When the young Yves Congar visited Lutheran theologians and pastors in Germany in 1930, he learned that Lutheran perceptions of Catholicism were largely shaped by Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor, of which Congar had never heard.
Today, it would be impossible for a sophisticated theologian like Congar to reach his mid-20s without at least having heard of Ivan Karamzov’s “poem.” But in 1930, the text had not yet become universal.
It is certain that many contemporary texts that seem to be permanent touchstones for all future discussion will not be viewed as the crucial texts of our day by later generations. What contemporary texts will become the “common sense” of later generations is impossible to guess. Texts, like seeds, must go into the ground and die before they bear fruit. And resurrections are in the nature of the case unpredictable.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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