Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology
This article explores the potential theological–political discourse of Hans Urs von Balthasar, presenting the following arguments: (1) Despite its often-disregarded status, Balthasar’s thought contains a discernible thread of political theology; (2) His exploration of kenosis and community serves as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Open Theology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2022-0234 |
| _version_ | 1797646318254948352 |
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| author | Molina Almudena |
| author_facet | Molina Almudena |
| author_sort | Molina Almudena |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the potential theological–political discourse of Hans Urs von Balthasar, presenting the following arguments: (1) Despite its often-disregarded status, Balthasar’s thought contains a discernible thread of political theology; (2) His exploration of kenosis and community serves as a direct challenge to Schmittian concepts of sovereignty and representation. This challenge opens up new discourses of sovereignty, diverging from the conventional plenipotentiary paradigm and accentuating a vision of community rooted in shared gift; (3) Balthasar’s thought embodies a form of negative political theology, deconstructing and rectifying presupposed categories within the domain of political theology, as his theological principles do not merely establish a direct correspondence between theological concepts and the political realm; moreover, it rejects the analogical correlation drawn between the theological and the political. Lastly, the article concludes that Balthasar’s affirmative Christology offers profound insights into the intricate interplay between religion and politics, thereby catalyzing a reevaluation of contemporary theopolitical discourses. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:59:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f63919307e14f0ea643872b2ba55c40 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-6579 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:59:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Theology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f63919307e14f0ea643872b2ba55c402023-10-30T07:59:11ZengDe GruyterOpen Theology2300-65792023-10-01911839010.1515/opth-2022-0234Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political TheologyMolina Almudena0Department of Religion, Boston University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Boston, United StatesThis article explores the potential theological–political discourse of Hans Urs von Balthasar, presenting the following arguments: (1) Despite its often-disregarded status, Balthasar’s thought contains a discernible thread of political theology; (2) His exploration of kenosis and community serves as a direct challenge to Schmittian concepts of sovereignty and representation. This challenge opens up new discourses of sovereignty, diverging from the conventional plenipotentiary paradigm and accentuating a vision of community rooted in shared gift; (3) Balthasar’s thought embodies a form of negative political theology, deconstructing and rectifying presupposed categories within the domain of political theology, as his theological principles do not merely establish a direct correspondence between theological concepts and the political realm; moreover, it rejects the analogical correlation drawn between the theological and the political. Lastly, the article concludes that Balthasar’s affirmative Christology offers profound insights into the intricate interplay between religion and politics, thereby catalyzing a reevaluation of contemporary theopolitical discourses.https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2022-0234hans urs von balthasarcarl schmittpolitical theologysovereigntyrepresentationcommunitykenosismodern theology |
| spellingShingle | Molina Almudena Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology Open Theology hans urs von balthasar carl schmitt political theology sovereignty representation community kenosis modern theology |
| title | Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology |
| title_full | Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology |
| title_fullStr | Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology |
| title_short | Apophatic Confrontation: von Balthasar’s Thought on Kenosis and Community as a Veiled Response to the “Trend” of Political Theology |
| title_sort | apophatic confrontation von balthasar s thought on kenosis and community as a veiled response to the trend of political theology |
| topic | hans urs von balthasar carl schmitt political theology sovereignty representation community kenosis modern theology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2022-0234 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT molinaalmudena apophaticconfrontationvonbalthasarsthoughtonkenosisandcommunityasaveiledresponsetothetrendofpoliticaltheology |