Studies of Henri De Lubac

T&T Clark Companion to Henri de Lubac
by Jordan Hillebert.
T&T Clark; 1 edition (June 29, 2017). 520 pages.
The T&T Clark Companion to Henri de Lubac introduces the life and writings of one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. A highly controversial figure throughout the 1940s and 50s, Henri de Lubac (1896 - 1991) played a prominent role during the Second Vatican Council and was appointed cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1983. His work, which covers an impressive range of theological, philosophical and historical inquiries, has left an indelible mark on modern Christian thought.

This volume, including contributions from leading Catholic, Protestant and Anglican scholars of de Lubac's work, introduces readers to the key features of his theology. By placing de Lubac's writings in both their immediate context and in conversation with contemporary theological debates, these essays shed light on the theological ingenuity and continuing relevance of this important thinker.

The Eucharist as a Countercultural Liturgy: An Examination of the Theologies of Henri de Lubac, John Zizioulas, and Miroslav Volf
by Yik-Pui Au (Author), Pan-Chiu Lai (Foreword).
Pickwick Publications (April 14, 2017). 194 pages.
Since its institution, the Eucharist has been celebrated in all churches regardless of denominational differences. Yet its importance should not be just confined to the Christian communities; it can have transformational power in the cultural milieu. In this book, Yik-Pui Au argues that the Eucharist can be a countercultural liturgy that upholds the identity and values of Christianity by countering cultural currents that are contrary to the Christian faith. Au takes an interdisciplinary approach comprised of church history, ritual theory, and theology of culture to examine systematically the countercultural functions of the Eucharist interpreted by three modern theologians, Henri de Lubac, John Zizioulas, and Miroslav Volf, representing the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions respectively. The comparative evaluation of this cross-tradition analysis supports Au's argument that even though culture is complex and changing, the countercultural function of the Eucharist remains valid. Despite its complexity, culture can be transformed by the Eucharist and it can also challenge and renew our understanding of the Eucharist. She suggests that due to its richness, the countercultural function of the Eucharist cannot be exhausted by one tradition. It is the task of theologians to help the church continually venture to explore and vivify this function ecumenically.
Between Apocalypse and Eschaton: History and Eternity in Henri de Lubac
by Joseph S. Flipper.
Fortress Press (May 1, 2015). 344 pages.
Between Apocalypse and Eschaton examines the systematic theology of Henri de Lubac, SJ, one of the most significant Catholic theologians of the twentieth century. While much of the recent work on de Lubac centers on the controversies surrounding his theology of the supernatural, Between Apocalypse and Eschaton argues that eschatology is the key to de Lubac's theological project and critical to understanding the nouvelle theologie, the group of theologians with whom de Lubac was associated. At the time, intra-Catholic controversies arose around the nouvelle theologie as part of a broader anxiety over the loss of the eternal in twentieth-century Europe. The German occupation of France in World War II was the backdrop for a renewed apocalyptic and eschatological thinking among French Catholics. The nouvelle theologiegenerated a debate over the meaning of "the end" that was critical to understanding the theological, spiritual, and political fissures in the postwar period. After World War II, de Lubac's writings increasingly focused on the theology of history and eschatology. The present work returns focus to this often neglected aspect of de Lubac's work.
De Lubac: A Guide for the Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed)
by David Grumett
T&T Clark; 1 edition (November 3, 2007). 200 pages.
Henri de Lubac is a dominating figure in the renewal of catholic theology in the twentieth century, opposing neo-Thomist orthodoxy with a pluriform and historical notion of tradition based on the creative reappropriation of patristic sources. De Lubac's adult life encompasses the whole of what Eric Hobsbawm has called the 'short' twentieth century, extending from the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, in which he fought, to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the year in which he died. De Lubac commenced his theological training in exile in England, played a key role in the nouvelle théologie associated with the Jesuit scholasticate at Fourvière in Lyons, assumed a leading part in catholic resistance to the Vichy regime, was silenced in the aftermath of Humani generis in the 1950s, rehabilitated as a peritus (theological adviser) to the Second Vatican Council, and raised to the cardinalate in 1983. This introduction to De Lubac will therefore also provide an overview of the whole of twentieth century French catholic theology. De Lubac's work extends beyond narrow theological boundaries. Because of this breadth of interest, some areas of his work, such as his political theology and study of Buddhism, have previously received little attention. In bringing figures from other intellectual disciplines into dialogue with Christian scripture and tradition, however, De Lubac reveals the theological significance of their positions as well as demonstrating the insufficiency of their ambivalent attitudes to faith.
Surnaturel: A Controversy at the Heart of the Twentieth-Century Thomistic Thought (Faith and Reason: Studies in Catholic Theology and Philosophy)
by Serge-Thomas Bonino (Author)
Sapientia Press Ave Maria Univ (July 1, 2007). 362 pages.

