Struggling with God: Kierkegaard and the Temptation of Spiritual Trial

by Simon D. Podmore

Overview

Invoking the biblical motif of Jacob's struggle with the Face of God (Genesis 32), Simon D. Podmore undertakes a constructive theological account of 'spiritual trial' (tentatio; known in German mystical and Lutheran tradition as Anfechtung) in relation to enduring questions of the otherness and hiddenness of God and the self, the problem of suffering and evil, the freedom of Spirit, and the anxious relationship between temptation and ordeal, fear and desire. This book traces a genealogy of spiritual trial from medieval German mystical theology, through Lutheran and Pietistic thought (Tauler; Luther; Arndt; Boehme), and reconstructs Kierkegaard's innovative yet under-examined recovery of the category (Anfægtelse: a Danish cognate for Anfechtung) within the modern context of the 'spiritless' decline of Christendom.

Developing the relationship between struggle (Anfechtung) and release (Gelassenheit), Podmore proposes a Kierkegaardian theology of spiritual trial which elaborates the kenosis of the self before God in terms of Spirit's restless longing to rest transparently in God. Offering an original rehabilitation of the temptation of spiritual trial, this book strives for a renewed theological hermeneutic which speaks to the enduring human struggle to realise the unchanging love of God in the face of spiritual darkness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780227173435
Publisher:	James Clarke Company, Limited
Publication date:	10/31/2013
Pages:	294
Sales rank:	384,566
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dr Simon D. Podmore is a Teaching Fellow in Theology at New College, University of Edinburgh. He is author of Anatomy of the Abyss: Kierkegaard and the Self Before God (Indiana University Press) and a number of articles in philosophical and pastoral theology. He is also Secretary of the Søren Kierkegaard Society of the United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction - Struggling with God: Towards a Kierkegaardian Theology of Spiritual Trial
1. The Secret Struggle: Lost in Translation
2. The Old Devotional Books: Anfechtung in Tauler and the Theologia Deutsch
3. Melancholia Coram Deo: Luther's Theology of Anfechtung
4. God's Fire in the Soul: Anfechtung in Arndt and Boehme
5. Before God in Secret: Temptation and Spiritual Trial in Kierkegaard I
6. To the God-forsaken God: Temptation and Spiritual Trial in Kierkegaard II
7. The Desire of Spirit
8. The Temptation of Spiritual Trial
Index

Editorial Reviews

Struggling with God is systematic in its dealings with difficult and under discussed concepts in theology and philosophy of religion, presenting a coherent Kierkegaardian account of spiritual trial. Podmore switches between detailed historical analysis and contemporary theology with ease, and, particularly in its closing chapters, Struggling with God introduces an account of spiritual trial which has great potential to be applied to contemporary issues in the philosophy of religion and theology.

British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Vol. 23 Iss. 2, 2015 - Joshua Cockayne

Podmore offers insightful discussion on the nature of our struggles with God. He helps demonstrate how, during those times where we feel we are fighting against God, we are, in fact, struggling against the things that keep us from God. … [Struggling with God] would surely be of great interest to anyone engaged in comparative religious studies.

Science et Esprit, Vol 69, Issue 2, 2017 - Matthew Newland

Simon Podmore is establishing a distinctive place within Kierkegaard studies and one which is promising a significant contribution to wider theological discourse [...] This is more than a book about Kierkegaard, it is also a reminder of the theological resources of Christian spiritual traditions.

Theology, vol.117, issue 4, (2014) - George Pattison

A thoroughly-researched and carefully-presented book, Struggling With God merits attention from both Kierkegaardian experts and those with an interest in Christian spirituality.

Heythrop Journal, vol.55, issue 5, (Sept, 2014) - Myles Hannan

... Podmore offers a groundbreaking development in Kierkegaard Studies that shores up the constructive and inter-confessional work that can be done with the theological aspects of Kierkegaard's writings... Podmore rightly argues that in solidarity, Kierkegaard offers his theology of spiritual trial as a hope filled consolation to those who are otherwise tempted to despair...

Reviews in Religion & Theology, Volume 21, issue 4, 2014 - Joshua Furnal

An excellent historical and constructive foray into one of theology’s more problematic areas[…]Kierkegaard scholars will recognize this as a helpful resource for presenting a full and careful accounting of this key aspect of his thought[…]this is a very helpful resource for those interested in the Lutheran history of interpretation of spiritual trial, those researching a Kierkegaardian appropriation of Anfechtung, and those doing constructive work in the place of spiritual struggle in theological reflection.

Theological Book Review, volume 26, no 1, 2014 - Joseph McGarry

This book is particularly useful to understand the impact of this War on the psyche of Christians in Britain, the resultant moral dilemma about the credibility of their faith claims in public places, and their missionary work both at home and overseas. Anyone who wishes to understand the First World War and the Church of England will find this book insightful and helpful.

Theological Book Review, volume 26, no 1, 2014 - Daniel Jeyaraj