What did not arise in any human heart

: divine revelation as objective, external, and novel in Søren Kierkegaard’s The Book on Adler

Abstract

This dissertation is a systematic and historical theological study of Søren Kierkegaard’s concept of divine revelation as it is specifically presented in his work The Book on Adler. This study argues that close attention to The Book on Adler clarifies Kierkegaard’s overall position on the doctrine of revelation and corrects misconceptions of Kierkegaard’s view of this topic. Besides contributing to Kierkegaard scholarship, this study also addresses theological questions by asking how Kierkegaard’s dispute with Hegelians on this point might contribute to a proper Christian understanding of the nature of divine revelation. As will be shown, in the context of his dispute with Hegel, Kierkegaard specifies that divine revelation is independent of subjective understanding (objective), ultimately arises from a source different than immanent human reflection (external), and discloses information that was not previously available to the human race (novel). Finally, The Book on Adler more than his other works makes clear that Kierkegaard believed in the existence and importance of specifically verbal revelation. It will then be argued that these conclusions correspond well with the Biblical idiom of “revelation” and therefore Kierkegaard’s arguments deserve to be heeded in modern considerations of this doctrine.

Date of Award	2 Jul 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	Andrew Bartholomew Torrance (Supervisor)