better to read a few book over and over instead of reading many books on a superficial/intellectual level.