Introduction
This thesis aims to prove that the unique insight of a woman reveals the image of God as
“safekeeping” by comparing a bride's “Tabor Vision” of her beloved as described by Alice von
Hildebrand with Hans Urs von Balthasar's concept of Geborgenheit.1
The key to likening these two concepts will be the Blessed Virgin Mary, informed by the Gospel
concept of kenosis. St Luke tells us Mary was a keeper of things: “Mary kept all these things, reflecting
on them in her heart” (Lk 2:19 NAB). St Paul and the Gospels tell how Christ “emptied himself” (Phil
2:7) on the cross in order to “draw all things to himself” (Jn 12:32). Through exploring the writings of
the personalists, it will become clear first, that love is at the root of a woman's perception; second, that
her self-emptying is the only means to be receptive to love; and finally, that her vision can help others
see God's love for the whole world.
Defining terms
“The Tabor Vision”
Alice von Hildebrand, Catholic
author and professor, drawing upon the
philosophy of her husband, the great
personalist Dietrich von Hildebrand,
describes a woman's unique “Tabor
Vision” as her ability to see into the depth
Alice von Hildebrand
1
This German phrase is a term that appears in the work of von Balthasar. It refers to God's omniscient safekeeping of the
truth about all things as their Creator and as Love itself. Hans Urs von Balthasar, Theo-logic I: Theological Logical
Theory, trans. Adrian J. Walker (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000), 254.
2