Divine Fruitfulness: A Guide through Balthasar's Theology beyond the Trilogy

Description

Hans Urs von Balthasar is emerging as a colossus of twentieth-century theology. More and more of his works are being translated. But as yet he is mainly known only through his great multi-volume trilogy 'Glory', 'Theo-Drama' and Theo-Logic'. Aidan Nichols has treated each part of the trilogy and the early works in his widely acclaimed 'Introduction to Hans Urs von Balthasar'. In this final volume he explores all von Balthasar's later works. Many of these works are extremely important, although several are as yet untranslated and several as yet almost unknown. Nichols ranges widely and comprehensively, from journal articles to his major works, such as 'Apokalypse der deutschen Seele', to his final short works. The result is a wholly new perspective on von Balthasar, a contextualising of his trilogy and an illumination of his whole life and work.

Aidan Nichols entered the Dominican Order in 1970, and has since worked in Edinburgh, Oslo, Rome and Cambridge, where he now lives. His other publications include The Art of God Incarnate and The Shape of Catholic Theology, among others.

"Since any single chapter can easily stand on its own, Nichols' book holds great potential for classroom use...the volume rounds out an unimposing entryway to a formidable theologican." -Daniel B. Gallagher, Horizons, Fall 2008 "Like its predecessors, this volume is well-researched, informative, and clearly written. While Nichols is deeply admirous of his theological hero, and one who is not so may find more objectionable aspects in Balthasar's theology than he, his book does present abundant bibliographical resources, both primary and secondary, for readers to judge for themselves the worth of Balthasar's theological legacy...There is no doubt that Nichols has established himself as the foremost expert on the Swiss theologian's massive oeuvre. For this and all his numerous other studies on various church figures and theological themes, he surely deserves the red hat like the theologian to whom he has devoted his multi-volume study." -Peter C. Phan, Catholic Books Review