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Sunday, December 04, 2005

Kierkegaard on the reading of difficult passages from Scripture

I will extend heart-felt and repeated thanks to anyone who can point me towards the specific reference where Kierkegaard discusses the reading of difficult vs. clear passages of Scripture.

If my memory hasn't totally corrupted this, I remember him making the point that if we encounter difficult passages in scripture, we shouldn't spend overly much time trying to puzzle them out. This can be a distraction from simply allowing straightforward and clear texts of Scripture to confront and challenge us. If we understand a portion of Scripture, we should just then do it, live into it, without a lot of monkeying around trying to work out what it means, and in that way wheedle out of doing/living it.

Thanks in advance for any references you can provide, those of you with a better memory for finding passages in K's works. I knew I should have been using Endnote!

1 comment:

  1. With a bit of assistance from my friend Greg, I've located the quote in question, from For Self-Examination. That work, translated by the Hongs and include in a volume with Judge for Yourselves, is worth all the time you give to it.

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