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Paul C. Warhurst Phd Thesis

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Paul C. Warhurst Phd Thesis ARTFUL LIVING AND THE ERADICATION OF WORRY IN SØREN KIERKEGAARD’S INTERPRETATION OF MATTHEW 6:24-34 Paul C. Warhurst A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St. Andrews 2011 Full metadata for this item is available in Research@StAndrews:FullText at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3161 This item is protected by original copyright UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS ST MARY’S COLLEGE † ARTFUL LIVING AND THE ERADICATION OF WORRY IN SØREN KIERKEGAARD’S INTERPRETATION OF MATTHEW 6:24-34 A THESIS SUBMITTED BY PAUL C. WARHURST TO THE FACULTY OF DIVINITY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY St Andrews, Scotland December, 2010 i DECLARATIONS 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, Paul Warhurst, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 79,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September, 2006 and as a candidate for the degree of PhD Divinity in August, 2007; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2006 and 2010. Date _______ signature of candidate _______________ 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD Divinity in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date _______ signature of supervisor _______________ 3. Permission for electronic publication: In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to printed copy and electronic publication of thesis through the University of St Andrews. Date _______ signature of candidate _______________ Date _______ signature of supervisor _______________ ii ABSTRACT Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard published fourteen discourses, across four collections, on Matthew 6:24-34. The repeated readings of the biblical text, whose themes include the choice between God and mammon, worry, what it means to consider the birds and lilies, and how to seek first the kingdom of God, converge with Kierkegaard’s interest in anxiety, despair, worry, subjectivity, indirect communication, choice, the moment, and life before God. This thesis explores the ways the discourses make connections with his larger works, elucidate frequently explored Kierkegaardian themes in recent scholarship, and contribute to his critique of nineteenth-century Copenhagen. Particularly, focus is placed on his development of the concept of worry and theological solutions for worry. In light of a human being’s distinctiveness as imago Dei, Kierkegaard elucidates how to respond with artful living to the ongoing possibility of worry, a possibility which is connected to Christian anthropology and to an individual’s orientation towards possessions, status, and the future. The discourses present an interpretation of each verse and phrase of Matthew’s text and, held up against modern Matthew scholarship, they correlate with and contribute to Sermon on the Mount and New Testament studies. After a close reading of the fourteen discourses, the project considers their relationship to both the Sermon on the Mount sermons of Martin Luther and three modern Matthew commentaries. The comparison shows Kierkegaard’s contribution to the history of interpretation of the passage and highlights how he promotes the importance of awareness of sin, interestedness, and appropriation in the task of biblical interpretation. Overall, the discourses serve as spiritual treatises and intimate Kierkegaard’s sympathy with classic Christian spirituality. In combination with the cultural-ecclesiastical critique, the creative exegesis, and the in-depth analysis of the cause of and cure for worry, his work emerges as an excellent example of spiritual theology. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I begin by acknowledging Professor Ronald Nash, whose recorded lectures on the history of philosophy and Christian thought first sparked my interest in the writings of Søren Kierkegaard. An intellectual and spiritual journey that began with those cassette tapes has and continues to receive tremendous support and encouragement from the community of Salt Lake Theological Seminary. Special thanks go out to Tom McClenahan for being a faithful teacher and example of the integration of faith and learning. The community at St Mary’s college has provided an amazing setting in which to study and live for the last several years and I am grateful to the many relationships I have been blessed to have. Thanks go out to Paul and Mary Blair, Luke and Holly Tallon, Mariam Kamell, Daniel and Adriel Driver, Gisela Kreglinger, Jason Sexton, Tim Stone, Drew and Melanie Lewis (and Elaine and Micah), Jake and Chris Andrews, Meg Ramey, All Saints Church, my colleagues in the Admissions office, and many others as well. The academic supervision of Dr. Mark Elliott and Dr. Michael Partridge has proven invaluable in the Phd process. I am deeply grateful for their time, support, insight, and direction with this project; I hope our conversations about Kierkegaard have been as enriching for you as they have been for me. I also extend my thanks to my parents, my brother and his family, and my extended family in Utah. Thank you for always cheering for me and maintaining interest in my work despite the geographical distance. Special thanks go out to Josh Vargo and Elizabeth Powell whose friendship has been a great blessing throughout the PhD experience. Thanks for reminding me and helping me to celebrate the small victories along the way! Finally I give thanks for my wife Amber and my beautiful daughter Ruby. Amber, you have accomplished the seemingly insurmountable tasks of writing your own PhD, teaching undergraduates, and taking care of our daughter while simultaneously having to listen to me ramble on about Kierkegaard ad infinitum. I would not be handing in this thesis without your love, faith, wisdom, courage, and strength. Ruby, like the birds and lilies of the Gospel, you are a God-given diversion that reminds me of the earnestness and joy of life. I love you both and dedicate this thesis to you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations vii Chapter One: Kierkegaard and the Sermon on the Mount 1 Introduction 1 Kierkegaard and Hermeneutics 4 L. Joseph Rosas 5 Jolita Pons 6 Timothy Polk 8 Kyle Roberts 10 Richard Bauckham 12 Summary of Kierkegaard and Hermeneutics 13 Kierkegaard’s Fascination with Matthew 6:24-34 15 The Concept of Anxiety 16 Sickness Unto Death 18 The Concept of Worry 19 The Corsair Affair 22 End of the Pseudonyms 24 Money Matters 26 Relationship with Bishop Mynster 28 The Sermons of Martin Luther 29 Summary of Kierkegaard’s Fascination with Matthew 6:24-34 30 Conclusion 31 Chapter Two: The 1847 Matthew Discourses 33 Introduction to Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits 33 Background to the Discourses 33 The Role of Author, Text, and Reader 35 The Discourses and the Aesthetic, Ethical, and Religious 38 Discourse One: ‘To Be Contented with Being a Human Being’ 41 Discontentment, Worry, and Comparison 41 Contemplation and the Path to Contentment 43 The Way of the Lily 44 The Parable of the Lily 47 Discontentment and Comparison in the Garden of Eden 50 The Way of the Bird 51 The Parable of the Wood-Dove 52 Mynster and the Parable of the Wood-Dove 55 Summary of Discourse One 56 Discourse Two: How Glorious It Is to Be a Human Being 58 A Godly Diversion 58 Gloriousness and the Lily 60 Artful Living: From Dominion to Worship 61 Gloriousness and the Bird 62 Artful Living: From Working to Co-Working 63 Summary of Discourse Two 65 Discourse Three: What Blessed Happiness Is 66 Promised in Being a Human Being From Diversion to Earnestness 66 No One Can Serve Two Masters . 68 v The Blessedness of the Capacity to Choose 69 Seeking God’s Kingdom and Righteousness 72 Summary of Discourse Three 74 Conclusion 75 Chapter Three: The 1848 Matthew Discourses 77 Introduction to The Cares of the Pagans 77 Structural Features 78 Kierkegaard’s Introduction to The Cares of the Pagans 81 The Polemical Side of the Discourses 83 Artful Living and the Discourses 85 Discourse One 87 ‘The Care of Poverty’ 87 Artful Living and Poverty 87 Discourse Two 89 ‘The Care of Abundance’ 89 Artful Living and Abundance 91 How to Forget Riches 92 Discourse Three 95 ‘The Care of Lowliness’ 95 Artful Living and Lowliness 96 Discourse Four 98 ‘The
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