"Image-Filled and Imageless Contemplation" by Hans Urs von Balthasar

LOGOS: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture

Title

Image-Filled and Imageless Contemplation

Authors

Hans Urs von Balthasar

Publication Date

Spring 1997

Document Type

Article

DOI

10.1353/log.1997.0008

First Page

111

Last Page

113

Excerpt

In this much-discussed matter all depends on whether the contemplator is a Christian or not. If he is not a Christian, he will from the beginning strive for imageless contemplation, wishing to free himself from the daily assaults of a world overwhelmed by sensual images, shapes, and outlines, hoping to gain the quiet and personal depth that lies behind or above it all. Such a quest can range from simple psychological therapy to a philosophical and religious contemplation and experience of the depths of the cosmos beyond all appearances, phenomena, and concepts. For the Christian all is different. For him the Absolute is the God of love, who merits this name only because within God is both a lover—one beloved from his origin in God and become beloved in God's bosom—and their mutual love.

Comments

Full text is available with a paid subscription at Project MUSE

Recommended Citation

von Balthasar, Hans Urs (1997) "Image-Filled and Imageless Contemplation," LOGOS: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture: Vol. 1: No. 1, Article 7.
DOI: 10.1353/log.1997.0008
Available at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/logos/vol1/iss1/7

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