Towards a Fatalistic Enslavement? On the Relationship between Pagan and Neopagan Fate and Christian Freedom in the Thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar and Henri de Lubac
Ks. Lech WOŁOWSKI
Katedra Antropologii Teologicznej, Instytut Teologii Dogmatycznej i Patrystycznej, Wydział Teologiczny, Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, ul. św. Marka 10/21, 31-012 Kraków , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2012-1267
Abstract
The article examines the problem of the relationship between pagan fate (fatum) and its neopagan counterparts to the Christian approach to freedom in the thought of two outstanding theologians of the 20th century: Hans Urs von Balthasar and Henri de Lubac. A comparative method based on the analysis of source texts has been applied. In the case of the first author, the main source is his Theodrama. The results of the analysis indicate the importance of the theatrological context, i.e., of the relation between the fate dominating the ancient tragedy and the theodramatically understood Christian freedom. In the case of the second author, the main source is his treatise The Drama of Atheist Humanism. The analysis reveals that the most important aspect concerns the topic of neopagan versions of fatum, i.e., the contemporary threats to freedom resulting from the programmatic, i.e., anti-theistic, retreat from Christian values.
Keywords:
freedom, fate (fatum), paganism, neopaganism, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de LubacKatedra Antropologii Teologicznej, Instytut Teologii Dogmatycznej i Patrystycznej, Wydział Teologiczny, Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, ul. św. Marka 10/21, 31-012 Kraków https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2012-1267
