Fortunate Fallibility: Kierkegaard and the Power of Sin
Fortunate Fallibility: Kierkegaard and the Power of Sin
Assistant Professor of Religion
Cite
Abstract
This book deconstructs and reconstructs the fortunate Fall (felix culpa) theme of Western thought, using Kierkegaard as a guide. Dating back to the fifth century Easter Eve Mass, the claim that Adam's Fall might be considered “fortunate” in light of a resultant good has become Christianity's most controversial and unwieldy idea. Whereas the phrase originally praised sin as a backhanded witness to the ineffability of redemption, modern speculative theodicy came to understand all evil as comprehensible, historically productive, and therefore fortunate, while the Romantic poets celebrated transgression for bolstering individual creativity and spiritedness. This book traces Kierkegaard's blunt critique of Idealism's justification of evil, as well as his playful deconstruction of Romantic celebrations of sin. The book argues, however, that Kierkegaard also resists the moralization of evil, preferring to consider temptation and sin as determinative dimensions of religious existence. At least in relation to the assumed “innocence” of Christendom's cultured Christians, the self-conscious sinner might be the better religious witness. Although the book shows how Kierkegaard finally replaces actual sin with human fragility, temptation, and the possibility of spiritual offense as that which “happily” shapes religious faith, it also argues that his understanding of “fortunate fallibility” is at least as rhetorically compelling and theologically operative as talk of a “fortunate Fall.” Together, Kierkegaard's playful maneuvers and this book's thematizations carve rhetorical space for Christian theologians to speak of sin in ways that are more particular and peculiar than the typical discourses of Church and culture.
-
Front Matter
-
Introduction: Fault and Fallibility
-
1
Figuring a Fortunate Fall
-
2
Felix Fragilitas in The Concept of Anxiety
-
3
Felix Fallibilitas in The Sickness unto Death
-
4
Felix Offensatio in Practice in Christianity
-
5
Felicitas: Between Cross and Resurrection
- Postscript: Christian Para/Orthodoxy: Toward a Postmodern Hamartiology
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 4 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 2 |
December 2022 | 3 |
December 2022 | 4 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 1 |
February 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 4 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 3 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 3 |
December 2023 | 3 |
January 2024 | 3 |
January 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 7 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 1 |
May 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 5 |
August 2024 | 4 |
September 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 4 |
December 2024 | 1 |
January 2025 | 3 |
February 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 4 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.