People forget that even an ideal realm with such sacred foundations as the Holy Roman Empire, with an emperor who was personally holy such as Henry II, still remains something this-worldly and earthly. The Church rises infinitely above this realm, since she is essentially supernatural. As the unity of the Church triumphant, suffering, an militant, she connects the world to come with this world. The focal point must never be shifted to the extent that too much is expected sub specie æternitatis from an earthly realm. In building up the earth one should bring in neither too little theology nor too much theology.
-Dietrich von Hildebrand, Noch einmal: Katholizismus und Politik
What does he mean by “too much theology”? It would be helpful to expound more on this.
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Unfortunately I do not have access to the source text of the quote at the moment, so I cannot quite expound on its particular meaning. However, in another of von Hildebrand’s writings,
The Danger of Quietism (which can be read here), he writes, “In point of fact, the real lesson to be learned from the bankruptcy of politicizing Catholicism is this: rather than politicizing Catholicism, one must instead Catholicize politics. For the human being is an integral whole, and true religiosity will inevitably induce him to regard all areas of life in their orientation to God and to work, always and everywhere, for the kingdom of Christ… . Naturally the Christian rejects every form of earthly messianism and remains ever aware of “how great is heaven and how small the earth. Nevertheless, he makes use of all legitimate earthly means in order to shape the polis (the political community) in such a way that the kingdom of Christ may be built up within it.”
I believe the warning against “too much theology” can be taken as a warning against the kind of earthly Messianism of Leftistism seeking to establish an paradise in our present fallen world.
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Wise and sensible advice from the great Catholic philosopher, Dietrich Von Hildebrand, of whom Pope Pius XII once said ““I am personally convinced that, when, at some time in the future, the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is written, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time.”
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There is some comment by Hildebrand’s thoughts on the restoration of the Hapsburg monarchy in the memoirs of his time in Austria prior to leaving Europe, published under the title “My Battle Against Hitler”. My copy is loaned out, but when I get it back, I’ll look for the quotes to share.
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I’m currently borrowing the book myself, and hope to buy it soon. His essay Austria and Nationalism is quite excellent, and extremely timely as regards the growing tensions in this day. It would be great if you could send me any quotes you find, I might have missed some on my first reading. I do remember that von Hildebrand was good friends with Archduchess Maria Josefa, the mother of Blessed Emperor Karl.
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