Kierkegaard's Writings, XXIII, Volume 23: The Moment and Late Writings

Kierkegaard, a poet of ideals and practitioner of the indirect method, also had a direct and polemical side. He revealed this in several writings throughout his career, culminating in __The Moment__, his attack against the established ecclesiastical order. Kierkegaard was moved to criticize the church by his differences with Bishop Mynster, Primate of the Church of Denmark. Although Mynster saw in Kierkegaard a complement to himself and his outlook, Kierkegaard challenged Mynster to acknowledge the emptying and estheticizing of Christianity that had occurred in modern Christendom. For three years Kierkegaard was silent, waiting. When Mynster died, he was memorialized as "an authentic truth-witness" in the "holy chain of truth-witnesses that stretches through the ages from the days of the apostles." This struck Kierkegaard as blasphemous and inspired him to write a series of articles in __Fædrelandet__, which he followed with ten numbers of the pamphlet __The Moment__. This volume includes the articles from __Fædrelandet__, all numbers of __The Moment__, and several other late pieces of Kierkegaard's writing. CONTENTS HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION NEWSPAPER ARTICLES 1854–1855 I. Was Bishop Mynster a "Truth-Witness," One of "the Authentic Truth-Witnesses"—Is This the Truth? II. There the Matter Rests! Ill. A Challenge to Me from Pastor Paludan-Müller IV. The Point at Issue with Bishop Martensen, as Christianly Decisive for the, Christianly Viewed, Dubious Previously Established Ecclesiastical Order V. Two New Truth-Witnesses VI. At Bishop Mynster's Death VII. Is This Christian Worship or Is It Making a Fool of God? VIII. What Must Be Done—It Will Happen either through Me or through Someone Else IX. The Religious Situation X. A Thesis-—Just One Single One XI. "Salt"; Because "Christendom" Is: the Decay of Christianity; "a Christian World" Is: a Falling Away from Christianity XII. What Do I Want? XIII. On the Occasion of an Anonymous Proposal to Me in No. 79 of This Newspaper XIV. Would It Be Best Now to "Stop Ringing the Alarm"? XV. Christianity with a Royal Certificate and Christianity without a Royal Certificate XVI. What Cruel Punishment! XVII. A Result XVIII. A Monologue XIX. Concerning a Fatuous Pompousness in Regard to Me and the Conception of Christianity to Which I Am Calling Attention XX. For the New Edition of Practice in Christianity This Must Be Said; So Let It Be Said XXI. That Bishop Martensen's Silence Is (1) Christianly Indefensible; (2) Ludicrous; (3) Obtuse-Sagacious; (4) in More Than One Regard Contemptible The Moment, 1–2 What Christ Judges of Official Christianity The Moment, 3–7 The Changelessness of God The Moment, 8–9 Appendix: The Moment, 10 SUPPLEMENT Key to References Background Material Pertaining to Fædrelandet [Newspaper] Articles Hans Lassen Martensen, Sermon ... the Sunday before Bishop Mynster's Funeral Hans Lassen Martensen, On the Occasion of Dr. S. Kierkegaard's Article in Fædrelandet, No. 295 Proposal to Hr. Dr. S. Kierkegaard (by N-n) J. Victor Bloch, On the Occasion of the "Proposal" to Dr. S. Kierkegaard Original Front Page of Fædrelandet, December 18, 1854, and Original Title Pages of This Must Be Said; So Let It Be Said; The Moment, No. 1; What Christ judges of Official Christianity; The Changelessness of God Selected Entries from Kierkegaard's Journals and Papers Pertaining to the Articles and The Moment and Late Writings EDITORIAL APPENDIX Acknowledgments Collation of Fædrelandet [Newspaper] Articles, The Moment, and Late Writings in the Danish Editions of Kierkegaard's Collected Works NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE INDEX