Durham E-Theses WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE: Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Metaphysical Signicance of the Wonder of a Child and the Fruitfulness of Human Sexual Dierence REID, ANGUS,DAVID,INGVAR How to cite: REID, ANGUS,DAVID,INGVAR (2019) WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE: Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Metaphysical Signicance of the Wonder of a Child and the Fruitfulness of Human Sexual Dierence, Durham theses, Durham University. 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Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Metaphysical Significance of the Wonder of a Child and the Fruitfulness of Human Sexual Difference by Angus David Ingvar Reid Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Durham University Department of Theology and Religion 2019 ABSTRACT WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Metaphysical Significance of the Wonder of a Child and the Fruitfulness of Human Sexual Difference Angus David Ingvar Reid Hans Urs von Balthasar promotes a concrete metaphysics whereby humans disclose the reality of being as a whole within their lives. Being’s superabundant mystery is encountered and manifested in the beauty, goodness and truth of human interactions. This receives its fullest articulation in interpersonal love wherein created being shines most brightly as a loving gift of participation in divine being. For Balthasar, the human capacity to grasp and share being as whole, and so the task of metaphysics, rests in childlike wonder at being’s radiant beauty. Against perspectives that laud the autonomous adult self, I develop this aspect of Balthasar’s vision to defend the abiding significance of the child-parent relationship and human sexual difference. In this, however, I also critique Balthasar’s views on the latter. I claim his univocal identification of the female with receptivity and the male with activity contravenes his metaphysics. Working critically within Balthasar’s thought, I extend what is implicit therein: the relationships between mother, father and child, and male and female humanity primordially and paradigmatically communicate created being's fruitful openness to, and difference from, divine being. I maintain these relationships carry a mantle at once fundamental, fragile and full of promise. They inscribe in human nature a predilection for gratuitous wonder at being's beauty. I argue the male-female difference and child-parent relationship serve as co-principles of being’s beauty. As such, they underpin the metaphysical expression of human fruitfulness which cannot, however, be limited to procreation and family, but is communicated in the richness of human creativity. Nevertheless, whenever these constitutive relationships are threatened so too is beauty and, therefore, being’s goodness and truth, and the human vocation to love to the fullest. Here metaphysics receives its concrete measure of truthfulness in its ability to celebrate, safeguard and pass on the wonder of a child. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 2 Abbreviations 5 Statement of Copyright 8 Acknowledgements and Dedication 9 Introduction 10 1. Issue at Hand: Metaphysics and Sexual Difference 11 2. Thesis Statement 17 3. Theology, Philosophy and Metaphysics 18 4. Outline of Argument 24 5. Critical Approach, Sources and Literature Review 24 6. Chapter Outlines 30 Chapter One: The Wonder of Being 32 1. Wonder 33 2. Fourfold Difference as the Primal Gestalt of Created Being 35 3. Non-Subsistence of Finite Esse and Dignity of Finite Essence 57 4. Letting Be and Metaphysical Love 60 5. Conclusion 66 Chapter Two: The Heart’s Filial Childlikeness 70 1. Value and Fragility of Childhood 71 2. Ontological Freedom of the Self-Conscious Human Person 81 3. Complex Nature of Human Self-Consciousness 93 4. The Heart’s Joyful Attunement 99 5. Mother-Child Encounter 102 6. Love Between Parents 109 7. Filial Character of the Heart 118 8. Conclusion 120 3 Chapter Three: Critical Juncture of Sexual Difference and the Parent-Child Relationship 122 1. Metaphysics of Sexual Difference 123 2. Balthasar’s Dramatic Approach to Human Nature 133 3. Polarities of Human Nature 135 4. Knowing Sexual Difference by its Fruitfulness 139 5. Metaphysical Perfection of Sexual Difference 141 6. Sexual and Interpersonal Fruitfulness 148 7. Critiquing Balthasar’s Account of Male and Female 152 8. Re-conceiving Male and Female Fruitfulness 168 9. Conclusion 179 Chapter Four: Transcendental Fruitfulness 182 1. Medieval and Modern Perspectives on the Transcendentals 183 2. Balthasar’s Account of the Transcendentals 189 3. Beauty 194 4. The Good 204 5. Truth 206 6. Beauty’s Primacy 212 7. Love as the ‘Transcendental Par Excellence’ 220 8. Transcendentals and the Constitutive Human Relationships 222 9. Beauty and the Constitutive Human Relationships 227 10. Male and Female as Principles of Beauty 230 11. Conclusion 233 Conclusion 238 Bibliography 250 4 Abbreviations Works written by Hans Urs von Balthasar Works comprising part of Balthasar’s trilogy: GL1 The Glory of the Lord, volume 1: Seeing the Form. Translated by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1982. GL2 The Glory of the Lord, volume 2: Studies in Theological Style: Clerical Styles. Translated by Andrew Louth, Francis McDonagh and Brian McNeil, CRV. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1984. GL3 The Glory of the Lord, volume 3: Studies in Theological Style: Lay Styles. Translated by Andrew Louth, John Saward, Martin Simon and Rowan Williams. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1986. GL4 The Glory of the Lord, volume 4: In the Realm of Metaphysics in Antiquity. Translated by Brian McNeil, CRV, Andrew Louth, John Saward, Rowan Williams and Oliver Davies. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1989. GL5 The Glory of the Lord, volume 5: In the Realm of Metaphysics in the Modern Age. Translated by Oliver Davies, Andrew Louth, Brian McNeil, CRV, John Saward and Rowan Williams. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1991. TD1 Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, volume 1: Prolegomena. Translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1988. TD2 Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, volume 2: Dramatis Personae: Man in God. Translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1990. TD3 Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, volume 3: Dramatis Personae: Persons in Christ. Translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1992. TD4 Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, volume 4: The Action. Translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994. TD5 Theo-Drama: Theological Dramatic Theory, volume 5: The Final Act. Translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1998. TL1 Theo-Logic, volume 1: The Truth of the World. Translated by Adrian J. Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000. 5 TL2 Theo-Logic, volume 2: Truth of God. Translated by Adrian J. Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004. TL3 Theo-Logic, volume 3: The Spirit of Truth. Translated by Adrian J. Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005. E Epilogue. Translated by Edward T. Oakes. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005. Other works by Balthasar: LAC Love Alone is Credible. Translated by D.C. Schindler. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004. MW My Work: In Retrospect. Translator unnamed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993. UBC Unless You Become Like This Child. Translated by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1991. ExT1 Explorations in Theology, volume 1: The Word Made Flesh. Translated by A. V. Littledale and Alexander Dru. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989. ExT3 Explorations in Theology, volume 3: Creator Spirit. Translated by Brian McNeil, CRV. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1993. ExT4 Explorations in Theology, volume 4: Spirit and Institution. Translated by Edward T. Oakes. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1995. ExT5 Explorations in Theology, Volume 5: Man Is Created. Translated by Adrian J. Walker. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2014. MTG “Movement Towards God.” In ExT3, 15-55. NE New Elucidations. Translated by Mary Thereslide Skerry. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1986. P Prayer. Translated by Graham Harrison. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1986. 6 Works by other authors: ST Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1988. De Veritate Aquinas, Thomas. Quaestiones Disputatae De Veritate. Translated by Robert W. Mulligan, James V. McGlynn and Robert W. Schmidt. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1952-1954. De Potentia Aquinas, Thomas. Quaestiones Disputatae De Potentia Dei. Translated by the English Dominican Fathers. Westminster, Maryland: The Newman Press, 1952. Metaphysics Aristotle. Metaphysics, Loeb Classical Library. Translated by Hugh Tredennick. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1935. Generation