Hans Urs von Balthasar's work, "Dare We Hope 'That All Men Be Saved'?" (1986), represents a theological milestone of the 20th century, proposing a bold vision regarding the possibility of universal salvation. By arguing that the Christian has not only the right but almost the duty to hope that all may be saved, Balthasar seeks to rebalance Christian eschatology, emphasizing the primacy of divine love over retributive justice. However, when examined under the light of traditional theology, specifically through the lens of Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., and his critique of the "new theology," Balthasar's proposal reveals profound tensions that merit rigorous analysis. This article proposes to examine Balthasar's thesis in the light of Thomistic principles defended by Garrigou-Lagrange, seeking to discern the boundaries between legitimate Christian hope and the risks of theological subjectivism.
🕯️ Chapter 1: Summary of Hans Urs von Balthasar's Work
In his work, Hans Urs von Balthasar articulates a theology of hope grounded in the ontological primacy of God's love. The work is structured around four main axes: the analysis of Scripture, the tradition of the Church, the testimony of the saints, and theological conclusions.
Balthasar argues that ecclesial tradition, historically focused on the possibility of damnation, has neglected "universalist" biblical texts that suggest God's universal salvific will (1 Tim 2:4; Rom 11:32; 1 Cor 15:22-28). He maintains that while divine judgment is an undeniable reality, it does not necessarily imply de facto condemnation. The crucial distinction lies between the real possibility of damnation and the probability of its effectuation. For Balthasar, God's "Yes" to creation, manifested in the Cross, is ontologically superior to any human "No," making the final rejection of God, although possible, theologically improbable.
The central thesis is summarized in the formula: "We can hope (sperare) for the salvation of all men, but we cannot know (scire)." Balthasar argues that since the Church has never dogmatically defined that any specific human being (apart, perhaps, from Judas, whose condemnation is not dogma) is in hell, it is licit to hope that hell, while real as a possibility, may be empty.
🛑 Chapter 2: The Thomistic Critique: Hope or Presumption?
Applying Garrigou-Lagrange's lens, Balthasar's proposal faces fundamental objections. The first concerns the nature of theological truth. Garrigou-Lagrange, in "La nouvelle théologie où va-t-elle?", warns against replacing objective truth (adaequatio rei et intellectus) with a subjective or vitalist truth (adaequatio mentis et vitae). Balthasar's hope, by relying heavily on an "existential" interpretation of divine love and on mystical intuitions (such as those of Adrienne von Speyr), risks deviating from the objectivity of Revelation.
For classical Thomism, hope is a theological virtue that relies on the divine promise but cannot contradict revealed divine justice. Scripture not only speaks of God's universal salvific will but also repeatedly warns of the reality of eternal perdition (Mt 25:41; Mk 9:43). Garrigou-Lagrange would argue that transforming the "possibility" of condemnation into a statistical improbability, based on a supposed "necessary victory" of love, flirts with presumption and the practical denial of human free will, which includes the real and terrible capacity to definitively reject God.
🛡️ Chapter 3: The Danger of Dogmatic Relativism and the Mediation of Mary
Garrigou-Lagrange's critique of the "new theology" also applies to Balthasar's hermeneutics. By reinterpreting biblical texts and tradition to favor a universalist view, Balthasar may be falling into the error of adapting dogma to modern sensitivities, a characteristic trait of the movement Garrigou-Lagrange fought against.
Garrigou-Lagrange's Mariology offers a robust theological counterpoint. In his doctrine on Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces, he demonstrates how divine mercy and justice harmonize. Mary, at the foot of the Cross, cooperates in Redemption, but this cooperation presupposes the objective reality of sin and the need for satisfaction. Mary's mediation is universal in the distribution of graces, but the reception of these graces depends on the free correspondence of souls.
If Balthasar suggests that God's love makes condemnation "improbable," Thomistic theology, through Marian mediation, reminds us that grace is offered to all but not imposed. Human freedom, wounded by sin, can resist this grace. True Christian hope, therefore, does not lie in the expectation of an empty hell, but in trust in the infinite merits of Christ and the intercession of Mary, which make salvation accessible to all who do not place a definitive obstacle (the "obex") to grace.
🏁 Conclusion
The work of Hans Urs von Balthasar is undoubtedly a passionate appeal to trust in God's love. However, in light of Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange's critique, it must be read with caution. Balthasar's "theology of hope" walks the thin line between filial trust and the subjectivist reinterpretation of revealed data. The defense of immutable dogma and the objective understanding of truth, pillars of Garrigou-Lagrange's thought, serve as necessary beacons to ensure that Christian hope remains anchored in the reality of divine justice and mercy, without falling into naive optimism or forgetting the gravity of human freedom in the face of eternal destiny.
📚 References
Balthasar, Hans Urs von. Ousamos esperar que ‘todos os homens se salvem’?. São Paulo: Paulus, 1989.
Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., Fr. Réginald. "La nouvelle théologie où va-t-elle?". Angelicum, vol. 23, nº 3-4, 1946, pp. 126-145.
Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., Fr. Réginald. "On Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces". Chapter 6 of The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Vol. 1. Baronius Press, 2013.
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