four edifying discourses (1843): a dimensional analysis

Four Edifying Discourses (1843):A Dimensional Analysis'

Abrahim H. Khan

In the year 1843, while he was produeing the more familiar andeelebrated aesthetie works, Kierkegaard published three quitedifferent volumes. The first eontains two edifying diseourses, thesecond three, and the third four. This study focusses on these lastfour to convey a pieture of his religious thought in Oetober andNovember 1843. In partieular it provides an aeeount of thethematie dimensions of the volume, of the relationship among thediseourses, two of whieh earry identieal titles^, and eonsiderswhether their titles do justiee to the their aetual eontents. Further,the publieation of the four as a volume suggests that inKierkegaard's mind they were not thematieally disparate essays,that one eoheres with the other, and that there is a eontinuity inthe ordering of their appearanee in the volume. These suggestionsimply that within the eontinuity and ehange is a presumed foeus.In aiming to establish the real or total foeus of the volume, toidentify its main themes and ideas, this study provides anaeeount^ of the four from a perspeetive that eonsiders rate of

' This work is part of a larger study funded by the Social Sciences andHumanities Research Council of Canada.2 The titles of the four as rendered in Soren Kierkegaard, EdifyingDiscourses, translated by David F. Swenson and Lillian Marvin Swenson intwo volumes (Minneapolis. Augsburg Publishing House, 1962) are the first(TI) "The Lord Gave, And The Lord Had Taken Away," the second andthird (T2 and T3) "Every Good And Perfect Gift Is From Above," and thefourth (T4) "To Acquire One's Soul In Patience."^ Very little appears in recent literature on the four discourses and for <hatmatter on the eighteen edifying discourses published in 1843 and 1844.

Toplcoi 5 (1993): 235-270 Niimero monografico.

Abrahim 11. Khan

voeabulary use.

Guide Que.stions

Three questions guide our aeeount. 1) What are the top sixtydistinguishing words in the volume? Sueh words are the aberrantfrequent ones, or for short abfreq words'*, in the Danish text. Anabfreq word is one that an author uses in some eontext with afrequeney so great that it exeeeds his normal rate of use and,thus, might be presumed to stand for some feature of the eontextor objeet that the author wishes or feels eompelled to stress. Itsrate of use is expressed as a z-seore or a formulation of standarddeviation. 2) What are the three primary textual dimensions ofthe volume? Considered as diseourse, the volume has its ownspaee or boundary or limits defmed by its internal strueture andrelations among its eonstituent elements. These elements are inthis ease largely the aberrant frequent words. They provide eluesto or eonvey a sense of ideas or themes from whieh a diseourse isbuilt up through the grafting of one set of ideas or themes onanother. The various grafts eonstitute different dimensions of thediseourse. And 3), What is the eore or total foeus of the volumeas text? The eore is the eontextual information of eaeh graft — anaeeount of what the aberrant frequent words diselose about eaeh

Malantschuk treats them in a rather general way. making hardl> anymention of the four undertaken in this study. See: Gregor Malantschuk.Kierkegaard's Thought (Princeton: Princeton Uni\crsity Press. 1971). pp.31-314. A similar general treatment is accorded to them, with no mention ofthe four, in George Pattison. "'Who' is the Discourse? A study inKierkegaard's Pseudonymous Literature." Kierkegaardiana. 16 (1993). pp.28-45."• The idea of abfreq word is explained by Alastair McKinnon. "AberrantFrequent Words: Their Identification and Uses." Glottometrika. 2 (1980).Bochum, 108-124.

236

Four Edifying Discourses (1843): A Dimensional Analysis

dimension. Thus, while the first question requires identifyingstatistieally prominent words and features that they suggest in thevolume, the seeond ealls for analyzing dimensions, and the thirdinvolves providing a summary of the volume.

Altogether, the three questions eonstitute a new point ofdeparture in approaehing the volume treated as a single text.They play a role in the way one apprehends its diseourse, indetermining the preeise diseourse, and in diseerning how itoperates or is thematieally struetured with respeet toeorrespondenees and oppositions. The questions are deeidedlyadvantageous in bringing a reader to engage more elosely the textunder eonsideration, or in overeoming the initial distaneebetween text and reader by direeting attention to signifieantstruetural faets: lexieal distributions, literary artifaets, andlinguistie patterns. Thus, this study establishes the otherness ofthe text (the four edifying diseourses) on the basis of its strueturalfaets, rather than merely on memory of one's reading experienee.It is this otherness on whieh attention is foeussed when, as part ofthe eritieal and modern aet of interpretation, one is foreed toexplain what it is that one understands or what the preeisediseourse is. The differenee here between text and diseourse islargely a flinetional one. Text refers to the assemblage of wordsin a book organized to eonvey a high eoneentration of eontextualinformation. Diseourse, however, is the eontextual informationavailable through a study of the struetural faets deseribed above.To identify those faets, this study employs a strategy whieh alsoallows for a new eeonomy in the interpretation of the fouredifying diseourses without privileging an existing interpretation.

