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Von Balthasar and the Office of Peter in the Church

Von Balthasar and the Office of Peter in the Church

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sa<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong> who always „represent <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>k between <strong>the</strong> Marian<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Petr<strong>in</strong>e <strong>Church</strong>‟ (225). <strong>Balthasar</strong> sees Johann<strong>in</strong>e love as fulfill<strong>in</strong>g a<br />

mediat<strong>in</strong>g role, first <strong>of</strong> all, between Christ <strong>and</strong> <strong>Peter</strong>‟s pastoral <strong>of</strong>fice: when<br />

<strong>Peter</strong> is asked by Christ, „Do you love me‟ he is asked to share <strong>in</strong><br />

Johann<strong>in</strong>e love as a condition <strong>of</strong> his exercis<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> pastoral m<strong>in</strong>istry („Feed<br />

my sheep‟). <strong>Peter</strong> is rem<strong>in</strong>ded by Christ that Johann<strong>in</strong>e love will rema<strong>in</strong><br />

(<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong>) until Christ returns <strong>in</strong> glory: „In <strong>the</strong> unfathomable mystery<br />

<strong>of</strong> Jesus‟ good pleasure, John reta<strong>in</strong>s his own mission, dist<strong>in</strong>ct from that <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Peter</strong>‟. John 21 conta<strong>in</strong>s „a subtly composed symbolic doctr<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Church</strong> <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> task <strong>of</strong> “<strong>of</strong>fice” (<strong>Peter</strong>) <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> task <strong>of</strong> “love” (John)<br />

become...<strong>in</strong>tertw<strong>in</strong>ed‟ (142). John‟s second mediat<strong>in</strong>g role, between <strong>the</strong><br />

(lay) Marian <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> (<strong>in</strong>stitutional) Petr<strong>in</strong>e <strong>Church</strong> is signalled by his<br />

faithful discipleship at <strong>the</strong> foot <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cross when, <strong>Peter</strong> hav<strong>in</strong>g denied<br />

Christ, John becomes <strong>the</strong> son <strong>and</strong> guardian <strong>of</strong> Maria-Ecclesia. „The truly<br />

Johann<strong>in</strong>e <strong>Church</strong> is... <strong>the</strong> one that st<strong>and</strong>s under <strong>the</strong> Cross <strong>in</strong> place <strong>of</strong> <strong>Peter</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> on his behalf receives <strong>the</strong> Marian <strong>Church</strong>‟ (225).<br />

James, <strong>the</strong> bro<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lord, represents <strong>the</strong> dimension <strong>of</strong> tradition <strong>and</strong><br />

law (Torah). The leader <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jewish-Christian Jerusalem community<br />

(<strong>the</strong> ecclesia ex circumcisione) -- tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Peter</strong>‟s place after he leaves<br />

Jerusalem (Acts 12.17) -- he represents cont<strong>in</strong>uity between <strong>the</strong> Old <strong>and</strong><br />

New Covenants <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> dimension <strong>of</strong> Torah-observance that Jesus came to<br />

perfect. James mediated between Jews <strong>and</strong> Gentiles at <strong>the</strong> first Council <strong>of</strong><br />

Jerusalem, reconcil<strong>in</strong>g conservative Jewish Christians to <strong>the</strong> presence <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong> <strong>of</strong> „those not under <strong>the</strong> law‟ (1 Cor 2.20-1). He puts forward<br />

noth<strong>in</strong>g less than „<strong>the</strong> perfect law <strong>of</strong> liberty‟ (James 1.25). The Jewish<br />

writer Franz Rosenzweig <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> early part <strong>of</strong> this century suggested that<br />

God‟s „Star <strong>of</strong> Redemption‟ had Judaism at its core from which <strong>the</strong> rays <strong>of</strong><br />

Christianity spread to <strong>the</strong> Gentile world; Rosenzweig argued that<br />

Christianity had to stay close to Jewish faith <strong>and</strong> observance or it would get<br />

lost <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> gnosticisms <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pagan world. By mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ciple <strong>of</strong><br />

tradition <strong>and</strong> law constitutive <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong>, <strong>Balthasar</strong> echoes Rosenzweig<br />

<strong>in</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> tie to Jewish tradition a bulwark aga<strong>in</strong>st cultural<br />

assimilation <strong>and</strong> compromise.<br />

Paul represents <strong>the</strong> dimension <strong>of</strong> universalism <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>culturation. The<br />

apostle <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ecclesia ex gentibus, he represents <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong>‟s engagement<br />

with <strong>the</strong> cultures <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, <strong>in</strong> which it is to f<strong>in</strong>d a home, becom<strong>in</strong>g „all<br />

th<strong>in</strong>gs to all people...for <strong>the</strong> sake <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gospel‟ (1 Cor 9.22-3). He also<br />

represents charismatic vocation—he is outside <strong>the</strong> structure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Twelve,<br />

yet is given a vocation which <strong>the</strong> hierarchical <strong>Church</strong> must acknowledge as<br />

willed by Christ—<strong>and</strong> dynamic mission modelled on <strong>the</strong> „type‟ <strong>of</strong> Christ<br />

(144). He also represents <strong>the</strong> dimension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> creation <strong>and</strong> development<br />

<strong>of</strong> local churches—his „anxiety for all <strong>the</strong> churches‟ (2 Cor 11.28) <strong>and</strong> his<br />

„travail till Christ be formed‟ <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>m (Gal 4.19) -- which are to f<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

place with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Catholica. He also symbolises <strong>the</strong> dimension <strong>of</strong> freedom<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit: <strong>the</strong> dialectic between James <strong>and</strong> Paul (Rom 4.2-3 versus<br />

James 2.20-23) mirrors <strong>the</strong> dialectic <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong> between freedom from<br />

<strong>the</strong> Law <strong>and</strong> obedience to <strong>the</strong> Law until <strong>the</strong> return <strong>of</strong> Christ. He is, <strong>in</strong><br />

short, <strong>the</strong> dimension <strong>of</strong> apostolic energy <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Church</strong>.<br />

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