Originally published in 1961, this study challenges the stereotype of Kierkegaard as being socially aloof and politically conservative. Bukdahl does a through job of contextualizing Kierkegaard in nineteenth-century Denmark, shedding light on his relationships with his family, various religious groups, and the leading intellectual figures of his time. At the same time, Kierkegaards fundamental interest in the plight of the common man is revealed both from his writings and his social encounters. In addition to crafting a fine translation, Bruce Kirmmse has expanded the usefulness of Bukdahl's work by including a significant biographical introduction, informative notes identifying events and figures referenced in the text, and a guide pointing readers to English translations of all of Kierkegaard's writings.

Originally published in 1961, this study challenges the stereotype of Kierkegaard as being socially aloof and politically conservative. Bukdahl does a through job of contextualizing Kierkegaard in nineteenth-century Denmark, shedding light on his relationships with his family, various religious groups, and the leading intellectual figures of his time. At the same time, Kierkegaards fundamental interest in the plight of "the common man" is revealed both from his writings and his social encounters. In addition to crafting a fine translation, Bruce Kirmmse has expanded the usefulness of Bukdahl's work by including a significant biographical introduction, informative notes identifying events and figures referenced in the text, and a guide pointing readers to English translations of all of Kierkegaard's writings.

Often viewed by his contemporaries as a person who deliberately cultivated an air of mystery and eccentricity, Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) has continued to be a subject of great speculation. Here historian Bruce Kirmmse provides a collection of every known eyewitness account of the great Danish thinker. These accounts give us a glimpse of Kierkegaard's spiritual and intellectual development, along with other aspects of his life. 21 photos.

This is the first English edition of Bukdahl's strikingly original study of Kierkegaard, originally published in 1961. Seeking to undermine the stereotype of Kierkegaard as socially aloof and politically conservative, Bukdahl finds him to be fundamentally interested in and concerned about the plight of "the common man".

'Christian nationalism' refers to the set of ideas in which belief in the development and superiority of one's national group is combined with, or underwritten by, Christian theology and practice. A critique of Christian nationalism is implicit throughout the thought of Søren Kierkegaard, an analysis inseparable from his wider aim of reintroducing Christianity into Christendom. Stephen Backhouse examines the nationalist theologies of Kierkegaard's contemporaries H.L. Martensen and N.F.S. Grundtvig, to show how Kierkegaard's thought developed in response to the writings of these important cultural leaders of the day. Kierkegaard's response formed the backbone of his own philosophical and theological project, namely his attempt to form authentic Christian individuals through the use of 'the moment', 'the leap' and 'contemporaneity'. This study brings Kierkegaard's critique of Christian nationalism into conversation with current political science theories of religious nationalism and reflects on the implications of Kierkegaard's radical approach. While the critique is unsettling to politicians and church leaders alike, nevertheless there is much to commend it to the reality of modern religious and social life. As a theological thinker keenly aware of the unique problems posed by Christendom, Kierkegaard's critique is timely for any Christian culture that is tempted to confuse its faith with patriotism or national affiliation.

Tome I covers the reception of Kierkegaard in Northern and Western Europe. The articles on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland can be said to trace Kierkegaard's influence in its more or less native Nordic Protestant context. Since the authors in these countries (with the exception of Finland) were not dependent on translations or other intermediaries, this represents the earliest tradition of Kierkegaard reception. The early German translations of his works opened the door for the next phase of the reception which expanded beyond the borders of the Nordic countries. The articles in the section on Western Europe trace his influence in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Flanders, Germany and Austria, and France. All of these countries and linguistic groups have their own extensive tradition of Kierkegaard reception.