A Living Rule: Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Illative Sense

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This essay explores the dialogue between objectivity and subjectivity in the thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar, especially with how Balthasar interacts with form ( Gestalt ) and the act of faith, which I argue is Balthasar's way of asking how the concrete, historical Christ and the concrete, historical human subject can greet one another. To make this argument, I study John Henry Newman's impact on Balthasar's thinking with special emphasis on the function of Newman's Grammar of Assent and on how his ideas assist Balthasar in maintaining a point of view rooted in the totality of concrete human persons and their subjectivity. Turning to Newman assists a reconsideration of Balthasar that clarifies aspects of his major project, particularly his approach to human subjectivity and its capacities.