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https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145450| Title: | Of harlots and holiness : the Church as the 'Casta Meretrix’ in Hans Urs von Balthasar |
| Authors: | Berry, John Anthony |
| Keywords: | Balthasar, Hans Urs von, 1905-1988 Church -- Catholicity Mysticism -- Catholic Church Truth -- Religious aspects -- Christianity Holiness -- Catholic Church |
| Issue Date: | 2026 |
| Publisher: | MDPI AG |
| Citation: | Berry, J. A. (2026). Of harlots and holiness : the Church as the ‘Casta Meretrix’ in Hans Urs von Balthasar. Religions, 17(3) 339. |
| Abstract: | Casta Meretrix articulates the Church’s paradoxical identity as simultaneously holy and sinful, a motif profoundly reconfigured by Hans Urs von Balthasar. Drawing on biblical typology, patristic interpretation, and historical allegory—from Rahab and Hosea to Tamar and the Shulamite—Balthasar constructs a nuanced ecclesiology that honors divine grace while acknowledging human frailty. This essay examines his method, showing how Casta Meretrix offers a critical framework for engaging ecclesial sin, historical failings, and the Church’s redemptive vocation, emphasizing vigilance, penitential self-awareness, and the transformative power of divine love within a flawed yet elect community. |
| URI: | https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145450 |
| Appears in Collections: | Scholarly Works - FacTheFDT |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Of_harlots_and_holiness_the_church_as_the_casta_meretrix_in_Hans_Urs_von_Balthasar_2026.pdf | 291.59 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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