To the Heart of the Mystery of Redemption

by Hans Urs von Balthasar

Publisher:

Ignatius

, 2010

Overview

Preface by Henri Cardinal de Lubac

Postscript and foreword by Jacques Servais, S.J.

In the 1960’s, Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar gave two conferences in Paris on the subject of redemption. One considered the perspective of Christ the Redeemer. The other gave a view of the redemption from the perspective of Mary and the Church, consenting to the sacrifice of Jesus. These two conferences are what Fr. Jacques Servais, S.J., in his foreword calls “a lantern of the Word", shedding light amidst the advancing turmoil of the postconciliar period.

These conferences were later collected by the eminent theologian Henri Cardinal de Lubac, S.J., in a single volume along with an anthology of meditations on the Passion by the mystic Adrienne von Speyr, and selected by von Balthasar.

In this new edition, prepared for the centenary of the birth of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Fr. Servais, the director of Casa Balthasar in Rome, provides an extensive postscript illuminating the text along with the original preface by de Lubac.

Key Features

• Sheds light on the concept of redemption from both Christ’s and Mary/the Church’s perspectives
• Collects insights from Hans Urs von Balthasar’s conferences and Adrienne von Speyr’s meditations
• Illuminates the postconciliar period through the lens of deep theological reflection

Contents

• Foreword by Jacques Servais, S.J.
• Preface by Cardinal Henri de Lubac (1980)
• I. Hans Urs von Balthasar
• Christ the Redeemer
• Introduction
• 1. Jesus before and after the Cross
• 2. The Beloved Son Handed over by the Father
• 3. Theories of the Redemption
• 4. Proclamation of the Mystery Today
• II. Hans Urs von Balthasar
• Mary and the Church in the Redemption
• 1. The Participation of Mary in the Sacrifice of Christ
• 2. Mary, Mother and Archetype of the Church-Bride
• 3. Mary Crucified in Faith and Self-Effacement
• 4. Mary, Model for the Church
• 5. The Requirement of the Present Time
• III. Adrienne von Speyr
• Flashes of the Passion
• 1. The Fire ofGod Is a Suffering
• 2. “Let Us Go and Suffer with Him”
• 3. Nailed to Sin
• 4. The Resumption of All Suffering in the Cross
• 5. The One Who Suffers and the Witness
• 6. The One Who Suffers and the Witness in the Church
• 7. “Jesus Says: I Thirst”
• Jacques Servais, S.J.
• Postscript
• 1. The Thomist Doctrine of the Redemption
• 2. The Pro Nobis in the Consciousness of Jesus
• 3. Merit, Substitution, Sacrifice of the Church

Praise for To the Heart of the Mystery of Redemption

I had the joy of knowing and associating with this renowned Swiss theologian. I am convinced that his theological reflections preserve their freshness and profound relevance undiminished to this day and that they incite many others to penetrate ever further into the depths of the mystery of the Faith, with such an authoritative guide leading them by the hand.

—Pope Benedict XVI

Product Details

• Title: To the Heart of the Mystery of Redemption
• Author: Hans Urs von Balthasar
• Publisher: Ignatius
• Print Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 150
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• ISBNs: 9781586171544, 1586171542
• Resource ID: LLS:HRTMYSTRYRDMPTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-03-18T17:22:16Z

About Hans Urs von Balthasar

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988) was a Swiss theologian widely regarded as one of the greatest theologians and spiritual writers of modern times. Named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, he died shortly before being formally inducted into the College of Cardinals. He wrote over one hundred books, including Prayer, Heart of the World, Mary for Today, Love Alone Is Credible, Mysterium Paschale and his major multi-volume theological works: The Glory of the Lord, Theo-Drama and Theo-Logic.