Hugo Rahner
Encyclopedia
Hugo Rahner, was a German
Jesuit, Theologian, * 3 May 1900 in Pfullendorf (Baden), † 21 December 1968 in Munich
. He was Dean
and President of Innsbruck
University and the elder brother of Karl Rahner
.
in 1919 and was sent to Valkenburg
, Holland for theological
and philosophical studies. Ordained priest in 1929, he completed his doctorate in theology in 1931, after which he worked on a doctorate in philosophy. Since 1937, he taught at the theological faculty in Innsbruck (Austria), specializing in patrology and history of Catholic dogma. The Nazis
forced his resignation and exile from 1940-1945.
: GREAT is the emperor, because he is smaller than the heavens“, and Ambrose of Milan, "It is not imperial, to deny freedom of speech, it is not priestly, to withhold one's opinion". All people are called into the Church. The Church is called Kyriake, which means "of the lord," because Christ, the lord is ruler. She has to teach in all centuries to all states, what Christ the lord and ruler has wonderfully decreed to the people.
Pope Benedict XVI
Rahner's Mariology following Ambrose of Milan , sees Mary in her role within the Church. His interpretation, based solely on the early writers, greatly influenced Vatican II and, who, quoting Ambrose, declared Mary the "Mother of the Church
", a view continued by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who specifically gives credit to Rahner on this point.
On first sight, Benedict XVI argues, it may seem accidental, that the Council moved mariology into ecclesiology. This relation helps to understand what "Church" really is. but, so Benedict XVI, Hugo Rahner showed that Mariology was originally ecclesiology. The Church is like Mary.
The Church is virgin and mother, she is immaculate and carries the burdens of history. She suffers and she is assumed into heaven. Slowly she learnes, that Mary is her mirror, that she is a person in Mary. Mary on the other hand is not an isolated individual, who rests in herself. She is carrying the mystery of the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI lamented that this unity of Church and Mary, shown by Rahner, was overshadowed in later centuries, which overburdened Mary with privileges and removed her into a far away distance. Both mariology and ecclesiology suffered under this. A Marian view of the Church and an ecclesiological view of Mary in salvation history lead directly to Christ. It brings to light what is meant by holiness and by God being human. Only one work on mariology, Our Lady and the Church, is translated into English. It received great praise not only from Pope Benedict XVI but also from American Cardinal
Avery Dulles:
—Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.
. He described him as theologian, his letters to women and his various stages of development, applying a historically critical methods to existing documents rather than hagiography
. In this sense he is considered as a modern turning point in research on Ignatius.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Jesuit, Theologian, * 3 May 1900 in Pfullendorf (Baden), † 21 December 1968 in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He was Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
and President of Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
University and the elder brother of Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner, SJ was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century...
.
Early life
He entered the Jesuit orderSociety of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
in 1919 and was sent to Valkenburg
Valkenburg aan de Geul
Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.-History:Siege and conquest were characteristic of the history of Valkenburg. Each event is withheld, followed by subsequent restorations. This most definitely holds for the castle perched atop of a hill in the middle of the...
, Holland for theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and philosophical studies. Ordained priest in 1929, he completed his doctorate in theology in 1931, after which he worked on a doctorate in philosophy. Since 1937, he taught at the theological faculty in Innsbruck (Austria), specializing in patrology and history of Catholic dogma. The Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
forced his resignation and exile from 1940-1945.
Church and state
After the war, he was named Dean and later President of the University of Innsbruck. His work focused on the relation between Church and State in the early years of Christianity. In numerous documentations, Rahner tried to revive the enthusiasm of the early Christians for the Church. He mentions TertullianTertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
: GREAT is the emperor, because he is smaller than the heavens“, and Ambrose of Milan, "It is not imperial, to deny freedom of speech, it is not priestly, to withhold one's opinion". All people are called into the Church. The Church is called Kyriake, which means "of the lord," because Christ, the lord is ruler. She has to teach in all centuries to all states, what Christ the lord and ruler has wonderfully decreed to the people.
Mariology
Hugo Rahner's great achievement was his rediscovery, in the Fathers, of the indivisibility of Mary and the Church.Pope Benedict XVI
Rahner's Mariology following Ambrose of Milan , sees Mary in her role within the Church. His interpretation, based solely on the early writers, greatly influenced Vatican II and, who, quoting Ambrose, declared Mary the "Mother of the Church
Mother of the Church
Mother of the Church is a title, officially given to Mary during the Second Vatican Council by Pope Paul VI. The title was first used by Saint Ambrose of Milan and rediscovered by Hugo Rahner, the brother of Karl Rahner.- Ambrose and Hugo Rahner :...
