The Beginnings of His Theology

Abstract

In a congratulatory note on the occasion of the opening of the Academy of Villa Cavaletti on October 23, 2003, Ratzinger pondered the meaning of theology. He mentioned that the unknown fifth-century theologian Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite (Pseudo-Dionysius) had bequeathed to Western thought the notion that the primary subject of theology is God. Not only is he the object, but he is also the true agent of theology. With great intensity did Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas struggle with this in the thirteenth century. For Pseudo-Dionysius, the point of departure for his reflections had been the fact that a human being who had written a part of scripture had opened his mind and heart to God. Therefore, the author of scripture does not speak from his own viewpoint but from God’s perspective. Through a human being God has entered history as a speaking subject! Hence, the divine word exists in human words. As a consequence, one can state that one becomes a theologian to the degree in which one nears the sacred authors in their relationship with God and in the manner in which human and divine words collaborate. For Ratzinger, the result of this reflection is that theology must first and foremost be listening, believing, and praying; it must be listening to God. In the course of his message, he reminded the audience of Hans Urs von Balthasar’s distinction between a kneeling and a sitting theology.