Literature in the dramatic anthropology of Hans Urs von Balthasar

How could Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905--88), who pursued his doctoral studies in German literature, become one of the most renowned theologians of the 20th century? Throughout his writings, Balthasar interpreted literature theologically. This analysis of literature is interwoven with Balthasar's formulation of a tragic anthropology. Balthasar understands such an anthropology as humanity's participation in a biblical tragedy written and directed by the trinitarian God of Christian faith, who in Jesus Christ also plays the leading role. The purpose of this dissertation is to explicate, by a historical-critical and literary study of selected pieces of literary criticism by Balthasar, the tragic anthropology of volume one of his work Theodramatik.;Methodologically, this dissertation begins in chapter one by introducing volume one of Theodramatik. Subsequent chapters present the anthropology and literary criticism of Balthasar's earlier works, tracing how Theodramatik's tragic anthropology came to maturation. Chapter two outlines Balthasar's theological anthropology in mid-career, drawing upon Wahrheit der Welt, Theologie der Geschichte, and Glaubhaft ist nur Liebe. Chapter three shows how Das Ganze im Fragment merges anthropology with literary criticism and thus becomes a milestone in his oeuvre by placing anthropology within a literary framework, describing human life as a tragic quest for integration within a Ganze. Chapter four examines the opening volumes of Herrlichkeit, in which Balthasar's move from an existential "fundamental" anthropology to a "tragic" anthropology becomes apparent, and chapter five demonstrates that Balthasar considers Greek literature to be normative for tragic anthropology, as its works possesses an unparalleled capacity to contextualize human alienation within a literary Ganze.;The conclusions of this dissertation are contained in its final chapter, which returns to the first volume of Theodramatik to indicate how the preceding works shape Balthasar's mature tragic anthropology. In summary, Balthasar's tragic anthropology is a unique contribution to theology. By positing a view of the human person as a tragic character in the theatrum mundi , he provides a theological anthropology that remains viable in a post-modern theological context. Moreover, Balthasar's tragic anthropology is a model for interdisciplinary theological work, as befits a scholar of German literature who turned his labors to theology.