Method

Sueeinetly deseribed, the strategy employed in this study has

237

Ahrahim H. Khan

three steps and requires starting with a maehine-readable versionof Kierkegaard's Samlede Vcerker^ and using eomputationalanalysis teehniques diseussed and tried elsewhere.'̂ The first stepis to eonstruet an aberrant frequeney list for the volume and toretrieve the top sixty terms. The raw oeeurrenees and z-seores orstandard deviations are listed for eaeh of the sixty'' and shown asWordlist A. The seeond step is to eonstruet a 4 x 60 matrix(Table 1), using the sixty abfreq words as row heads and the fouredifying diseourses (TI, T2, T3, T4) as eolumn heads. Thematrix is then used as the input information (the frequeneies ofthe sixty terms in eaeh of the four diseourses) to aeorrespondenee analysis program ealled SimCA.̂ The outputfrom this program is a numerieal analysis. Table 2, that has threeseetions: a) Inertias and Pereentages of Inertias. This is a graphiedisplay in the form of a histogram that shows the pereentageinertia for eaeh axis or dimension of the diseourse. From this

5 For the corresponding English translation of the four essays from .-Utenopbvggelige Taler in Kierkegaard's .^w/c^/t' Varker. 3rd edition (Gyldendal.1962), vol. 4. pp. 97-160. see Soren Kierkegaard. Edijying Discourses.translated by David S. Swenson and Lillian Marvin Swenson. 2 volumes.Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. 1962). Vol. 1. pp. 130-210. Pagereferences to both will be given, a slash separating the Danish from theEnglish pagination.6 See: Alastair McKinnon. "Mapping the Dimensions of a Literar> Corpus."Literary and Linguistic Computing. 4. 2. (1989) pp. 73-84. and "KierkegaardInwardness and the Computer." Soren Kierkegaard .XcM'slettcr. October1988, pp. 8-15."̂ Deleted are three words: Din. han. and I ar. Their deletion allowed for theinclusion of three more content words to Wordlist A. They are the last threein the list which shows words with four or more occurrences, and z-scores of2.5 or greater. These two criteria are used in constructing four other abfreqword lists, one for each discourse.^ SimCA stands for Simple Correspondence Analysis, a computer programwritten by Michael J. Greenacre for the \ersion of correspondence analysisdeveloped by J.-P. Benzecri:

238


information one ean then assess the extent to whieh thedimensions eapture the diseourse or the data ftt a threedimensional model, b) Row Contributions. These give thepereentage of inertia for eaeh of the 60 aberrant frequent words,represented as row headers in the matrix. And e) ColumtiContributions. These show the pereentage of inertia for eaehedifying diseourse represented as eolumn headers in the matrix.

From the output data. Table 2, it is possible to name the axes,deseribe its poles, and to identify aberrant frequent words bestsuited to be explained on eaeh axis. The naming is done in lightof those points eontributing large pereentages of inertia (CTRvalues) to the opposing poles of an axis (k=l, 2, or 3) inquestion. The nature of a pole is defined by its highesteontributors, and the naming of an axis or dimension is presumedto refleet as mueh as possible both the similarities and differeneesbetween its poles.

Eaeh aberrant frequent term, represented as a point in thenumerieal analysis data, eorrelates with all three dimensions oraxis. However, some points have stronger eorrelation on apartieular axis, and on the strength of their eorrelation are bettersuited to unfold the themes that are prominent on the axis. Or,points showing large pereentages of eorrelation (COR values) arethe ones helping to mark off more fully the eontrasts or polaritiessuggested by the name of the dimension. In that respeet, theyhelp the researeher with a knowledge of the text to reeon'struetits eore or at least the main points of its arguments.

