Spiritual Writings: A New Translation and Selection
In this new collection, Oxford theologian George Pattison translates and selects Søren Kierkegaard's previously neglected writings on spirituality—works that greatly deepen our understanding of the influential thinker. In philosophy and literature, Kierkegaard ("By far the most profound thinker of the nineteenth century"—Ludwig Wittgenstein) is generally perceived as epitomizing existential angst. However, there is much moreto Kierkegaard than the popular image of the “melancholy Dane” or the...
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In this new collection, Oxford theologian George Pattison translates and selects S ren Kierkegaard's previously neglected writings on spirituality works that greatly deepen ... Publishers Weekly Fascinating and perplexing in equal measure, these exegeses on gospel and biblical sayings display a side of the great 19th-century philosopher Kierkegaard (1813 1855) that is considerably less familiar to modern readers than his status as a protoexistentialist. Editor Pattison (The Philosophy of Kierkegaard) offers 16 texts organized loosely around three themes--"Gift," "Creation," and "Love"--that show the philosopher at his most passionate and poetic, but also, a surprise in light of his radical theology, at his closest to the views of religious orthodoxy. Throughout, the author focuses on short pieces of scripture, interrogating their meaning psychologically. This allows for examination of a variety of everyday experiences from a Christian perspective, particularly doubt, difference, desire, anxiety, and silence. While the editor provides a useful introduction, his thematic style of selection and organization makes for a large degree of repetition. Despite such occasional tedium, Kierkegaard's lyricism, insight, and passionate insistence on the enduring value of scripture are frequently a wonder to behold. (Nov.)
Foreword George Pattison xi\ A Note on the Translation xxix\ Part I The Gift: ?Every Good and Every Perfect Gift is From Above?\ 1 Understanding the Gift 3\ 2 Evil and the Gift 23\ 3 Giving and Receiving 41\ 4 ?The Lord gave, the Lord took away, blessed be the name of the Lord? 63\ Part II Creation: What We Learn From the Lilies and the Birds\ 5 Be Satisfied with Being Human 85\ 6 The Glory of Being Human 113\ 7 The Blessedness Promised to Being Human 135\ 8 The Anxieties We Invent Ourselves 151\ 9 The Anxiety Caused by Being in Two Minds 165\ 10 Silence, Obedience, and Joy 179\ Part III Love: At the Feet of the Savior\ 11 The Look of Love 227\ 12 Love and Sin 243\ 13 Learn from a Woman 255\ 14 A Parable of Love 269\ 15 Luke 7:47 279\ 16 1 Peter 4:8 289
\ Publishers WeeklyFascinating and perplexing in equal measure, these exegeses on gospel and biblical sayings display a side of the great 19th-century philosopher Kierkegaard (1813–1855) that is considerably less familiar to modern readers than his status as a protoexistentialist. Editor Pattison (The Philosophy of Kierkegaard) offers 16 texts organized loosely around three themes--"Gift," "Creation," and "Love"--that show the philosopher at his most passionate and poetic, but also, a surprise in light of his radical theology, at his closest to the views of religious orthodoxy. Throughout, the author focuses on short pieces of scripture, interrogating their meaning psychologically. This allows for examination of a variety of everyday experiences from a Christian perspective, particularly doubt, difference, desire, anxiety, and silence. While the editor provides a useful introduction, his thematic style of selection and organization makes for a large degree of repetition. Despite such occasional tedium, Kierkegaard's lyricism, insight, and passionate insistence on the enduring value of scripture are frequently a wonder to behold. (Nov.)\ \ \ \ \ Rowan Williams"George Pattison offers us a deeply valuable introduction to a great philosopher."\ \