", a view continued by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, who specifically gives credit to Rahner on this point.
On first sight, Benedict XVI argues, it may seem accidental, that the Council moved mariology into ecclesiology. This relation helps to understand what "Church" really is. but, so Benedict XVI, Hugo Rahner showed that Mariology was originally ecclesiology. The Church is like Mary.
The Church is virgin and mother, she is immaculate and carries the burdens of history. She suffers and she is assumed into heaven. Slowly she learnes, that Mary is her mirror, that she is a person in Mary. Mary on the other hand is not an isolated individual, who rests in herself. She is carrying the mystery of the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI lamented that this unity of Church and Mary, shown by Rahner, was overshadowed in later centuries, which overburdened Mary with privileges and removed her into a far away distance. Both mariology and ecclesiology suffered under this. A Marian view of the Church and an ecclesiological view of Mary in salvation history lead directly to Christ. It brings to light what is meant by holiness and by God being human. Only one work on mariology, Our Lady and the Church, is translated into English. It received great praise not only from Pope Benedict XVI but also from American Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Avery Dulles:
- "With engaging clarity, this pioneering study sets forth the vast range of biblical metaphors the Fathers applied to Mary and the Church: ark of the covenant, valiant woman, treasure-laden ship. This rich theology of poetry and image has much to say to our more prosaic age."
—Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J.
Ignatius of Loyola
Hugo Rahner together with Otto Karrer contributed with several works to a revised view of the historical Ignatius of LoyolaIgnatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
. He described him as theologian, his letters to women and his various stages of development, applying a historically critical methods to existing documents rather than hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
. In this sense he is considered as a modern turning point in research on Ignatius.
Selected Writings
- Our Lady and the Church
- Eine Theologie der Verkündigung, Freiburg 1939;
- Abendländische Kirchenfreiheit, Einsiedeln/Köln 1943;
- Mater Ecclesia - Lobpreis der Kirche aus dem ersten Jahrtausend, Einsiedeln/Köln 1944;
- Mariens Himmelfahrt und das Priestertum, Innsbruck 1951;
- Der spielende Mensch, Einsiedeln 1952;
- Die Kirche - Gottes Kraft in menschlicher Schwäche, Freiburg 1956;
- Ignatius von Loyola. Geistliche Briefe, Einsiedeln/Köln 1956;
- Ignatius von Loyola. Briefwechsel mit Frauen, Freiburg 1956;
- Griechische Mythen in christlicher Deutung, Zürich 1957/Basel 1984;
- Sinn der Geschichte - Persönlichkeit und Geschichte, Kevelaer 1959;
- Himmelfahrt der Kirche, Freiburg 1961;
- Kirche und Staat im frühen Christentum, München 1951;
- Maria und die Kirche. Zehn Kapitel über das geistliche Leben, Innsbruck 19512;
- Symbole der Kirche, Salzburg 1954;
- Abendland, Freiburg 1966.
Literature on Hugo Rahner
- Jean Daniélou und Herbert VorgrimlerHerbert VorgrimlerHerbert Vorgrimler is a Catholic Theologian and author, who has written 33 books published in English, most of them translated from his over 90 books in German. -Works:...
: Sentire Ecclesiam - Das Bewußtsein von der Kirche als gestaltende Kraft der Frömmigkeit. Festschrift zum 60. Geburtstag von H. Rahner, Freiburg-Basel-Wien 1961 (inkl. Verzeichnis der Werke) - Johannes Holdt: Hugo Rahner: sein geschichts- und symboltheologisches Denken, Paderborn 1997, ISBN 3-506-73956-5
- Abraham Peter Kustermann und Karl Heinz Neufeld (Hrsg.): Gemeinsame Arbeit im brüderlicher Liebe - Hugo und Karl Rahner. Dokumente und Würdigung ihrer Weggemeinschaft, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-926297-48-4
- Karl Heinz Neufeld: Die Brüder Rahner: eine Biographie. Freiburg i. Br.; Basel; Wien: Herder 1994, ISBN 3-451-23466-1