Parody of the Priesthood
THE RELIGIOUS
On the back of a loose piece of paper, Kierkegaard has sketched a circle with a dot at the center and added a quote by Plato, in Latin. Translated, it reads, “God is a sphere, the center of which is everywhere and the circumference of which is nowhere.”
Demands, Reconciliation, and Offense
They Spat upon Christ
“Already as a small child, I was told as solemnly as possible that ‘the crowd’ spat on Christ, although he was the truth. I’ve kept this hidden deep within my heart.” (Journalen NB10. Source: SKS.dk)
God Is Both Near and Distant
”God is at once both infinitely close to and yet infinitely far away from human beings. / To develop a relationship with God is to embark on a voyage of discovery.” (Journalen NB34. Kilde: SKS.dk)
God as Possibility
“The decisive thing is that for God, everything is possible. This is eternally true, i.e., true at every moment.” (Sygdommen til Døden. Kilde: SKS.dk)
To Be Present
What is joy? What does it mean to be joyful? It is truly to be present to oneself. But truly to be present to oneself is this today, this to be today, truly to be today. The more true it is that you are today, the more completely present you are to yourself today, the less the day of trouble, tomorrow, exists for you. Joy is the present time with the whole emphasis on the present time. (Enten-Eller. Anden Deel. Kilde: SKS.dk)
The Still Waters and the Deep Well-Spring
“As the quiet lake is fed deep down by the flow of hidden springs, which no eye sees, so a human being’s love is grounded, more deeply, in God’s love. If there were no spring at the bottom, if God were not love, then there would be neither a little lake nor human love. As the still waters begin obscurely in the deep spring, so human love begins mysteriously in God’s love.” (Kjerlighedens Gjerninger. Kilde: SKS.dk)
The Speech of the Offended
”The most ridiculous thing that can be imagined is (…) that a person, the same as any of us (…) except that is a poorly dressed person, (…) almost beneath the poverty line—is God. What has he done to prepare for his future? Nothing. Does he have a job? No. What prospects does he have? None. He can’t even answer simple questions like how he’ll spend his time when he’s older, how he’ll fill long winter nights. He can’t even play cards.” (Indøvelse i Christendom. Kilde: SKS.dk)
Self-Forgetfulness
“I get up in the morning and thank God—then I get to work. At a given time in the evening, I quit and thank God—then I sleep. This is how I live, though not without certain moments of sadness and melancholia, but for the most part, day in and day out, in the most blessed enchantment. “ (Journalen NB5. Kilde: SKS.dk)