Fmally, aberrant frequent word lists are eonstrueted for eaehdiseourse, showing the top sixty words. Compared, these listsshow words in eommon between two diseourses. The eommonwords represent a feature in the diseourse. From a study of suehwords and the ehange in their rate of use, it is possible todetermine the peeuliarity of eaeh diseourse, and thereby to gainsome understanding of the thrust of the volume.

239

Abrahim H. Khan

Plan and method briefly presented, we turn now to deseribe thevolume, beginning with Wordlist A, then to the numerieal outputdata for a dimensional analysis, and ftnally to the abfreq lists foreaeh of its four diseourses.

Wordlist

At the very top of the list (Woriist A) is the word Job. It hasthe highest z-seore, 53.54, oeeurs 70 times, and shows a variantform Jobs. All but one of their oeeurrenees shown by the matrix(Table 1) are in the ftrst diseourse (TI). Evidently, this diseourseconveys a thought that requires an excessive use of Job(s), thename of the historieal biblieal ftgure. Indeed, we ftnd onexamining the text that the diseourse is drawing attention to Job'sexpression. "The Lord Gave and the Lord Took. Blessed Be theName of the Lord." The next three words at the top of the listalso have variant forms. Gave and its five variants oeeur primarilyin diseourses two and three (T2 and T3). Not surprisingly, thesediseourses have the same title whieh indicates that they are aboutGave/gift that eomes from above. The next word, erhverve, alsohas five variants and oeeur almost totally in the fourth diseourse(T4). The word Sjel has one variant and oeeurs in all thediseourses. In faet, the fourth diseourse has a title thatineorporates both erhverve/to acquire and Sjel/soul to expressthe biblieal admonition to aequire one's soul in patienee. Besidesthose mentioned eertain other words in the list inelude some oftheir variant forms. The number of variants shown in braekets,the words are eie/own (4), Taalmodighed/patience (2),fuldkommen perfect, god/good (1), Herren/Lord (1),Kundskaben/knowledge (1), modtage/reeeive, ovenfra/fromabove (1), Tvivlen/doubt, and Velgjerer/benefactor. In faet, thewords for doubt and knowledge oeeur only in the seeond

diseourse, and that for patienee in the fourth. The last word in the

240


list Velgjerningen/benefaction shows a z-seore well above the2.58 eut off point for words having four or more oeeurrenees.Though the list alerts us to words that distinguish, that arestatistieally significant in the volume, it does not provideinformation regarding the proximities of the words to each otheror show those tending to form a cluster. For this information weturn to the numerieal analysis data (Table 2).

Dimensional Analysis

The histogram (Table 2) shows inertial pereentages for threedimensions or axes. The first two dimensions are almost of equalimportanee. They make large eontributions or explain 42.53%and 37.63% respeetively of the total inertia, while the thirdexplains 19.85%. The eomparatively low pereentage of the lattersuggests that it represents a eontrast among relatively fewerpoints (seetions and words). To study more elosely eaehdimension we provide below a simple summary of the data. Itidentifies the dimension, the pole (+/-), the diseourses and wordsmaking relatively large pereentage inertial eontributions followedby their pereentage eontributions or CLR values in braekets.Then follows a deseription of the poles based on words that showhigh eorrelations (COR values) with them, and finally a name isassigned to the dimension whose poles are deseribed.

Dimension 1:

+ T3 (17.9), T2 (17.8)Gave/gift (6.2), god/good (2.8), give/give (2.6),Gaven/the gift (2.3), Tvivlen/doubt (2.2), gode/good(2.1), fuldkommen/perfeet (2.0), Gaver/gifts (1.8)

- T4 (62.2)

241

Abrahim H. Khan

Taalmodighed/patienee. (9.3), erhverve/to aequire (9.2),Taalmodigheden/patienee (6.1), eier/own (42),erhverves/aequired (3.9), erhverver/aequire (3.5),Erhvervelsen/the aequirement (3.5), eies/owned (3.5),Sjelen/soul (2.7)

Three diseourses make major eontributions to this dimension.At its positive pole the seeond and third diseourses make virtuallyidentieal eontributions, 17.9% and 17.8% respeetively. Thewords from them deseribing or serving to name the pole inEnglish inelude gift and good in particular. These two are higheontributors (6.2% and 2.8 % respeetively), that inelude variantsand eognates making similar levels of eontributions. Aspeet of theGIFT theme that this positive pole makes prominent unfoldsthrough words that are distinguished by their high COR valuesand whose use in English are as follows: perfect, good, downfrom above, receive, from above, (the)gift, give, gifts, and thegiver. Their oeeurrenees in the text indieate largely that everygood and perfeet gift eomes down from above (125/161), thatalthough a person may know how to give gifts he may still notknow whether he does give a good gift (122/157), that evenwhen the giver is human it is God who is the real giver of giftsthat are good and perfeet (139/181), that sueh a gift is unlikeearthly gifts whieh reminds one of a differenee between beingable to give and having to reeeive, that when the poor manthanks the giver for the gift and God for the giver, then he trulythanks God for the gift, and that the rieh thanks for the gift andits reeeiver (the poor) by thanking God for the opportunity togive it away honourably (144/188).

