Spiritual Writings

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.)