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Henri-Marie de Lubac, SJ
Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Roman Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Jesus Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope, because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a Holy Orders....
 (February 20, 1896—September 4, 1991) was a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 Jesuit priest who became a Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior Ecclesiology official, usually a Bishop , of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope....
 of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
, and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 of the 20th century. His writings and doctrinal research played a key role in the shaping of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council

The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965....
.

i de Lubac was born in Cambrai
Cambrai

Cambrai is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France of the department.Cambrai is the seat of Archdiocese of Cambrai whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages....
 to an ancient, noble family of the Ardèche
Ardèche

Ard?che is a departments of France in south-central France named after the Ard?che River....
. His father was a banker.






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Henri-Marie de Lubac, SJ
Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Roman Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Jesus Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope, because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a Holy Orders....
 (February 20, 1896—September 4, 1991) was a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 Jesuit priest who became a Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior Ecclesiology official, usually a Bishop , of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope....
 of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
, and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians
Theology

Theology is the study of the existence or attributes of a deity or gods, or more generally the study of religion or spirituality. It is sometimes contrasted with religious studies: theology is understood as the study of religion from an internal perspective , and religious studies as the study of religion from an external perspective....
 of the 20th century. His writings and doctrinal research played a key role in the shaping of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council

The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965....
.

Early life

Henri de Lubac was born in Cambrai
Cambrai

Cambrai is a Communes of France in the Nord Departments of France in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France of the department.Cambrai is the seat of Archdiocese of Cambrai whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages....
 to an ancient, noble family of the Ardèche
Ardèche

Ard?che is a departments of France in south-central France named after the Ard?che River....
. His father was a banker. A born aristocrat in manner and appearance, de Lubac joined the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Roman Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Jesus Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope, because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a Holy Orders....
 in Lyon
Lyon

||-||}Lyon, also known as Lyons in English, is a city in east-central France. Its name is pronounced in French language and Franco-Proven?al language, and or in English language....
 on October 9, 1913. Owing to the political climate in France at the time, the school located to St. Leonard’s on Sea, East Sussex, where de Lubac studied before being drafted to the French army in 1914. Following a head wound received at Verdun
Verdun

Verdun is a city in the Meuse Departments of France in Lorraine in northeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although it is not the capital, but the slightly smaller Bar-le-Duc....
 during the Great War
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, de Lubac returned to the Jesuits and continued his philosophical studies, first in Canterbury and then in St. Helier, Jersey in 1920. In 1924, following a year’s teaching at the Jesuit College at Mongré, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, de Lubac returned to England and undertook his theological studies in Hastings, East Sussex. In 1926, the theologate was relocated back to Fourvière in Lyons, where de Lubac completed the remaining two years of his theological studies before, in 1929, giving his first lecture at the Theology Faculty of Lyons. He was ordained
Holy Orders

Historically, the word "order" designated an established civil body or corporation with a hierarchy, and :wikt:ordinatio meant legal incorporation into an ordo....
 to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)

The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church includes both the orders of Bishop and Presbyterium, which in Latin language is sacerdos. The Holy Orders priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
 on August 22, 1927, and obtained a doctorate in theology
Licentiate of Sacred Theology

Licentiate of Sacred Theology is the title of an intermediate graduate degree with canon law effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical university and ecclesiastical Faculty of theology....
 from the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University

Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy. Heir of the Roman College founded by St Ignatius of Loyola over 450 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first Jesuit University....
 in Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
.

De Lubac served as a professor of fundamental theology at the Catholic University of Lyon
Catholic University of Lyon

The Catholic University of Lyon , also known as the Catholic Institute of Lyon , is a private university based in Lyon, France....
 from 1929 to 1961, except during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, when he was forced underground because of his activities with the French Resistance
French Resistance

File:Croix de Lorraine2.svgThe French Resistance is the collective name used for the French resistance movements which fought against the Nazi Germany German occupation of France in World War II and the collaborationist Vichy Regime during World War II....
. He declared to the Abbé Pierre
Abbé Pierre

LAbb? Pierre was a France Roman Catholic Church priest, member of the Resistance during the World War II, and deputy of the Popular Republican Movement ....
 (1912-2007) on the day of his ordination in 1938, "Ask to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit

In Christianity, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The term Christ , is also used to refer to this presence. That is, the Spirit is considered to act in concert with and share an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son ....
 that he grants you the saints' anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism

Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious institutional power and influence, real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, and the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen....
" .

