The Stillness of History: Kierkegaard and German Mysticism

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Date

2015

Authors

Piety, M. G.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

The German mystics were particularly important for Kierkegaard because of the proximity of Germany to Denmark and because of their influence on both German idealism and the Pietist tradition in which Kierkegaard was raised. This article is the first attempt to look at the issue of how the views of the German mystics may have influenced Kierkegaard's though. It begins with an introduction to what one could call mystical epistemology, but then looks more specifically at the epistemology of two medieval German mystics, Meister Eckhart and Johannes Tauler, and at Kierkegaard's exposure to German mystical tradition. Finally, it presents an account of religious epistemology that makes clear that it is largely indistinguishable from the epistemology of Eckhardt and Tauler.

Description

22 pages

Keywords

Citation

Piety, M. (2015). The Stillness of History: Kierkegaard and German Mysticism. Konturen, 7, 42-63. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5399/uo/konturen.7.0.3676