Western Sophiology? The “Eternal Feminine” in the Thought of Henri de Lubac

Abstract

The study is dedicated to the Mariology and ecclesiology of Henri de Lubac. It analyzes the works in which de Lubac emphasizes the unity of these two fields of theology, referring primarily to the Fathers of the Church and to the thought of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. This article tries to show that these are not purely historical references, but an expression of de Lubac’s original reflection, which forms a coherent whole. This whole is reconstructed at the end of the article. In consequence, there might be seen a kind of “Western sophiology,” a theological synthesis in which the “feminine element” plays an important role, and the central, rather than peripheral, nature of the truths of faith concerning the Mother of God and the Church becomes visible.