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Hans Urs Von Balthasar and Kenosis: the Pathway to Human Agency

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Hans Urs Von Balthasar and Kenosis: the Pathway to Human Agency Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2013 Hans Urs Von Balthasar and Kenosis: The Pathway to Human Agency Timothy J. Yoder Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Yoder, Timothy J., "Hans Urs Von Balthasar and Kenosis: The Pathway to Human Agency" (2013). Dissertations. 918. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/918 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2013 Timothy J Yoder LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO HANS URS VON BALTHASAR AND KENOSIS: THE PATHWAY TO HUMAN AGENCY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN THEOLOGY BY TIMOTHY J. YODER CHICAGO, IL MAY 2014 Copyright by Timothy J. Yoder, 2014 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First I want to thank my dissertation committee at Loyola University of Chicago. I want to thank my director, Mark Bosco for steering me through the ups and downs of the dissertation process with patience and wisdom. I would like to thank the rest of my committee, Mark McIntosh of Durham University and Andrew Radde-Gallwitz of Loyola University Chicago for their support as well. My first introduction to the thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar came through Dr. McIntosh’s book on Balthasar’s Christology. His personal guidance during the early stages of this project was invaluable to me. I would also like to thank Andrew Radde-Gallwitz for his thoughtful questions and suggestions on this project. In addition to my committee I had several colleagues and friends who shared their time and wisdom with me. To Tim Squier and Ethan Worthington, who read the entire text at various stages, I am especially grateful. I would also like to thank Dina Berger, Brock Bingaman, Melissa Browning, Courtney Friesen, Ron and Lisa Geiger, Kristina Grob, Andrea Hollingsworth, Jessica Horowitz, Jason Kolkey, Hannah Kushnick, Jay Miiller, Silas Morgan, Cyril O’Regan, Ethan Schrum, Andrea Stapleton, Kris Squier, Elisabeth Vasko, and Catherine Wolf. Each of these people had a special role supporting me through this dissertation. The completion of this project would not have been possible without the encouragement, support, and sacrifice of my family. My parents, Sheldon and Letha, iii provided childcare on countless occasions to provide me time to write and research. Their constant support is an example of the nature of self-sacrificial love. I would also like to thank my mother-in-law, Valois Lantz for her support. My wife Katie and my two sons Samuel and Elijah sacrificed a lot of weekends and evenings with me while I worked to complete this project. Katie believed in my success even when I doubted it, and I am deeply grateful for her love and support. To Katie, Samuel, and Elijah TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 The Problem ..................................................................................................................... 2 The Argument .................................................................................................................. 5 The Context ...................................................................................................................... 9 The Fruit of Original Sin: Absorption and Autonomy................................................... 13 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER TWO: KENOSIS, INCARNATION AND SALVATION ............................ 25 Balthasar’s Approach to the Incarnation and the History of Kenosis ............................ 28 The Five Biblical Motifs of Salvation ........................................................................... 36 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER THREE: SUPER-KENOSIS AND THE TRINITARIAN LIFE ................... 49 Secondary Literature and the Context of Trinitarian Discourse .................................... 51 The Analogy of Being .................................................................................................... 54 Negative Theology ......................................................................................................... 56 Christological and Trinitarian Kenosis .......................................................................... 60 Adrienne Von Speyr and the Theology of Saints .......................................................... 62 Super-Kenosis and Trinitarian Persons .......................................................................... 64 Trinity as an Event of Love ........................................................................................... 72 Ontological Difference................................................................................................... 74 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER FOUR: THE SAINTS AND KENOSIS ........................................................ 78 Why the Saints? ............................................................................................................. 78 “The Faith of the Simple Ones”: Main Themes for Interpretation ................................ 80 John of the Cross and the “Scream of the Vivisected Soul” .......................................... 86 Thérèse of Lisieux and the Little Way ........................................................................... 89 Elizabeth “the Vanishing” .............................................................................................. 93 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER FIVE: KENOSIS AND THE SPIRITUAL PATHWAY TO AGENCY ....... 98 The Relationship between Theology and Spirituality .................................................... 98 Gospel as Norm............................................................................................................ 100 Philosophical Difference and the Spirituality of Kenosis ............................................ 102 The Scandal of the Gospel over Intellectual System ................................................... 107 Mission and Human Agency ........................................................................................ 115 Discernment ................................................................................................................. 122 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 129 vi BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 143 VITA ............................................................................................................................... 151 vii ABSTRACT The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the kenotic motif in the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, particularly in light of his concern to protect human agency. This dissertation argues that Balthasar views kenotic spiritual practice as the pathway to achieve true human agency. This kenotic pathway to agency is placed in contrast to Balthasar’s concept of original sin as an attempt by humanity to achieve agency on their own terms. The narrative of original sin results in two possible outcomes for Balthasar: a spiritual pathway toward the absorption of the self, which results in the annihilation of the self or, the autonomy of the self is emphasized to the degree that self-actualization becomes the goal of the spiritual journey and other humans are seen as obstacles to self- realization. This project explores the themes of kenosis within the doctrine of the Incarnation and Trinity as the solution to understanding human agency and as the answer to original sin in and through the Incarnation. The Christological and Trinitarian shape of sainthood and spirituality are explored in the final two chapters. Balthasar’s treatment of St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Elisabeth of the Trinity are examples of how the kenotic motif is revealed in the lives of the saints. The final chapter looks at Balthasar’s spirituality as thoroughly kenotic and that this kenotic activity cannot be systematized into a universal ethical or spiritual model; rather, it is enacted through discernment. This discernment is based on the norm of the gospel as “hard sayings” and as “good news.” Each individual human being is invited to take on a unique mission, viii which forms them into a theological person, those providing a deep and real sense of human agency. The dissertation
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