At the negative pole, the fourth diseourse makes aeomparatively large inertial eontribution (62.2%) and ineludeamong its Danish word eontributors the following in English:patienee (9.3%), aequire (9.2%), and soul (2.7%). This pole

242


emphasizes the soul, that one aequires it through patienee. Thus,a logieal ehoiee of a likely deseriptor or name for it is SOUL.Aspeets of the SOUL theme prominent on this axis unfoldsthrough words with high COR values and used in English asfollows: the thing eonditioned, own(ed), aequire(d), patience,worldly life, debtor, soul. Their employment in the text is toengender refteetion on the apostolie expression "to aequire one'ssoul in patienee," and to draw attention to the admonition topatienee implied in the meaning of the word "aequire"(;i54/203). Their employment brings into foeus the soul ineontradietion, expressing itself as self-eontradietion, andtherefore having to be owned or aequired. As a eontradietion thesoul, lost in worldly life {Verdenslivet), belongs to the world asan unlawful possession but to God as his true possession, untilowned (151/199) by the human subjeet that has eome naked{nogen) into the world and who must therefore aequire theeonditions for his own life (146/191). Ownership (trusteeship) ofit is gained through his aequirement of those eonditions and vieeversa (149/195), or by the soul eoming to terms only throughpatienee with the worldly life, with the person struggling toacquire it, with God from whom he receives it (155/205f).Further, some words have unmistakable conceptual connections:This is the case with "patience" and "the thing conditioned."Accordingly, the expression "it grows in patienee" indieates forKierkegaard a doubleness and unity in that it makes onee againinseparable the eondition and the thing eonditioned, both havingbeeome separate (153/202). That is, the eondition for theaequirement of one's soul is to stand in relation to the thingeonditioned. While the eondition is the ownership of the soul, thething being eonditioned is understood as the aequisition of thesoul (152fi'2OO). In this aequisition, one does not beeome adebtor either to luek or to friends or to the world, but only toGod (152/200).

243

Abrahim H. Khan

The name GIFT FROM ABOVE is the one assigned to theprineipal dimension on the basis of the deseription of its poles:GIFT vs. SOUL. Only that whieh comes form above is good andperfect. The soul is from above and its owner must receive itfrom God who is its giver.

Dimension 2:

+ T1(79.7)Job/Job (31.9), Herren/Lord (19.2), Herrens/of the Lord(7.2), Jobs/ of Job (5.2), Tabet/loss (4.2),mindedes/remembered (3.8)

- T2 (9.5), T3 (8.4) ^Gave/gift (3.2) give/give (1.5), Tvivlen/doubt (1.2),god/good (1.3), Gaven/the gift (1.0), Gaver/gifts (1.0),modtage/reeeive (1.0), ovenfra/from above (1.0)

The major eontributors to this axis are the first, seeond, andthird diseourses. At the positive pole is the first diseourse. Highword eontributors inelude Job, Lord, loss, and remembered. Onthe basis of these, the pole is assigned the deseriptpr JOB, andthis theme unfolds through the following words that highlyeorrelate with the axis: loss, consideration, remembered. Job, ofJob, Lord, of the Lord, and wisest. Aeeordingly in the text theyindieate that Job remembered his abundant prosperity, that in hisloss of everything he remains thankful to the Lord for all theblessings, that his expression of gratitude was "The Lord gave,and the Lord took. Blessed be the name of the Lord"(109fi'138f), that Job's signifieanee is in the faet that he aeted inaeeordanee with the eonfession (103/130), and that only theperson who was tried and tested the word by being tested learnsfrom Job what there is to learn (106/134), and that Job as teaeher

244


of mankind is equally near to everyone in a way that no humaneonsideration nor speeeh eould make more intelligible that whiehalready a ehild eould understand just as well as the wisest eould(106/135).