Product Description

Serge-Thomas Bonino's Surnaturel: A Controversy at the Heart of Twentieth-Century Thomistic Thought contains four sections, guided by Bonino's insight that if in the year 2000 no one is any longer a Thomist in quite the same way he would have been in 1900 or 1945, it is partly because of Fr. de Lubac; In the first section, Etienne Fouilloux describes the arc of Henri de Lubac's career up to the publication of his Surnaturel; Georges Chantraine, S.J., describes de Lubac's Surnaturel; Henry Donneaud, O.P., describes the early Thomistic response to the book; and Rene Mougel depicts Jacques Maritain's position on the topic. In the second section, focusing on Thomas Aquinas and the medieval period, Michel Bastit inquires into the relationship of Thomism to Aristotle; Jean-Miguel Garrigues explores the grace of Christ; Serge-Thomas Bonino, O.P., describes the variety of medieval positions on nature and grace as seen in theological accounts of limbo; and Jean-Pierre Torrell, O.P., masterfully summarizes nature and grace according to Aquinas. The third section engages late-scholastic developments: Laurence Renault treats William of Ockham; Jacob Schmutz explores the shifting expositions of concurrence (divine and human causality) between the thirteenth and the seventeenth centuries; and Marie-Bruno Borde, O.C.D., presents the position of the Salmanticenses. Lastly, section four inquires into contemporary developments: Georges Cardinal Cottier, O.P., discusses natural mysticism and the theology of the religions; Gilbert Narcisse, O.P., traces the theme of grace in contemporary theology; Benoit-Dominique de La Soujeole, O.P., explores the situation of contemporary ecclesiology; and Bishop Andre-Mutien Leonard notes the value of the concept of;pure nature; within theological discussions.

Reviews

Henri de Lubac's 1946 Surnaturel set off a storm of controversy. Serge-Thomas Bonino's 2009 Surnaturel is likely to do the opposite. This carefully edited collection of essays will be met with gratitude across the theological spectrum. Meticulously translated by Robert Williams and Matthew Levering, the volume continues the discussion on pure nature and natural desire, initially set off by de Lubac's controversial book. The superb essays of this volume deal not just with de Lubac's own theological position, but also with his interpretation of St. Thomas, with medieval approaches to the issue of the supernatural, and with contemporary implications of the issue. For all those interested in de Lubac and in questions surrounding the nature-supernatural relationship, this book offers a wealth of insight. --Hans Boersma, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada

Thomists of various stripes famously disagree about how to interpret Aquinas thought on the question of the final ends of man. Is man naturally proportioned to the supernatural life of grace, and if so in what sense? This superb volume of essays is essential reading for anyone interested in the controversy surrounding Henri de Lubac's Surnaturel, his questionable understanding of Aquinas on this issue, and the theology of grace and nature more generally. The volume shows on multiple fronts in a dispute that is both charitable and academically rigorous why there is not yet acquired consensus on the historical and theological theses of Surnaturel, and many of the essays give nuanced critiques of de Lubac s views. This book will be theologically controversial, and influential, for some time to come. --Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., Regent College

When the Jesuit theologian Henri de Lubac published Surnaturel in 1946, he irrevocably altered the Thomist understanding of grace. Even more, he changed Thomism itself, which now gives Thomas priority of place over his later commentators by embedding him in the patristic tradition he knew so well. Finally, and most crucially, man is now seen as inherently open to the supernatural. No longer is grace seen as topping out nature, like icing atop a layer cake. Unfortunately, de Lubac had made his case so convincingly that problems soon followed in his overpowering wake. After Vatican II, grace came to be seen as so intrinsic to man that the supernatural gifts of revelation, the Church, and the sacraments seemed, at best, merely symbolic reminders of an already realized redemption. Clearly the time has come, after the doldrums of the post-Vatican II Church, for a reassessment of Surnaturel, magnificently supplied here in this fascinating collection of essays by noted Carmelite, Dominican, Jesuit and lay scholars. Every chapter displays the art of the medieval disputatio to thrilling effect. As with medieval theology at its best, these contributions are all vigorously agued; but they are also uniformly charitable. This book is truly graceful in so many senses of that word. --Edward T. Oakes, S. J., Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC

The Eucharist Makes the Church: Henri De Lubac and John Zizioulas in Dialogue
by Paul McPartlan.
Eastern Christian Publications; 2nd edition (November 1, 2006). 368 pages.
Henri de Lubac and John Zizioulas in Dialogue. Forewords by Edward Yarnold, SJ and Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon. This original and wide-ranging study treats many of the deepest theological issues in modern ecumenism, including our understanding of the Trinity and the nature of primacy, in a vigorous and accessible fashion.