His first book was published in 1938 and was followed by numerous others until he was forbidden to publish anything in 1946, after doctrinal objections were raised against his book Surnaturel
Surnaturel

Surnaturel is a book written by the Roman-Catholic theologian Henri de Lubac. It stands among his most famous and controversial works.In this book he traces the historical meaning of the word 'supernatural' and notes a shift in implication....
. His orthodoxy had become suspect after he showed that Francisco Suárez
Francisco Suárez

Francisco Su?rez was a Spain Jesuit Catholic priest, philosopher and theology, generally regarded as having been the greatest scholasticism after Thomas Aquinas....
, favorite authority of neo-Thomists
Neo-Scholasticism

Neo-Scholasticism is the revival and development from the second half of the nineteenth century of medieval scholastic philosophy. It has some times been called neo-Thomism partly because Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century gave to scholasticism a final form, partly because the idea gained ground that only Thomism could infuse vita...
, had actually commented on some works by Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Dominican Order was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Order from Italy, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis....
 which were now known to be spurious.

Later Henri de Lubac created the series Sources Chrétiennes
Sources chretiennes

Sources Chr?tiennes is a bilingual collection of patristics founded in Lyon in 1943 by the Jesuits Jean Dani?lou, Claude Mond?sert, and Henri de Lubac....
 ("Christian Sources"), co-edited with fellow Jesuit Jean Daniélou, a collection of bilingual, critical editions of early Christian texts and of the Fathers of the Church that has revolutionized both the study of Patristics
Patristics

Patristics or Patrology is the study of early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times until around the 8th century....
 and the doctrine of Sacred Tradition
Sacred Tradition

Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a technical theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, to refer to the fundamental basis of church authority....
. His pioneering study Exégèse Médiévale revived interest in the spiritual exegesis of Scripture and provided a major impetus to the development of Covenantal Theology (Roman Catholic)
Covenantal Theology (Roman Catholic)

Covenantal theology is a distinctive approach to Catholic biblical theology stemming from the mid-twentieth century recovery of Fathers of the Church methods of interpreting Bible by scholars such as Henri de Lubac....
.

Second Vatican Council

In August 1960, Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII

Blessed Pope John XXIII , born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , known as Blessed John XXIII since his beatification, was elected as the 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City on 28 October 1958....
 appointed de Lubac as a consultant to the Preparatory Theological Commission for the upcoming Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council

The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965....
. He was then made a peritus
Peritus

Peritus is the title given to Roman Catholic theologians who are present to give advice at an Ecumenical council. At the most recent, the Second Vatican Council, some periti accompanied individual Bishops or groups of Bishops from various countries....
 (theological expert) to the Council itself, and later, by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978....
, a member of its Theological Commission (as well as of two secretariats). Although the precise nature of his contribution during the council is difficult to determine, his writings were certainly an influence on the conciliar and post-conciliar periods, particularly in the area of Ecclesiology
Ecclesiology

Ecclesiology is the study of the Christian theology understanding of the Christian church. Specific areas of concern include the church's role in salvation, its origin, its relationship to the historical Jesus, its discipline, its eschatology, and its clergy....
 where one of his concerns was to understand the Church
Church Body

A local church is a Christian religious organization made up of a congregation, its members and clergy. They are organized more or less formally, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, sometimes seek non-profit corporate status in the United States and often have state or regional structures....
 as the community of the whole people of God rather than just the clergy
Clergy

Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term comes from the Greek language ?????? - kleros, "a lot", "that which is assigned by lot" or metaphorically, "heritage"....
.

