238VOLTAIRE, FRANÇOIS MARIE AROUET DE
bravely when the occasion warrants.
Contrast with VICES.
VOLTAIRE, FRANÇOIS MARIE
AROUET DE (1694–1778). B orn Francois
Marie Arouet, this prolific French writer
later took Voltaire as his pen name. He
was born into a wealthy family in Paris
who wanted him to study law, but he
decided to be a writer instead. A skeptic
and a rationalist, he is often thought to be
an atheist, but in fact his hostility was
only directed toward formal religion and
he identified as a deist. His satirical writ-
ings frequently criticized Catholic dogma,
religious intolerance, and injustice. A
social reformer and champion of liberty,
he was imprisoned and exiled multiple
times. He is best known for his novel
Candide (1759), a satirical critique of
philosophical optimism. His other works
include Letters Concerning the English
Nation (also entitled Philosophical Letters)
(1733), and Eléments de la philosophie de
Newton (1738).
VON BALTHASAR, HANS (1905–
1988). Hans Urs von Balthasar is one of
the most highly regarded Roman Catholic
theo logians of the twentieth century. Born
in Lucerne, Switzerland, von Balthasar
studied German language and literature
at the universities of Vienna and Berlin
before completing his doctorate at the
University of Zurich in 1928. After enter-
ing the Society of Jesus in 1929 and being
ordained to the priesthood in 1936, von
Balthasar moved to Basel in 1940. In
Basel, von Balthasar became friends with
Karl Barth; this friendship was to have a
profound influence on the theological
work of both of these seminal represen-
tatives of twentieth-century Christian
thought. Also in Basel, in collaboration
with Adrienne von Speyr, he founded a
secular institute called The Community
of St. John. Von Balthasar regarded the
foundation of this institute as one of
his most significant contributions to the
church of his day, and in 1949 he left
the Society of Jesus to devote his attention
to it.
Von Balthasar’s theological writings
secured him the reputation which he now
enjoys. These writings range over numer-
ous topics, notably including: theology
and literature, prayer and the spiritual
life, revelation, theological aesthetics,
theology and drama, nature and grace.
Von Balthasar’s theology is distinctive
in large part due to the prominence he
accords to notions such as human holi-
ness and mission, as well to his insistence
that the saints of the church constitute a
vital, if often overlooked, theological
resource. He is most well known for his
multi- volume theological trilogy: The
Glory of the Lord (on theological aesthet-
ics); Theo-Drama (on theological dra-
matic theory); and Theo-Logic (on truth,
reason, and revelation). As well as being a
free-lance writer and spiritual guide, von
Balthasar founded the Johannes Verlag
printing house and the international