"St. Paul would say to the philosophers that God created man so that he would seek the Divine, try to attain the Divine. That is why all pre-Christian philosophy is theological at its summit"

Hans Urs von Balthasar, a Swiss theologian understood for his extensive and detailed engagement with Catholic faith and viewpoint, offers an informative analysis of the relationship between philosophy and faith through this quote. The reference to "St. Paul" signifies an acknowledgment of the New Testament apostle's outlook on human existence and its ultimate function. St. Paul stressed the concept that people are meant to look for God and strive for a much deeper, more intimate relationship with the Divine.

Von Balthasar suggests that, according to St. Paul, the very act of production was oriented toward this magnificent pursuit. This doctrinal perspective indicates that human beings, by their very nature, are drawn toward understanding and encountering the Divine. Approach, for that reason, becomes a natural expression of this essential human drive. Philosophical queries about presence, purpose, and the nature of reality can be viewed as innate attempts to comprehend a higher fact-- efforts to approach the transcendent secret embodied in the Divine.

The claim that "all pre-Christian approach is doctrinal at its summit" shows von Balthasar's belief that even before the explicit discovery of Christian theology, early philosophical endeavors were inherently doctrinal in their highest goals. Thinkers from numerous customs, such as Plato and Aristotle, who contemplated essential concerns about truth and presence, were, in von Balthasar's view, unconsciously directed towards doctrinal ends. This does not mean that pre-Christian theorists clearly understood their work as faith, but rather that their supreme concerns and pursuits naturally lined up with theological query.

In essence, von Balthasar highlights an intrinsic connection between philosophy and faith. He presents the view that approach's inmost concerns about life and presence are naturally directed towards understanding the idea of God, even if indirectly. This interpretation challenges modern divisions in between viewpoint and theology, suggesting that both disciplines are linked in their supreme objectives of looking for reality and comprehending the Divine.