Abstract
Jacob Lett’s Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Theology of Representation explores the notion of representation, a theological concept in Balthasar’s work that is crucial for a deeper understanding of his soteriology, trinitarian theology, Christology, pneumatology, and theology of the saints. L. argues that Stellvertretung, which has been translated as “substitution” or “replacement,” is better understood in Balthasar’s theology as “representation”: an acting with and for others in order to enhance their identity and freedom. L.’s careful and lucid examination of this particular term, which cuts across many of Balthasar’s major themes, helps to advance scholarship on Balthasar’s theology.
In the first part of his book, L. grounds Balthasar’s theology of representation in the relations of the Trinity. The Persons of the Trinity are the loving empowerment of the other to be. The communion of the Persons of the Trinity is not simply a togetherness, but an active life with and for the other. To act eternally with and for the other is the very essence of God.
L. successfully points out that the eternal giving and receiving of love in the life of the Trinity is the condition of Christ’s love for humanity. As fully divine, Christ represents God to humanity. As fully human, Christ represents humanity to God. L. points out that, Christ being the great champion of humanity, Balthasar speaks of Christ’s redemptive work as an incorporation of human beings into himself—a place where human beings are empowered to act as they were meant to act. In this way, because Christ is at work in and for humanity, Christ is ontologically intrinsic to creation.
Furthermore, L. enables us to think through the challenges of atonement theology beautifully. For Balthasar, Christ’s representative mission is not one in which Christ stands in for humanity and receives from the Father the punishment that sinful humanity deserves, but rather one in which Christ advocates and upholds the place and freedom of the humanity he represents. Christ acts in our place—bearing the full weight of sin—so that we can recognize, feel, and bear the full weight of sin—our own and that of others.
To complete the trinitarian dynamic of Balthasar’s theology of representation, L. argues in the second part of the book that, for Balthasar, the Father sends the Son to act in, with, and for human beings so that human beings, in the Holy Spirit, can act with and for others. Here Balthasar’s concept of representation helps us better understand the phrase “in the Spirit.” For the Spirit is the place of the saints—those Christians who lovingly receive the Spirit and make their lives a dwelling place for God. Thus, the representative work of Christ continues in the Church, where the Spirit acts in the place of the humanity of the Son, extending the boundaries of his mystical body by including human beings in his activity. By using their freedom for the sake of others, Christians affirm and enhance the freedom of others.
Finally, L. helpfully suggests that Balthasar’s theology of representation can be improved through engagement with other theologians, especially Dietrich Bonhoeffer, because Balthasar tends to overemphasize mystical suffering for the world. L. argues that one must take Balthasar’s theology of representation into the streets—to be embodied in suffering for and with others. The historical and political world should be the arena in which one acts generously and collaboratively in the love of the Holy Spirit.
I agree with L. that Balthasar’s theology, while offering a basis for concrete action in the world, tends toward the mystical and interpersonal rather than the political and social. I would suggest that this tendency in Balthasar’s mystical theology can be redressed by understanding disciples as belonging to interconnected communities of prayer and worship. These communities may include communities of believers without status or power who are actively engaged in the world around them and who have established a set of relationships through prayer. These believers advocate through their prayer. The point here is that prayer need not be conceived in a solitary way, but in a communal way, in which people of faith raise the consciousness of the larger church and the wider world to intercede for others.
Overall, L. has demystified a complicated concept and promoted a healthier understanding of the theology of the cross. In addition, he helps us see that the Christian life includes being advocates and champions for others. Concretely and practically, L. reminds us that we can be champions for others as teachers, coaches, parents, counselors, and so on. The universal call to holiness invites us to help others, especially the least of these, become the persons they are meant to be in the eyes of God.