Henri de Lubac and the Drama of Human Existence

The French Jesuit Henri de Lubac (18961991) was one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century. The publication of his Surnaturel in 1946, addressing the issue of the interrelation of nature and the supernatural, precipitated one of the most far-reaching theological debates of the century, culminating in a new historical, methodological, and theological consensus on the topic. And yet the question continues to be debated: How should de Lubacs position be understood? Although many have suggested that de Lubac saw human nature as always-already graced, in Henri de Lubac and the Drama of Human Existence, Jordan Hillebert advances a new reading of de Lubacs theology of the supernatural that is at variance with most prevailing interpretations. Through his analysis of how a hermeneutics of human existence pervades de Lubacs writings, Hillebert argues that, in de Lubacs theology, the relation between the human being and humanitys supernatural finality is best considered in terms of the supernatural insufficiency of human nature. In this way, Hillebert demonstrates that de Lubacs theology of the supernatural offers a via media between neo-scholastic extrinsicism on the one hand and post-conciliar intrinsicism on the other.

Although some authors have drawn attention to the theme of human existence in de Lubacs writings, Henri de Lubac and the Drama of Human Existence is an original study that shows how a hermeneutics of human existence provides an interpretative key to his writingsespecially in regard to the controversial question of the relation of nature and the supernatural. Due to the books broad ecumenical appeal, it will interest scholars in the fields of modern theology and, more specifically, Roman Catholic theology.