In the aftermath of Vatican II, however, de Lubac became disappointed by what he perceived as the ensuing disorder. He wrote several works explaining the true teaching of the Council fathers and decrying the uncritical disorder that he believed to have settled over theological minds. It is perhaps because of this that, in the consistory
Consistory

AntiquityOriginally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion .In the Roman empire, it was specifically applied to a formal meeting of the Comites consistoriales, i.e....
 of February 2, 1983, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...
 raised the unlikely Henri de Lubac, at 87, to the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals

The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. The College plays two roles in the church:*participating in Papal conclave when the Holy See is vacant, and...
. He was created Cardinal Deacon
Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior Ecclesiology official, usually a Bishop , of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope....
 of Santa Maria in Domnica
Santa Maria in Domnica

Santa Maria in Domnica ? also known as Santa Maria alla Navicella ? is a basilica churches of Rome Rome....
.

Late years

In 1969 Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978....
, an admirer of de Lubac's works, had proposed making him a Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)

A cardinal is a senior Ecclesiology official, usually a Bishop , of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope....
, but de Lubac demurred, believing that for him to become a bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
, as required of all cardinals by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII

Blessed Pope John XXIII , born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , known as Blessed John XXIII since his beatification, was elected as the 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City on 28 October 1958....
 in 1962, would be "an abuse of an apostolic office". Paul VI instead elevated de Lubac's junior colleague Jean Daniélou in that consistory
Consistory

AntiquityOriginally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion .In the Roman empire, it was specifically applied to a formal meeting of the Comites consistoriales, i.e....
, having committed to grant the cardinalate to a Jesuit theologian, but in 1983 Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...
 offered de Lubac the cardinalate again, this time with a dispensation
Dispensation

Dispensation may refer to*the act of distributing goods or services, especially those that are regulated, as in the practice of pharmacists . Especially, dispensation of religious doctrine,...
 from being consecrated a bishop. At 87, de Lubac accepted, and became the first cardinal after 1962 who was not a bishop. At his death he was the oldest living Cardinal.

Selected bibliography


Primary Texts

  • Catholicisme: les aspects sociaux du dogme, 1938, translated as Catholicism: Christ and the Common Destiny of Man. trans. Sheppard, L. & Englund, E. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 1988.
  • Corpus Mysticum: L'Eucharistie et l’Église au moyen âge, 1944, translated as Corpus Mysticum: The Eucharist and the Church in the Middle Ages, 2006
  • Surnaturel
    Surnaturel

    Surnaturel is a book written by the Roman-Catholic theologian Henri de Lubac. It stands among his most famous and controversial works.In this book he traces the historical meaning of the word 'supernatural' and notes a shift in implication....
    , 1946
  • Exégèse médiévale, 1959, 1961, 1964
  • A Brief Catechesis on Nature and Grace. trans. Richard Arnandez. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 1984.
  • The Mystery of the Supernatural. trans. Rosemary Sheed. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company. 1998
  • The Drama of Atheist Humanism. trans. Riley, M., Nash, A. & Sebanc, M. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.1995
  • Paradoxes of Faith. trans. Simon, P., Kreilkamp, S., & Beaumont, E. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 1987
  • More Paradoxes. trans. A. Nash. San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2002.


Secondary Texts

  • John Milbank
    John Milbank

    John Milbank , a Christian theologian, is Professor of Religion, Politics and Ethics at the University of Nottingham. He previously taught at the University of Virginia and before that at the University of Cambridge....
    . 2005. The Suspended Middle: Henri de Lubac and the Debate concerning the Supernatural. Cambridge: William B Eerdmans
  • Hans Urs von Balthasar
    Hans Urs von Balthasar

    Hans Urs von Balthasar was a Switzerland theologian and priest who was nominated to be a Cardinal of the Catholic Church....
    . 1991. The Theology of Henri de Lubac. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
  • David Grumett. 2007. De Lubac: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: T&T Clark
  • Rudolf Voderholzer. 2008. Meet Henri de Lubac: His Life and Work. San Francisco: Ignatius Press
  • Susan Wood. 1998. Spiritual Exegesis and the Church in the Theology of Henri de Lubac. Edinburgh: T&T Clark
  • Fergus Kerr. 2007. Henri de Lubac. In: Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians. pp. 67-87. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
  • Jérôme Ducor. 2007. Les écrits d'Henri de Lubac sur le bouddhisme; Les cahiers bouddhiques, n° 5 (Paris, Université Bouddhique Européenne, déc. 2007; ISSN 1777-926X), p. 81-110.


External links