Review Of "Aesthetic Revelation: Reading Ancient And Medieval Texts After Hans Urs Von Balthasar" By O. V. Bychkov

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Bychkov (St. Bonaventure Univ.) offers an original and important study of Hans Urs von Balthasar, one of the most prominent Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century, whose following among contemporary students continues to increase. Von Balthasar sought to counteract the aridity of the contemporary world, dominated by science, technology, and formal logic, by recovering a sense of the divine dimension of reality through a return to the emphasis on beauty so characteristic of ancient and medieval thought. Bychkov examines von Balthasar's treatment of classic texts drawn from Plato and the Platonists, the Stoics, Augustine, and the late medievals, particularly John Duns Scotus and Bonaventure. He generally approves von Balthasar's analysis, although he sometimes provides correction and amplification. Bychkov also supplies a methodological introduction to the study of traditional texts, thereby validating their use in contemporary discussion. Bychkov, whose work has focused on late medieval thought and aesthetic theory, coedited and co-translated Greek and Roman Aesthetics (2010) and the first book of Duns Scotus's "Parisian Lectures." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students and above.

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