"Die Unvordenklichkeit der Liebe": Hans Urs von Balthasar's Dionysian Response to German Phenomenology

This thesis argues that Hans Urs von Balthasar responds to Martin Heidegger’s philosophy by using the theological tradition associated with Pseudo-Dionysius and creates a theological discourse that is resonant with both the Catholic tradition and phenomenology. It first identifies particular themes in Balthasar’s theological discourse that reflect his appropriation of the philosophical language of Martin Heidegger. It then examines the way in which those themes in Heidegger are secularised versions of Meister Eckhart’s theological language. Elucidating the relationship between Eckhart and Heidegger provides fresh insight into Eckhart’s ambiguous place in Balthasar’s theology. By interpreting Meister Eckhart as a theologian in the Pseudo-Dionysian tradition, one comes to see that Balthasar’s apparently Heideggerian language is better understood as Eckhartian. The conceptual resonances between the three figures raise doubts about Heidegger’s attempt to separate philosophy and theology and raise new questions for on-going discussions concerning the relationship between phenomenology and Christian theology.Master of Theology (ThM