Balthasar, St. Thérèse and the Theologian Workshop at Balthasar Centenary Congress Miltown Institute

26 February 2005

Abstract

I was introduced to Hans Urs von Balthasar by a lecturer in Milltown, Fr. John Hyde, S.J., a remarkable teacher, who formed a  generation of theologians and philosophers there from 1962 until his death in 1983. Two things he said about Balthasar that are worth  recording here. He said in his inimitable Cork accent, “Tackling Balthasar is like a fly examining an elephant; you can only see a  bit at a time”. Speaking of the great difficulty of coping with sources in the light of Balthasar’s enormous erudition, Fr. Hyde remarked: “When he speaks about something that I know a bit about like Homer or Dionysius, I find him accurate. So...” I am far from the  extensive learning of Balthasar, or the depth of understanding of Hyde, but in the case of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, I can confirm the  extraordinary achievement of Balthasar, and I might include for good measure the remarkable Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906),  whose centenary Carmelites are already preparing to celebrate.