Man at Play
By Hugo Rahner, S.J.
Man at Play is a theological and religious interpretation of play and its place in culture and society. Hugo Rahner examines play as a means of participation in the life of God himself—an activity which is both serious and joyous. Aided by the teachings of the Church Fathers and other theologians, philosophers, and poets, Rahner lucidly locates the play of nature within the play of grace. Finding inspiration from Huizinga, Buytendijk, and von Kujawa, Rahner both develops and complements their work with his rich understanding of antiquity and Catholic theology.
"My object is to show, by drawing on the forgotten riches of antiquity and the ancient Church, what modern man has lost because this faculty of play has been lost to him."
Hugo Rahner, S.J., (1900–1968) was a Catholic priest, theologian, and Church historian. Professor of theology at the University of Innsbruck, he became Dean and then President of the University following World War II. His scholarship in Patristics, lauded by Pope Benedict XVI, helped rediscover the profound connections between Mariology and ecclesiology.