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Kierkegaard and the Blue Testament

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2011

Bradley Rau Dewey
Bradley Rau Dewey
Affiliation:
Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa.
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Extract

Kierkegaard was as clever as a professional criminal in leaving a confusing trail—albeit including some tantalizing clues—for those scholarly detectives who he predicted would come sleuthing after him. As a result of his method of operation “the real Kierkegaard” is exceptionally elusive. Hypotheses compete to explain his extravagant behavior. Opinions vary as to how Kierkegaard was related to his pseudonyms. Even the work published under his own name is not free from the charge of wily posturing. And often the entries in his own private diary appear contrived.

Type
Research Article
Information
Harvard Theological Review , Volume 60 , Issue 4 , October 1967 , pp. 391 - 409
Copyright
Copyright © President and Fellows of Harvard College 1967

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References

1 Nye Testament (København: Kongelige Baisenhuses Bogtrykkerie, 1820)Google Scholar. This volume is listed as item number 33 in Søren Kierkegaards Bibliotek, ed. Thulstrup, Niels (København: Munksgaard, 1957), 29Google Scholar. The marginalia can be studied firsthand, since this New Testament is in the Kierkegaard Archives of Copenhagen's Royal Library. The marginalia are printed in Søren Kierkegaards Papirer, ed. Heiberg, P. A. and Kuhr, V. (København: Gyldendal, 1918)Google Scholar, volume 8, part 2, group C, section 3, entries 1–131. Hereafter, most references to Papirer will follow the standard form which omits the title Papirer and other words, thus reducing the reference to (e.g.) VIII/2, C/3, 1–131.

2 According to Niels Thulstrup, Kierkegaard's library numbered about 2200 volumes at his death in November of 1855. Thulstrup bases this figure, primarily, on the 2203 separate entries in the auction catalogue printed for the public sale of Kierkegaard's books in April of 1856. However, H. P. Rohde charges Professor Thulstrup with a conservative estimate, and asserts that Kierkegaard's library contained well over 4400 volumes. The weight of sober evidence seems more with Professor Thulstrup, but the issue is not completely resolved.

Documents relevant to this discussion are: Thulstrup, Niels, Søren Kierkegaards Bibliotek (Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1957)Google Scholar; Rohde, H. P., Søren Kierkegaard som Bogsamler, in Fund og Forskning i Det Kongelige Biblioteks Samlinger, VIII (Copenhagen: The Royal Library, 1961), 79–127Google Scholar; Thulstrup, Niels, Om Kierkegaards Bibliotek, in Kierkegaardiana IV (Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1962), 105–10Google Scholar.

3 VIII/2, B, xi-xii.

4 Although Training in Christianity was not published until 1850, Kierkegaard began and most probably completed the manuscript in 1848 (VIII/i, A, xxi).

5 “The notes and emphasis marks in all probability originate from — in any case in part — a perusal undertaken by Søren Kierkegaard during the period 1847–48 …” (my emphasis) (VIII/2, B, xi).

6 VIII/2, C/3, 122 (James 4:8). (This will be the standard form to cite the Papirer entry and the scriptural passage to which it refers).

7 Kierkegaard, Søren, Edifying Discourses, vol. 3 (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1945), 121–39Google Scholar.

8 Minear, Paul S. and Morimoto, Paul S., Kierkegaard and the Bible (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1953), 15ffGoogle Scholar.

9 (1843) Luke 14:25–26. Fear and Trembling, 108. VIII/2, C/3, 34.— (1844) Mark 5:7. Concept of Dread, 106. VIII/2, C/3, 24.— (1844) John 1:31. Edifying Discourses, vol. 3, 123. VIII/2, C/3, 46.— (1844) II Timothy 1:7. Edifying Discourses, vol. 4, 75. VIII/2, C/3, 117.— (1847) I Timothy 1:5. Works of Love, no. VIII/2, C/3, iii.—(1847) James 4:8. Purity of Heart, 25. VIII/2, C/3, 122.— (1848) Matthew 11:28. Training in Christianity, 10, 41. VIII/2, C/3, 6.— (1848) Matthew 26:40. Christian Discourses, 282. VIII/2, C/3, 18.— (1849) John 12:25. Sickness Unto Death, 47, 97. VIII/2, C/3, 59.— (1851) I Peter 4:8. For Self-Examination, 18. VIII/2, C/3, 128.— (1851) Luke 2:10–11. For Self-Examination, 171. VIII/2, C/3, 26. — (1855) Luke 11:48. Attack Upon Christendom, 120. VIII/2, C/3, 32. — (1855) Matthew 10:41, 42. Attack Upon Christendom, 239. VIII/2, C/3, 5. (To determine editions of these cited works, see Minear and Morimoto, op. cit., 14.)

10 It would be most convenient if we could determine that during one marking period Kierkegaard used one writing medium exclusively, and during another period he used a different medium. Despite the convenience, this cannot be shown. Consider the example of the theme of suffering which receives twelve ink and nine pencil underlinings in the blue Testament. If this theme was marked during one restricted period, then it is clear that Kierkegaard mixed media during that period. Therefore, it is impossible, on the basis of medium, to distinguish the date of these markings from the date of other mixed-media themes. On the other hand, if the suffering theme were marked throughout the 1843–55 period, then Kierkegaard apparently mixed his media at random over the entire time he possessed the blue Testament. Unfortunately, such a conglomeration of media does not make stratification possible.

The discovery that Kierkegaard had underlined in ink a scripture passage central to one of his 1843 books opened up the possibility that ink was an early medium. However, as it turned out, this same underlined passage also played a central role in books published by Kierkegaard in 1847 and 1851. This reference is to I Peter 4:7–12, which serves as the basis for two 1843 “edifying discourses,” the last part of Works of Love in 1847, and furnishes a theme for the 1851 publications of For Self-Examination and Two Discourses at Communion on Fridays. Thus, inconclusively, ink could be an early, middle, or late medium. Other attempts at stratification produced similarly negative results.

