Commentary on Søren Kierkegaard in Relation to Valentinianism and Early Christian Thought

Overview

Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), often considered the father of existentialism, was a Danish philosopher and theologian who emphasized inward faith, paradox, and individual responsibility before God. While separated by time and method from the early church and Gnosticism, Kierkegaard’s work helps illuminate the spiritual dangers of abstraction and elitism present in Valentinianism.

Key Concepts Relevant to the Discussion

1. Subjective Truth and Personal Faith

Kierkegaard taught that Christianity is not primarily a system of knowledge but a relationship requiring a "leap of faith."

Contrast with Valentinianism:

• Gnostics privileged secret, intellectual knowledge (gnosis) for a spiritual elite.
• Kierkegaard emphasized the necessity of personal commitment and inward transformation, accessible to all.
• In Fear and Trembling, the paradox of Abraham’s faith highlights a direct, obedient trust in God over abstract systems.

2. Paradox and the Incarnation

Kierkegaard saw the Incarnation—the eternal God becoming finite man—as the ultimate paradox.

Relation to Early Christian Defense:

• Aligns with orthodox efforts to affirm the full divinity and humanity of Christ.
• Valentinian Gnostics rejected or allegorized the Incarnation.
• Kierkegaard’s writings, especially in Philosophical Fragments, uphold the Incarnation as the singular moment where God confronts the individual.

3. Attack on Christendom

In The Present Age and other late works, Kierkegaard railed against cultural Christianity that substituted comfort and respectability for authentic discipleship.

Parallel Critique:

• Early church fathers saw Valentinianism as a similar distortion: a spiritualized Christianity divorced from the cross and the church.
• Kierkegaard’s critique echoes patristic concerns about false gospels and elitist religiosity.

Summary

Kierkegaard’s existential Christianity is a call to faith that is lived, not merely known. His emphasis on paradox, incarnation, and individual decision aligns him with the spirit of the Apostolic witness against the abstract elitism of Valentinian Gnosticism.

"Christianity does not at all emphasize the idea of admiring Christ; no, it is Christ’s demand that you should follow him." — Søren Kierkegaard