Von Balthasar draws upon a little known, at least in Protestant circles, 19th century theologian named Matthias Joseph Scheeben as a precedent for his program. Von Balthasar writes: "Scheeben is here only meant to be representative of the way an (all too) 'aesthetic' theology . . . may possibly be refined and made credible as a theological aesthetics. By this we mean a theology which does not primarly work with the extra-theological categoeris of a worldly philosophical aesthetics . . . , but which develops its tehory of beauty from the data of revelation itself with genuinely theoloigcal methods" (p. 117). We do not find "beauty" in the world and then project this image from 'nature' upon God; God reveals God's own self in Jesus that allows us to see the Beauty in the world as the revelation of God's own Triune Beauty.

This is the difference between a Romantic account of Beauty that undercuts the whole necessity of revelation -- and thus, ultimately collapses the category of Beauty back in upon itself. Von Balthasar writes, "Romantic theology ultimately failed because of a deep theological inadequacy, namely, that it did not sufficiently distinguish between creation and revelation, or, to formulate it in the terms of our enquiry, we can say that Romantic theology foundered on a kind of aesthetic and religious monism" (p. 104). Beauty is found as always already present in nature as a given -- one looks into the depths of what is to find beauty. Beauty is "behind" or "below" the surface, needed to be excavated to be discovered by looking inward at the nature that is always already there. Beauty becomes the natural "inner" and "depth" dimension to what is -- and always has been and will be.

Von Balthasar finds in Scheedben a concept of beauty as Gift, found in the elevation of what is in its origin in God, being elevated through the visible evidence of its participation in a radically transcendent God: "As against Romantic theology, Scheeben defends with relenting sharpness the separation between nature and supernature, a defence supported by a comprehensive uses of heresiology. In the first place, says Scheeben, supernature is not a moment in nature by which God brings it to perfection, a complement to nature which causes nature to pass from potency to act, or a medicine that ‘cures’ nature of the disease of having its back to Gdo by making it con-vert to him. Nor can nature claim to ‘strive positively’ after supernature or assert ‘certain rights to it’. . . . . All connecting lnes that could naturally lead from below into the Realm above are severed by Scheeben" (p. 105). God does not find God's end within the immanence of beauty already found within nature, that ultimately places God and nature as found within each other. Beauty is not grounded in nature that is then equated with God.

Instead, nature itself is already graced, a gift, and beauty is a sign, a signal of that which exceeds and goes beyond nature -- beauty is not "natural" at all! Beauty is the elevation of nature into its origin and end -- God. "The world of grace is the world of God himself to created nature, thereby granting it a share in his own substance and nature. . . . . God’s revelation of himself, according to Scheeben, means the transporting of man from his own immanent and finite sphere into the divine, transcendental, and infinite sphere” (p. 106). In encountering beauty, one does not delve into the depths of nature; one is transported into the heights, sees creation elevated into its origin and end in the Beauty that is eternally and forever the Triune God. As von Balthasar states, "We must begin from above, from the heights, in order then to see how the divine beauty gradually penetrates and elevates all depths of reality" (p. 108).

Of course we see the fullness of this penetration and elevation in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here is the Glory of the Lord, not in the play of surfaces given by Botox, but in the poor crucified and raised human from Nazareth who gave his life a ransom for many.