WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH? THE HIDDENNESS OF GOD IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT IN THE WRITINGS OF SOREN KIERKEGAARD

This dissertation intends to describe and analyze the influence of Kierkegaard's notion of the hiddenness of God as it affects his doctrine of the atonement. As this is done, a secondary purpose of just describing his doctrine of the atonement in a thematic form will also be realized. As these two purposes are realized, a third angle on Kierkegaard's thought will be developed--the exact meaning of what it means to be a witness for the truth.;As it turns out, Kierkegaard's idea of what it means to be witness for the truth is bound up deeply with his Pattern and Teacher themes on the atonement. These two themes are then treated together as being central to Kierkegaard's doctrine of the atonement. However, these two themes are not to be seen as being identical to the Pattern and Teacher themes of traditional theology as they are existential in nature. Their existential emphasis gives them a unique place in the history of Christian doctrine, one in which Kierkegaard redefines not only the doctrine of redemption but also Christianity. Witnessing for the truth then becomes a witnessing on behalf of being contempora- neous with Christ as opposed to such traditional Lutheran concepts as being born again or being justified by faith in Christ.;It then follows that Kierkegaard's ideas of substitution and sacrifice are not to be seen in terms of Christ's work as a Mediator between God and man as this would bring certain forms of objectiv- ity and mediation into Kierkegaard's discussion of the atonement. Instead Kierkegaard's idea of the incarnation as Absolute Paradox dominates his entire doctrine of redemption where Christ can be known only in the immediacy of faith. Any other attempt to describe Christianity in any other way is blasphemy for Kierkegaard.