Current Courses
Following the standard academic calendar, the Accademia Balthasar offers a selection of weekly seminars available to university students and researchers upon request. The subject material of these courses can vary greatly, ranging from philosophy to theology to literature, and typically has roots in the works of our authors of reference or in the vast cultural milieu of Hans Urs von Balthasar.
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For those interested, comprehensive catalogues of past course themes and
session details are available in the archives below.
Hans Urs von Balthasar: The Christian State of Life
TUESDAY
10:30 - 12:20
The sole purpose of the book The Christian State of Life, which is the basis of our course, "is to provide a comprehensive meditation on the foundations and background of St. Ignatius’ contemplation on the 'Call of Christ,' on the answer we must give if we want 'to give greater proof of [our] love', and on the choice explicitly demanded of us: either to follow Christ our Lord to 'the first state of life, which is that of observing the commandments,' of which he has given us an example by his obedience to his parents; or to follow him to 'the second state, which is that of evangelical perfection,' of which he has given us an example by leaving his family 'to devote himself exclusively to the service of his eternal Father.' And this so that we can ‘arrive at perfection" - which is, of course, the perfection of Christian love - 'in whatever state or way of life God our Lord may grant us to choose'." (Hans Urs von Balthasar)