Christ’s Descent into Hell: John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger, and Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Theology of Holy Saturday

Pope John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) both held Hans Urs von Balthasar in high regard. Many assume that their praise of Balthasar implies approval of his theology of Holy Saturday, but in this book Lyra Pitstick shows that conclusion to be far from accurate. Pitstick studies the theological statements of John Paul II, Joseph Ratzinger, and Hans Urs von Balthasar regarding the creedal statement that Christ “descended into hell,” and she shows that there are radical differences in their conclusions. She then addresses some important questions that arise from her findings: If one or more of them is wrong, who is it? What then should we make of the popes’ praise of Balthasar? If John Paul II and Benedict XVI have lauded someone with whom they disagreed, are there implications for papal infallibility? This careful, concise exploration of what three of the twentieth century’s most famous Catholic theologians had to say about Christ’s descent into hell provides a clear discussion on a difficult point of theological debate.

About the Author :
Lyra Pitstick holds a Ph.D. in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. She won a John Templeton Award for Theological Promise for her previous book on Balthasar, Light in Darkness: Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Catholic Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hell.

Review :
Richard Conrad, OP -- Aquinas Institute, Blackfriars, Oxford "The truth that Christ 'descended into hell' to crush the powers of evil and to lead into heaven those who had died longing for Him is weak in the consciousness of many modern Western Christians, and into this vacuum have come theologies of the descent such as Balthasar's. . . . Lyra Pitstick's work is extraordinarily timely, since she firmly lays to rest any claims that, on this issue, Balthasar had the agreement of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Her work is both accurate and supportive of authentic devotion." Manfred Hauke -- University of Lugano, Switzerland "This is a very fine piece of scholarship, evincing an authentic quest for truth. It treats one of the topics mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, the serious study of which has been compromised by the influence of a certain pseudo-mysticism on the part of the Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar. . . . Pitstick's work is an excellent exercise of theological method, faithful to Christian revelation as transmitted by the Magisterium and elaborated in a clear, critical, systematic way. It is accessible not only to theologians but to all those wanting to deepen their understanding of the Apostles' Creed."