Peter Henrici, SJ at the Greg

Besides the seminar we had with Peter Henrici, SJ (reading Blondel's L'action, where he taught us to use a set of methods for interpreting a philosophical text), I also attended his "Un discorso filosofico per la teologia." This was something amazing: students would turn up from all the Roman universities around, sitting on the window sills and on the floor... classes were packed and electrifying. Henrici would walk in carrying 5 or 6 large books, Plato in Greek and so on, and he was amazing. He took us from the Pre-socratics up to Heidegger and beyond. I used to think: perhaps Heidegger had that kind of effect on his students. a pity that I was in my first roman semester, and could follow only that much Italian. i have vague notes somewhere... but what he said did have an effect. As also his seminar - I tried to use the methods in my doctoral work. I guess they belonged to the "minor methods" of the upper blade, while Lonergan concentrated on method in a larger sense...