Joseph Ratzinger’s Philosophical Theology of the Person
Joseph Ratzinger’s Philosophical Theology of the Person

Summary/Abstract: Joseph Ratzinger’s scholarly reflections and ideas convey a philosophical theology of the person that points to relational complementarity. In this article, the author uses the image of a house in order to present Ratzinger’s philosophical theology of the human person. The first part of this article examines the foundations of Ratzinger’s theology and points out how different philosophers have influenced his understanding of biblical anthropology. The second part presents the architectural supports of Ratzinger’s theology, which are the parallels that Ratzinger draws between the body and soul as well as God’s transcendence and man. The third section discusses the ceiling, meaning the beams (principles) of Ratzinger’s theology: the intellect, love, truth, beauty, and hope. Ratzinger’s approach to philosophical theology is both original and creative because he argues that, based on his dialogical understanding of the human person, the individual must transcend himself and because he demonstrates that relationship and dialogue are as primordial a form of being as substance. The essence of Ratzinger’s theology of the person is a biblical understanding of the human person that highlights man’s unique dialogical relationship to God.

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