Alice Von Hildebrand (1923–2022)

The Soul of a Lion by Alice von Hildebrand is a biography of her husband Dietrich covering the period from his birth in 1889 up to his arrival in New York in December of 1940, the culmination of a two and a half year flight across Europe following the Anschluss of May 1938 which accomplished the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.

In a sense this work is an autobiography as the primary source is a "letter" of several thousand pages composed by Dietrich at his wife's request. There is more show more than a touch of hagiography at work here as Alice was completely devoted to her husband who could not have wished for a better "advocate" for his life and works.

With that caveat let me say that this is a captivating book. For a man who was by training and profession an academic von Hildebrand led what to many men of a similar disposition was a charmed life, not without challenges, but one graced by many advantages as the only son of a distinguished architect, devoted mother and five sisters who seemed equally devoted to their brother. He grew up on an estate called San Francesco in Florence, Italy and was educated by private tutors until he came of age to enter into the equivalent of high school. He grew up in a liberal, secular environment and was immersed in high culture in all its forms, music, art and books from an early age.

He attended the University of Munich and later Gottingen University where he studied philosophy and was a student of Max Scheler, and Edmund Husserl. He completed his doctoral work and was in poistion to take up a teaching assignment at the University of Munich when his career was put on hold due to World War I. Dietrich sought to fulfill his service as part of an ambulance corps and eventually became an assistant to a surgeon working in a hospital for wounded soldiers including French casualties as well as German. Simultaneously he worked on his Habilitation which was an academic requirement for university teaching in Germany that, in effect, was a second dissertation, followed by a defense of the thesis before the university faculty and if accepted an introductory lecture before taking up his teaching post. In the middle of all of this he came down with the Spanish flu which nearly carried him off, a fate that befell millions of people across the world in the immediate aftermath of World War I.

As it turned out the most significant event of von Hildebrand's life took place on Holy Saturday, April 11, 1914, when he and his first wife Gretchen entered into the Catholic Church in a Franciscan church in Munich. Although his parents were thoroughly secular they were nominally Protestants and Dietrich had been baptized a Protestant although he never practiced his religion.

Ironically, Max Scheler, a philosopher who was both teacher and friend to von Hildebrand, and not a man known for piety was one of the primary inspirations for turning Dietrich in the direction of Catholicism. Once he became convinced of the truth of the Church, von Hildebrand, like many converts embraced it wholeheartedly and immersed himself in studying its history and theology. Not unlike our present time von Hildebrand's conversion did nothing to enhance his reputation among his faculty colleagues, but he was never one to trim his opinions to cultivate favor or avoid controversy. Over the period from 1921 to 1938 von Hildebrand was an active participant in academic conferences and a frequent guest lecturer, especially in Catholic forums across Western Europe.

In 1921 von Hildebrand was invited to participate in a peace congress in Paris at the invitation of a Marc Sangier, a French philosopher and Socialist politician. During one session he was called upon to acknowledge Germany's complete responsibility for the war. He deftly responded by pointing out that he would be willing to do so if it could be clearly established that this was the case. In order to answer the question, it would be necessary to have access to all of the secret documents of all the powers. When a Belgian senator asked for his opinion of the German invasion of Belgium on August 4, 1914, von Hilderbrand called it an atrocious crime. Word of this got back to Germany and it was from this date that von Hildebrand was subsequently to learn that his name was put on a hit list by the National Socialist Party.

Two years later in November of 1923 on the occasion of the Munich putsch launched by Hitler and Ludendorff, von Hildebrand was compelled to temporarily flee Munich to Wurttemberg until order was restored by the military. Throughout the 1920's and 30's von Hildebrand was a dedicated and fearless opponent of National Socialism, and advocate for a solution to Europe's turmoil based on Christian principles and a rejection of nationalism and racism. His output as an academic and as a Catholic apologist was prodigious and as noted above he was an active participant and guest lecturer at academic and religious conferences throughout Western Europe.

Following the appointment of Hitler as German Chancellor by Hindenburg On January 30, 1933, von Hildebrand, knew that his time in Germany had come to an end. Six weeks after Hitler became chancellor, von Hildebrand took his family across the Brenner Pass into Italy and took up residence at the family home in Florence. He continued to travel and lecture and along the way became acquainted with Jacques Maritain, Etienne Gilson, Johan Huizinga and Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII among others.

By 1934 von Hildebrand relocated to Vienna where he founded and edited a weekly anti-Nazi magazine, "Der Christliche Standestat", (The Christian Corporative State) after securing financing from Austrian chancellor, Engelbert Dollfuss, who was assassinated by the Nazis on July 25th, 1934. Support for the magazine was withdrawn by Dollfuss' successor, Kurt von Schuschnigg. Von Hildebrand became something of an academic gypsy in the years leading up to the Anschluss in 1938 after which he was forced to flee Austria and undertake a harrowing existence for the the next two years relocating from one place to another while attempting to get all of the required documents that would get him to Lisbon and a final escape to the Western Hemisphere, He was a man who had been born into the most favorable circumstances with more than his fair share of of natural gifts and talents. He was now absolutely penniless and survived exclusively based on the charity of friends and acquaintances he had developed through the years.

Finally, von Hildebrand and family were able to make it to America where a faculty position was made available to him at Fordham University where he taught for the remainder of his career. This is where the biography concludes. The man who Franz von Papen called the most dangerous enemy of National Socialism and who was near the top of hit list to be dealt with following the invasion of Austria truly led a life in full. This book is a fascinating read on many levels and is in a sense a case study on the themes of personal integrity and love and friendship. I give it my highest endorsement and commend it to your attention. show less

This very short book explores the concept of femininity from a Christian (specifically Catholic) point of view. The author takes issue with the historical perception of women as an inferior sex; rather, she argues, femininity is privileged because the feminine virtues of receptivity, empathy, and sensitivity are what make women naturally able to respond to their call as Christians. The author also criticizes the modern feminist movement insofar as it denies the differences between men and show more women; rather, she claims, women’s unique qualities make them privileged when viewed in the light of Christianity.

While this book made several good points, it ultimately rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t particularly consider myself a feminist, and I certainly think that there are differences between men and women that go deeper than mere biology, but I didn’t like the book’s treatment of feminism. It seems to lump all feminists into one narrow category and then dismiss all feminist beliefs as antithetical to Christian teaching. The author also makes several assertions about history and sociology that aren’t supported by citations; the book does contain endnotes, but only for certain statements, which I found a little odd. Ultimately, I don’t think this book would convince anyone who didn’t already agree with the author’s premises, and it would probably antagonize the average reader. show less

Overall helpful. Alice von Hildebrand's two essays were phenomenal and worth the price of the book. I will be seeking out her work elsewhere. Dietrich was much more analytical, dry, and in my view arbitrary, descending almost to the level of a Sunday School scolding. But there were moments where he shined as well, correcting abuses and tempering with love which is normally found in Catholic ethics.

Women historically have been denigrated as lower than men or viewed as privileged. Dr. Alice von Hildebrand characterizes the difference between such views as based on whether man's vision is secularistic or steeped in the supernatural. She shows that feminism's attempts to gain equality with men by imitation of men is unnatural, foolish, destructive, and self-defeating. The Blessed Mother's role in the Incarnation points to the true privilege of being a woman. Both virginity and maternity show more meet in Mary who exhibits the feminine gifts of purity, receptivity to God's word, and life-giving nurturance at their highest. show less