Some heavy (but excellent) theology

One of the few print publications I still subscribe to is First Things, a monthly interfaith journal with a strong Catholic and Evangelical bent. It’s edited by Fr. John Neuhaus (The only other religious publication I get is America, the weekly U.S. Jesuit magazine).

December’s issue arrived a couple of days ago, and it has a very fascinating "exchange" between a new theologian (just got her doctorate) named Alyssa Pitstick, and Edward Oakes SJ, a theology professor. The title is Balthasar, Hell and Heresy, and has to do with the interpretation of the Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthatsar of the expression "He descended into Hell", which is part of most Christian creeds (Having to do with Jesus’ descending to Hell after his crucifixion).

I know, I know, what kind of nut cares about this stuff? Well, I find it very fascinating. And I love the Swiss theologian, von Balthasar (he died in 1987).

As fate, (or luck, or whatever) would have it, the article is available for free on the First Things website right here FT December 2006: Article

It’s a little heavy going but quite interesting – you definitely have to print it out and read it carefully.

Here’s a taste of it, from Pitstick’s initial part of the exchange:

It is a question asked reluctantly; however, the doctrine in question is by no means marginal to Christian faith: The mystery of Holy Saturday stands with Good Friday and Easter Sunday at the center of Christ’s redemptive work. What one believes of Christ’s descent into hell necessarily affects what one believes about Christ and salvation through him. The contrast between Balthasar’s theology of Holy Saturday and the traditional Catholic doctrine confronts us with the grave but necessary question whether the work of a theologian so reputably Catholic is in fact compatible with the Catholic faith.

Traditionally, Christ’s descent has been seen as the beginning of the manifestation of his triumph over death and the first application of the fruits of redemption. Gloriously descending to the souls of the holy men and women who had died before him, Christ bestowed on them the glory of heaven and the fullness of freedom. He did not suffer in hell; rather, in virtue of his redemptive death on the cross, he opened to the holy souls the gates of heaven that had been closed due to sin. Notable for its ancient origin and the unusual consistency of its profession, this doctrine of a triumphal descent is part of the heritage of all Christians. It was held universally in both Christian East and West until the Protestant Reformation; the Catholic Church and the Orthodox have continued to profess it without interruption.

Balthasar argues, however, that this doctrine does not do justice to the depths to which Christ went for man’s redemption or, consequently, to his love. Rather, Christ must have suffered after death the full force of what would have awaited sinful mankind without a redeemer: complete rejection by the Father without hope of mercy or reconciliation. By descending into this utter abandonment, Christ bore the punishment humanity deserved, thereby manifesting the extreme extent of God’s love. Balthasar agrees that Christ’s descent should be called glorious, but in the sense that Christ’s crucifixion, rather than his resurrection, is said to be his glory. Balthasar thus retains the form of the profession of faith but with a content other than the traditional one of his ecclesial community. Like the Catholic Church, Balthasar professes Christ descended into hell, but he means something radically different.