Mary the Church at the Source / Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger & Hans Urs von Balthasar

Two great theologians endeavor to recover the centrality of Marian doctrine and devotion for the contemporary Church, offering a spiritually rich approach to Mariology that brings into new relief the Marian contours of ecclesial faith. Ratzinger and von Balthasar show that Mary is both the embodiment of the Church, and the mother who co-operates in giving birth to the Church in the souls of believers.

At once profound and yet readily accessible, Mary: The Church at the Source offers a theologically balanced and biblically grounded presentation of traditional and contemporary thought on Marian doctrine and spirituality.

"This book contains a treasury of reflections on the meaning of Mary for the Church, theology, and indeed for anthropology generally. An indispensable source for anyone who would understand the Marian doctrine intended by the Council and in the pontificate of John Paul II—and now Benedict XVI."
—David Schindler, Ph.D., Academic Dean, John Paul II Institute

"This marvelous book of theological meditations on Mary by the two most important Catholic theologians of the 20th century explains why Mary is such a peerless jewel set inside that wretched frame called human history. Because Mary is the very birthplace of the Church and thus the locus of all that gives us hope, our tainted and fallen race itself has hope."
—Fr. Edward Oakes, S.J. , Author, Pattern of Redemption: The Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar

Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was for over two decades the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II. He is a renowned theologian and author of numerous works.

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988), a man of towering intellect and extraordinary culture and the author of vast theological works, is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in theology from the 20th century to the present.