11 Isaiah 42:2 as cited in Matthew 12:19. (Unless otherwise noted, all Biblical quotes are from the Revised Standard Version.)

12 VIII/2, C/3, 7.

13 John 18:8.

14 John 18:9.

15 VIII/2, C/3, 69. Kierkegaard seems to consider one “lost” if his loyalty fails under stress.

16 Luke 23:32.

17 VIII/2, C/3, 44.

18 Greek text: Ἤγοντο δè καὶ ἕτεροι κακοῦργοι δύο σὺν αὐτῷ ὰναιρεθῆναι (ΗΚΑΙΝΗ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ. London: The British and Foreign Bible Society, 1958). Considering the Greek text, the grammarian is faced with the choice of either separating Jesus from the “others” or including him as one of the “others,” thus implying his criminal status. Both renderings are possible. Quite naturally, the text reads, “They were led, and two other criminals with him, to be killed.”

English text: Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.

Danish text: Med der bleve og to andre Misdaedere førte ud for at henrettes med ham (from blue Testament).

19 “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’” (Luke 4:1–3)

20 VIII/2, C/3, 27.

21 αἵρεσις (“sect,” or “heretical sect”) is discussed in Bauer, W., Arndt, W. F. and Gingrich, F. W., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), 23Google Scholar.

22 VIII/2, C/3, 82 (Acts 24:14).

23 VIII/2, C/3, 82 (Acts 28:22).

24 VIII/2, C/3, entry numbers 20, 72, 73, 74.

25 VIII/2, C/3, 73. This is a paraphrase of Kierkegaard's dark Danish: “Heraf seer man at det ikke straekker til 〈til〉 Forsvar for at gjøre Uret: jeg gjør det qua Embedsmand.”

26 VIII/2, C/3, 84 (Romans 2:16). VIII/2, C/3, 88 (Romans 16:25) VIII/2, C/3, 92 (I Corinthians 5:4).

27 John 17:11–12, as underlined in VIII/2, C/3, 67.

28 VIII/2, C/3, 67.

29 Ibid.

30 Matthew 26:40.

31 VIII/2, C/3, 18 (Matthew 26:40).

32 VIII/2, C/3, 36 (noted alongside Luke 15:13).

33 Luke 8:18.

34 VIII/2, C/3, 30 (Luke 8:18).

35 VIII/2, C/3, 8 (Matthew 12:34).

36 VIII/2, C/3, 54 (John 9:39)

37 VIII/2, C/3, 61 (John 12:42–43).

38 VIII/2, C/3, 75 (John 19:38).

39 VIII/2, C/3, 32 (Luke 11:48. Cf. VIII/2, C/3, 5).

40 VIII/2, C/3, 28 (Luke 5:32).

41 VIII/2, C/3, 32 (Luke 11:48).

42 VIII/2, C/3, 115 (I Timothy 6:5).

43 VIII/2, C/3, 130 (II Peter 2:3).

44 VIII/2, C/3, 4 (Matthew 10:8).

45 VIII/2, C/3, 1 (Matthew 2:18).

46 VIII/2, C/3, 58 (John 12:23, 24–27). In VIII/2, C/3, 63, Kierkegaard writes that Jesus' words “Now is the Son of Man glorified” are a prelude to Jesus' passion (Re: John 13:31).

47 VIII/2, C/3, 53 (John 9:21ff.). In some of his published works, especially Training in Christianity, Kierkegaard makes it abundantly clear that Jesus's invitation to “come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” does not entail being snug in the arms of Jesus, but rather is a call to follow in the footsteps of him who carried a cross.

48 VIII/2, C/3, 14 (Matthew 21:21).

49 VIII/2, C/3, 5 (Matthew 10:41–42).

50 VIII/2, C/3, 13 (Matthew 20:22).

51 VIII/2, C/3, entries 40, 61, 66, 71, 75, 77.

52 VIII/2, C/3, 108 (I Thessalonians 3:3).

53 VIII/2, C/3, 39 (Luke 21:13).

54 VIII/2, C/3, 38 (Luke 16:15).

55 VIII/2, C/3, 21 (Matthew 27:43–44).

56 VIII/2, C/3, 7 (Matthew 12:19).

57 VIII/a, C/3, 36 (Luke 15:13–17).

58 VIII/2, C/3, 80 (Acts 7:25).

59 VIII/2, C/3, 37 (Luke 16:14).

60 VIII/2, C/3, 94 (II Corinthians 1:24).

61 VIII/2, C/3, 95 (II Corinthians 5:13).

62 VIII/2, C/3, 48 (John 5:30).

63 VIII/2, C/3, 97 (Galatians 1:16–17).

64 VIII/2, C/3, entries 64, 85, 129 (John 15:3, Romans 3:25, II Peter 1:9).

65 VIII/2, C/3, 66 (John 16:32).

66 VIII/2, C/3, 127 (I Peter 3:1–10).

67 VIII/2, C/3, 112 (I Timothy 2:11–12).

68 VIII/2, C/3, 10 (Matthew 15:28).

69 VIII/2, C/3, 100 (Ephesians 5:28).

70 VIII/2, C/3, Si (John 6:37).

71 VIII/2, C/3, 52 (John 6:45).

72 If Kierkegaard was engaged in such speculation, it would run counter to those who see Kierkegaardian faith as the product of an unprompted, unassisted, risk-taking human decision. Also, those who view Kierkegaard as a crypto-Wittgensteinian might be a bit embarrassed by this “lapse” into supernaturalism.