Reviews

Everything Is Sacred: Spiritual Exegesis in the Political Theology of Henri de Lubac (Theopolitical Visions)
by Brian C Hollon.
by Bryan C. Hollon.
Wipf & Stock Pub (January 1, 2009). 224 pages.
This is the definitive introduction to Henri de Lubacs spiritual interpretation of Scripture. Hollon addresses neglected aspects of de Lubacs theological renewal by examining the centrality and indispensability of spiritual exegesis in his work. In addition to exploring the historical and ecclesiastical context within which he worked, this book brings de Lubac into critical engagement with the more recent theological movements of postliberalism and radical orthodoxy.
Meet Henri De Lubac
by Rudolf Voderholzer and Michael J. (RTL) Miller.
Ignatius Press; First American edition (November 30, 2007). 222 pages.
This work traces the life and writings of this French Jesuit priest, revealing the importance and brilliance of de Lubac's works, the holiness of his life, and his deep love for the Church, which sometimes persecuted this faithful son and devoted priest. Pope John Paul II, who had the highest esteem for de Lubac, stopped his address during a major talk and acknowleged the presence of de Lubac saying, "I bow my head to Father Henri de Lubac." Subsequently, the Pope appointed the holy and beloved theologian a Cardinal. This book reveals who this great Churchman and theologian was, and the importance of his writings.

Related

  • The Cardinal, by Rudolf Voderholzer. (Excerpt from Meet Henri de Lubac: His Life and Work).
The Suspended Middle: Henri De Lubac And The Debate Concerning The Supernatural
by John Milbank.
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (September 21, 2005). 127 pages.
French Jesuit Henri de Lubac (1896–1991) was arguably the most revolutionary theologian of the twentieth century. He proposed that Western theology since the early modern period had lost sight of the key to integrating faith and reason — the truth that all human beings are naturally oriented toward the supernatural.

In this vital book John Milbank defends de Lubac’s claim and pushes it to a more radical extreme. The Suspended Middle shows how such a claim entails a ‘non-ontology’ suspended between rational philosophy and revealed theology, interweaving the two while denying them any pure autonomy from each other.

As de Lubac’s writings on the supernatural implicitly dismantled the reigning Catholic (and perhaps Protestant) assumptions about Christian intellectual reflection, he met with opposition and even papal censure. Milbank’s sophisticated account of de Lubac delineates the French theologian’s relations with other proponents of the nouvelle théologie, such as Hans Urs von Balthasar, and clarifies the subtle but crucial divisions within recent Roman Catholic theology.

The most substantial treatment in English of de Lubac’s as yet untranslated Surnaturel and the subsequent debate, Milbank’s Suspended Middle lays down an energetic challenge that every serious student of theology and Christian philosophy will want to engage.

Related

The Theology of Henri De Lubac: An Overview (Communio Books)
by Hans Urs von Balthasar
Ignatius Press (October 1, 1991). 127 pages.
Hans Urs von Balthasar prepared this overview of the theology and spirituality of Henri de Lubac, whom he calls friend and master, on the occasion of the latters's eightieth birthday. Beginning with personal reflections drawn from the then unpublished pages of "memoirs" which de Lubac placed in his hands, von Balthasar offers a review of all the major works of de Lubac.

Von Balthasar illustrates here the wonderful synthetic power for which he is justly known: bringing the range as well as the organic unity of de Lubac's work clearly into view. The main themes of that work remain as important now as when de Lubac first took them up--perhaps even more important. And there is no one better able to discuss these themes than von Balthasar, a master of theology in his own right and de Lubac's great friend for over fifty years. Co-published with Communio Books.

"Von Balthasar provides us with an astonishing summary of the massive theological output of Henri de Lubac. Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that here we have one theological giant synthesizing the ecclesiocentric thought of another giant. The book offers a double benefit, for in it we get a glimpse of two great contemporary theologians—de Lubac and von Balthasar."

— Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review