Table Of ContentOUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,2/11/2015,SPi
CATHOLIC THEOLOGY AFTER KIERKEGAARD
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Catholic Theology after
Kierkegaard
JOSHUA FURNAL
1
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3
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To April, ti amo per sempre...
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Acknowledgements
Gratefully,Ihaveincurredanumberofdebtsandgainedanumberof
friendsalongtheway;somewillinevitablygounmentioned,buthave
nonethelessmadethisbookpossible.Thegermofthisbookbeganas
anexperimentalessaywrittenforMarcusPound,whofirsthelpedme
toseethedifferencebetweenanexperimentandaresearchproposal.
If it wasn’t for his abiding assistance and encouragement, this book
wouldhavenevergotoffthegroundinthefirstplace.Ifirstcameto
DurhamtoworkwithGerardLoughlin,whohasbeengenerouswith
histimeandwhosecommentshavebeenperceptive.Aspecialthanks
goes to Lewis Ayres for his informal guidance, generous hospitality,
and unfailing support with sharpening my argument. I am also
thankfulforaserendipitousmeetinginTriestethatledtoimportant
friendships with Rosa Goglia, Antonio Russo, Gianluca Trombini,
andElvioFontana,whoallhelpedmegetbetteracquaintedwiththe
personandarchivesofCornelioFabro.
I would like to thank Cullen McKenney, Andrew Brower-Latz,
Thomas Lynch, Matt Crawford, and Jonathan Benatti, who all took
thetimetohelpmereviseearlierdrafts.I’dliketothankespeciallyJeff
Byrnes, who first prodded me to pursue graduate studies and con-
tinuestobeformeaconstantinspiration,asourceofwisdom,anda
friend. Also, I am grateful to Dan Watts, who graciously gave of his
time, and whose conversations instilled confidence in my reading of
Kierkegaard. I will always be grateful for the encouragement and
indelible insight that David Burrell has offered me over the years.
AlsoIamthankfulforSusannahHeschel,whochampionedmywork
atavulnerablemoment—Istandontheshouldersofgiants.Thanks
also to Chris Insole and to George Pattison who were gracious PhD
examinersandwhobothencouragedmetopublishthebook.Finally,
I’d like to thank Tom Perridge and two anonymous reviewers at
OxfordUniversityPressforseeingthisthroughtherevisionprocess.
The quality of this book has been much improved through such
assistance.
Nonpossodimenticarelamiainspirazionespiritualeeilsostegno
della fede: Marco e Lucilla, Carmen, Alberto e Ricardo, Jose Maria
Castillo, e Tony Currer. Devo ringraziare Dio, in questo sentiero di
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viii Acknowledgements
speranza, per la vostra amicizia che ci fa sperimentare una comuni-
cazione di vita profonda, e che ci fa crescere nella gioia dello Spirito
Santo. ‘Hasta Siempre’! Finally, I dedicate this labour of love to my
belovedApril,whoaccompaniedmethroughthisentirejourneyand
whoisever-patient—sheneverceasestoremindmethatwithGod,all
thingsarepossible.
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Contents
Abbreviations xii
Introduction:CatholicTheologyafterKierkegaard 1
RationaleofBook:WhyStudytheCatholicReception
ofKierkegaard? 5
DistinctiveContributions 8
ChapterOutline 9
1. TowardsaMoreEcumenicalReadingofKierkegaard’s
TheologicalAnthropology 13
1.1. ObstaclestoanEcumenicalReadingofKierkegaard’s
TheologicalAnthropology 15
1.2. Re-examiningtheLutheranStructureofKierkegaard’s
TheologicalAnthropologyinWorksofLove 19
1.3. Re-examiningtheCompatibilityofKierkegaard’s
TheologicalAnthropologyinCatholicPerspective 29
1.4. Kierkegaard’sNon-HistoricistApproachtothe
ChristianFaith 44
1.4.1. TheParadoxofDivineTeachingin
Kierkegaard’sSocraticThought-Experiment 46
1.4.2. TheEpochalEquidistanceofDivineRevelation:
TheAutopsyofFaithandContemporaneity 58
1.5. Conclusion:RetrievingtheBroaderCatholicity
ofKierkegaard’sTheologicalAnthropology 64
2. TheWiderCatholicReceptionofKierkegaard’s
WritingsintheTwentiethCentury 67
2.1. TheKierkegaardRenaissanceinEurope 68
2.2. TheodorHaecker 73
2.3. RomanoGuardini 78
2.4. ErichPrzywara 83
2.5. ErikPeterson 86
2.6. JeanDaniélou 91
2.7. YvesCongar 92
2.8. JamesCollins 95
2.9. LouisDupré 98
2.10. Conclusion:AKierkegaardianTradition
withinCatholicism 102
Description:Although he is not always recognized as such, Soren Kierkegaard has been an important ally for Catholic theologians in the early twentieth century. Moreover, understanding this relationship and its origins offers valuable resources and insights to contemporary Catholic theology. Of course, there are
