On the Legacy of He Beloved Husband

On the Legacy of Her Beloved Husband

Alice von Hildebrand

The philosopher, Dietrich von Hildebrand, lived a life of high drama and heroic witness. Yet despite this, he is not nearly as well known today as his legacy deserves. For anyone interested in the life of Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1976), the natural starting point is a biography written by his widow Alice von Hildebrand, entitled The Soul of a Lion (Ignatius 2000). "L'Osservatore Romano" recently had the privilege of interviewing Alice on the legacy of her husband.

Dietrich von Hildebrand seems to be a man of his own time and also an exemplary Christian witness for the men and women of today. How is that?

One cannot understand who my husband Dietrich von Hildebrand was or what he can tell us today without having understood his very origins. He was born in 1889 to a German family living in the Italian city of Florence. His first sights were of the family villa, a 6th-century monastery of the Fratres Minimi,which his father had purchased in search of the "perfect place" to develop his artistic talent and to raise his quickly growing family.

Was Dietrich's family particularly religious?

No, quite the contrary. Dietrich's family lived in a sort of distinguished paganism. They were all "noble pagans" who lived entirely for beauty. Though formally baptised in the Protestant Church, they had never been churchgoers. No one aside from young Dietrich, the only son after five sisters, was religiously-minded. Let me share just one brief story which illustrates his deeply religious being, even long before he converted to Catholicism.

When Dietrich was 8 years old, one of his sisters took him to see the Cathedral in Milan. This was a purely aesthetic trip, to see an artistic masterpiece. As they were walking through the Cathedral, little Dietrich insisted on genuflecting before all of the many side altars. His sister became irritated, telling him to cease this meaningless performance or they would leave immediately. Yet even as a young child, Dietrich felt convinced he was acting rightly, much as he revered his sister. This independence from outside influences was typical of my husband.

When did von Hildebrand enter the Catholic Church?

As a young student of philosophy, Dietrich one day made the acquaintance of the great German philosopher Max Scheler (whose writings, by the way, were to have a great influence on the future John Paul II). One day, quite out of the blue, Scheler said to von Hildebrand, "the Catholic Church is the true Church". Dietrich was taken aback. Having for so many years lived in Florence, he had surprisingly never met a Catholic. But then Scheler made a key statement through which, unwittingly Scheler opened for his young friend the path to conversion. He said, "The Catholic Church produces saints". Scheler then spoke about the saints and powerfully sketched the personality of St Francis of Assisi. Slowly but surely, the face of the Holy Catholic Church began to shine more and more clearly. It was a slow process but he was on the way, and on 11April 1914 — Holy Saturday — my husband entered the Church.

Dietrich von Hildebrand has been one of the most prominent Catholic thinkers of the past century. But this seems to have been forgotten today by the majority of philosophers and people. Why do you think this has happened?

Over and over again, my husband was forced to begin his work anew. He devoted nearly 15 years of his life to a brave and heroic intellectual battle with Nazism. Just at the moment when his star was rising in the academic world, he decided to put a pause on his career and to place his philosophical gifts at the service of what he believed was the true call of the hour. Already in 1933, as Hitler came to power, my husband voluntarily left Germany, giving up a blossoming career to fight the Devil. Five years later, in 1938, my husband was forced to flee Vienna, losing everything: his possessions, his beautiful artwork and furniture and, above all, his notes and manuscripts.

Can we say that for Dietrich von Hildebrand truth and love are meant to exist in unity?

Of course we can. Veritas and amor belong one to the other. If the truth (and especially in a philosophical sense) becomes just an abstract concept, the game is barren. Truth has to become "life".

Would you leave us with a few words from your husband? In his thought, why is love so central to the understanding of human nature?

"To the extent that we fail to grasp what love really is, it is impossible for us to give adequate philosophical consideration to what man is. Love alone brings a human being into full awareness of personal existence. For it is in love alone that man finds room enough to be what he is". (Lodovica Maria Zanet)

Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
26 June 2010, page 12

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