The Sacramentality of the World and the Mystery of Freedom

Front matter

` Aschendorff Verlag

Elisa Zocchi

THE SACRAMENTALITY OF THE WORLD AND THE MYSTERY OF FREEDOM

Preface

This book is the result of my PhD research in association with the ITN “The History of Human Freedom and Dignity in Western Civilization’, funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement. First acknowledgments go to the consortium of this project, especially Professor Alfons Fürst, for giving me the opportunity to develop my research; to Professor Elena Rapetti for her immense knowledge, and her continuous support of my studies, from BA to PhD; to Prof. Anders-Christian Jacobsen, Prof. Friedemann Stengel, Prof. György Heidl, Prof. Lenka Karfíková, Prof. Karla Pollmann, Prof. Peter Martens and Prof. Theo Kobusch for their feedback on my work. I wish to thank my PhD colleagues in the project for the many fruitful conversations and for their support throughout these three years, especially Karen Felter Vaucanson, Andrea Bianchi, and Elisa Bellucci for their sincere friendship. Finally, I wish to thank the team of the Origen Research Center at the Department of Catholic Theology and Prof. Thomas Leinkauf at the Department of Philosophy of Münster University.

I express my gratitude to the Balthasar Archive in Basel, especially to Claudia Müller, who allowed me to study Balthasar’s manuscript notes for Geist und Feuer.

This work would have been much different without the months spent at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington DC, where I had the opportunity to develop part of my research. The guidance, support, and encouragement of Prof. Rev. Paolo Prosperi, without whom this research would have been impossible, have been and continue to be a precious gift. I extend my gratitude to Prof. Nicholas J. Healy and Prof. David C. Schindler for the conversations, and the time they dedicated to my thesis.

At the Catholic University of Milan, I wish to thank Prof. Marco Rizzi and Prof. Marco Rainini for the help they provided during my research stay. I am thankful to Prof. Jonathan Bieler and Prof. Martin Bieler, who offered me a precious day discussing Balthasar and the Fathers at the beginning of my research, guiding me in the right direction. My sincere thanks also go to Prof. Lorenzo Perrone, Prof. Samuel Fernandez, Prof. Werner Lóser, and Prof. Jennifer Newsome Martin, for kindly answering all my questions.

I wish to thank my parents, Maurizio and Giovanna, my sister Marta, my nonne and uncle for their everlasting support and presence throughout the stages of this PhD. Without a home, I would not have been wandering but lost. To all my

6 Preface friends in Gavirate, for their faithful presence and because “un paese ci vuole ...”; and to Elena, Paola, and Agnese, for always being there even from afar. I thank all my friends at the John Paul II Institute and Catholic University of America for the long days and nights in Mullen Library; especially Julia Bolzon and Suker Li for their undeserved friendship. This book has involved much travelling; a special thanks goes to all the old and new friends, too many to mention, who have offered me their sofas and attentions during my many days on the road. Finally, Gerard, thank you for having undertaken the difficult mission of editing the first draft of this work and loving me throughout a PhD, a long-distance relationship, an international marriage, two immigration processes, and innumerable relocations. You made it all worth it.

Chicago, Spring 2020 Elisa Zocchi

‘These things (‘the former things’) have ‘passed away’,

for the One who sits upon the throne says, ‘Behold, I make all things new’. Not: Behold, I make a totally new set of things,

but: Behold, I refashion and renew all that is.

And our faith tells us that this ‘new’ reality was already present in the old’, in our drama, though in a hidden form.

It is true to say, of course, of this process of re-creation,

that ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes,

and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be mourning not crying nor pain any more,

for the former things have passed away’.

And it is also true, as Paul says, that ‘this slight momentary affliction

is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison’.

But nonetheless it is the tears that actually elicits the wiping away:

it is the slightly momentary affliction that prepares and

actually brings about the weight of glory.

(Hans Urs von Balthasar, Theo-Drama 4)

Content

PREFACE "mmm Introduction «esa ces ae tae ea ex uaa ata des aed Res anaes a vee SECTION 1: ORIGEN AND THE 20™ CENTURY IL. Balthasar’s Silences u... eee en exe aa 3. Ihe Three Strata of Origen i... ccc eee 00 ten exes ones eer ten ok III. Balthasar’s Enthusiasm for Origen...

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V. Balthasar’s Critiques of Origen...

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VI. Why this Origen? The Issues behind the Critiques: against Idealistic Neoplatonism. «55 sea eo oh ream es eq red alie du aed aee

Section 2: Balthasar's Appreciation Of Origen

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I. The Dignity of Eros: Origens Contribution to the Nature-Grace CONMOVETSY sus deeem ive wr ee TOR veg CS E S o e dila eg 1. Desire in Spirit Gnd Fire... «isis 242 eto e lesa eR LESE even ade

a) ^A Desire to be United with Him": the Dynamic Character of IDCSITC vss css meae us vec ient aerae od feed COR b) “The Soul5 Affinity to God": the Analogical Character of Desire. . . c) "Some Traces of Divine Will": the Divine Arrow of Love as "Objective.Promise". „0000 corsudi usa eU ERE GIO eres 3. Towards Sacramental Ontology: the "Objective Promise" in Balthasars Iheology.« iode ero Ra Ya vd eR Walere wey ees

II. The Spiritual Senses: Origen’s Contribution to the Faith-Reason Gon T ——————Á—"

2. Why the Spiritual Senses? .... 0.0... 3. The Spiritual Body «i. cesset 2000.00 ne en 6. 7. 8.

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Content

III. Exitus-Reditus: Origen's Contribution to the Freedom-Determinism CONMOVERSY $a so sus oe 6348 Rd ve ed aa er "Der wabreKefn'. ice Ju te de eine en The Roots of Freedom. u... cn ed b) The Doctrine of the 7yeuoviKov.. 2... cse 7 An Exemplar Case: the Fifth Book of the Commentary on Romans ....

IV. Conclusive Remarks: At the Core of the Tension within Balthasar’s Appreciation of Origen... essc bans ea t REESE C asd a eu see R- Titanism and Pantheism....ecsseesievediade epe sera 3. A Way out of the Tension: Origens “großartiger heilsgeschichtlicher Tänitarismus uses sus ame age

2. Apocatastasis in Spirit and Fire... ccce ees 3. Voices on Universal Salvation... 0.0.0.0... 000 sees.

a)- Catholicisme: «seien Center daa ahaa dota dah I E es b) History and Spirit 4.4.0... een

c) “Tu mas trompé, Seigneur”. Le commentaire d’Origene sur Jeremie 20:7 nee era podio tre eat E a) Dare we Hope... tps rper sade ee sa SED ICI ee 5. Holy Saturday ua... anna dad ceca is as Barth and Origen su... epe dee a ada eee etie

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List of Abbreviations siver sc cca m dis ee ne ed 325 Bibliography: osse yea o Warde eo ee taped ema le eed en ees 327 Indexes

uic cp ETT 357 Names... a er ee 360