“Love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love” : An exploration of reason, love, and their interrelation in selected works of Joseph Ratzinger in the light of work by Bernard Lonergan

While some scholars have highlighted the importance of reason in Joseph Ratzinger’s theology, and others love, less attention has been paid to their interrelation. The thesis in this dissertation is that reason, love, and their interrelation are of critical interest to Ratzinger—that he pays considerable longitudinal attention to each. Further, that he upholds reason and love as inseparable. Moreover, Bernard Lonergan’s articulation of the same subject matter acts as an informative and constructive interlocution to Ratzinger’s assertion of the interrelation between love and reason. Lonergan’s presentations of conscious intentionality, conversion, a scale of values, and his four-point hypothesis with created participations bring particular clarity to Ratzinger’s work on the relation between reason and love, especially as they pertain to our understanding of God, the human person, apologetics, and an outworking of the common good.