The Early Hans Urs Von Balthasar: Historical Contexts and Intellectual Formation (Theologische Bibliothek Topelmann)

although Hans Urs von Balthasar’s earliest publication is from 1925, and although he was a mature forty years old in 1945, there is a deficiency in the secondary literature regarding his early literature, its historical backgrounds and non-theological sources. In this study Balthasar is presented in relation to the various contexts in which he was both drawing upon and responding to from the 1920s to the 1940s. The major contexts analyzed here are the broad central European Germanophone cultural context, the Germanophone Catholic cultural context, the German studies context, the French Catholic renewal literature and theology of the early 20th-century, the popular journal Stimmen der Zeit, Neo-Scholasticism, early 20th-century French Catholic culture, Swiss fascism, National Socialist literature, the Renouveau Catholique, the George-Kreis and many others. Balthasar’s early anti-Semitism and some of the problematic aspects of his early work are also addressed in this study. His understanding of the modern age, his relationships with some key intellectual figures and his later reflections on his early work are also introduced. The book offers a comprehensive study of Balthasar’s early intellectual development. Preface Contents Short Titles and Abbreviations Historical Table Introduction and Historical Contexts 1. Overview of the chapters and secondary literature 2. General historical contexts 3. Germanophone Catholicism Chapter One: Studies and early cultural criticism 1. Balthasar’s studies 2. Entwicklung der musikalischen Idee (1925) 3. Cultural criticism and generational framework Chapter Two: Guardini, Goethe, Nietzsche and literature theology 1. Guardini and the “Christian worldview” 2. Guardini and Goethe 3. Nietzsche and life-philosophy Chapter Three: The George-Kreis, myth and the Conservative Revolution 1. Stefan George and the George-Kreis 2. Myth in Apokalypse (1937–1939) and Irenäus (1943) 3. Derleth, Küng, Raeber and the Balthasar-Kreis Chapter Four: Volk, deutsche Seele and the “Staat-Kirche-Gesellschaft” totality 1. Swiss fascism and Julius Schmidhauser (1934) 2. Deutschtum, Christentum and die deutsche Seele 3. Writings from the 1930s and early 1940s Chapter Five: Nazi Germany and Stimmen der Zeit 1. National Socialism, Catholicism and Stimmen der Zeit 2. The journal and its ideological context (1933–1941) 3. Balthasar’s reviews, articles and review essays Chapter Six: Erich Przywara and Karl Barth 1. The “great Father Przywara” 2. Barth reception 3. The Barth-Balthasar relationship Chapter Seven: The anti-modern anti-Semitic complex 1. Rilke reception in 1932 and in 1940 2. Writings from the 1930s and 1940s 3. Historical contextualization and analysis Chapter Eight: Renouveau Catholique, Neo-Scholasticism and Nouvelle Théologie 1. The Renouveau Catholique, Speyr and Rahner 2. Neo-Scholasticism, Nouvelle Théologie and Lubac 3. Présence et Pensée (1942), Wahrheit (1947) and Rahner Conclusion Bibliography Balthasar’s books Balthasar’s articles, essays, translations and introductions Balthasar’s book reviews Other consulted or cited literature Name Index Hans Urs von Balthasar is an important figure on the landscape of 20th-century theology. While much has been written on his later work, less attention has been given to his early work. In this study Balthasar is presented in relation to the features of his time, to his cultural, sociopolitical, ecclesial and theological contexts. Paul Silas Peterson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.