At the negative pole, the seeond and third diseourses dominate.The deseriptor assigned, by virtue of high word eontributors, isagain GIFT, and the words eorrelating with the pole ineludebortgive/ give away, fuldkommen/perfeet, Fuldkomne/perfect,Gave/gift, give/give, god/good, herovenfra/down from above,modtage/reeeive, ovenfra/from above. Though their eorrelationswith this dimension are not as strong as that on the previousdimension, they unfold similar aspeets of the theme. We expandthe deseription already given of their eontextual use toineorporate bortgive/give away. Its eontext of oeeurreneeineludes: "When the rieh thanks God for the gift, and for the faetthat there was vouchsafed to him an opportunity to give it away,then truly he thanks God for the gift and for the poor man"(144/188).

The name THANKFULNESS is the one assigned to thisdimension on the basis of the deseription of its poles: JOB vs.GIFT. Job, in his loss or trials, remains thankful to God. Even therieh ean be thankful to God for the opportunity provided to giveaway good and perfeet gifts without becoming indebted toanother.

Dimension 3:

+ T2 (54.0)Tvivlen/doubt (14.5), gode/good (7.5), Tvivlens/of doubt(5.6), Gaver/gifts (5.6) Kundskabens/of knowledge (5.0),Kundskaben/knowledge (4.5), Ferstegrede/firstfruits(2.8)

245

Abrahim H. Khan

- T3 (45.8)takke/thank (8.0), Ligheden/equality (6.3), Gaven/thegift (5.1), Velgjerer/benefactor (4.5), ringere/poorer (45)

The seeond and third edifying diseourses eontinue to makestrong eontributions but in opposite direetions on this dimension.At the positive pole, the seeond diseourse eontributes 54% andhas for its word deseriptors: doubt and knowledge based on theeontributions of the Danish words listed in the summary above.Words strongly eorrelating with the pole inelude weapons,figurative, (of) knowledge, (of) doubt, firstfruits, perfection,good, gifts, and word. Their eonneetions in the text suggest in themain that by eating the forbidden fruit of knowledge mankinderred, that it brought tribulation and doubt (118/15 2f), that doubtis eheeked by dying away from rather than fighting it with its ownweapons (126/162), that God gives the eondition by whieh doubtis eheeked and the doubter beeomes the firstfruits of ereation(127/164), that whoever is oeeupied with the sorrows of this lifeor shaken in a fearful upheaval might be eomforted by thefigurative diseourse (parable) "if you who are evil know how togive good gifts to your ehildren, how mueh more shall yourheavenly Father give good gifts..." through meditating upon theapostolie word regarding every good and perfeet gift is fromabove (120/154).

At the negative pole the third diseourse eontributes 48.5%inertia. The deseriptors are gratitude and equality suggested bythe words listed in the summary above. The theme that theyrepresent unfolds through words highly eorrelated with this pole:poorer, give away, equality, thank, the needy, have, benefaction,and benefactor. The eontext in whieh they are used in the textindieate that equality with respeet to spiritual well being opensthe soul to the perfeet and makes the sensual eye blind to externaland temporal distinetions (131/170), that it beeomes a divine law

246


for the individual who struggles with, for, and in himself ratherthan presumes to assist in helping the world to aehieve anexternal equality (132/171). Further, the apostolie word is agospel for the poor in that it brings about equality before God inits teaehing that every good and perfeet gift is from above andthat we are to be essentially thankful to God whether onereeeives or gives (140/182) It also watehes over the giver to seethat he does not beeome disposed to demand from the needywhom he has helped something in return (134/174). Still further,if the one reeeiving the benefaction does not go out in gratitudeto look for the benefaetor he never finds God (140/182). Whenthe rieh thanks God for the gift and the opportunity to give itaway honourably then he truly thanks God (144/188). When bothgiver and reeeiver eonfess that they are poorer than the gift thenequality is present (143/187). The "only good and perfect gift aman can give is love," whieh folk wisdom understands as eomingfrom above, and whieh oeeasions an equality that does not permitone person to beeome a debtor to another (144/188f).

The name EQUALITY is the one we assign to this dimensionwhose poles are DOUBT AND KNOWLEDGE vs.GRATITUDE AND EQUALITY. The ideas that it representsmight be summarized thus: Doubt that knowledge oeeasions hasto be eheeked for the soul to beeome open to the divine law ofequality and hence for giver and reeeiver to become equalsthrough expression of gratitude to God.

In sum, discourses two and three are eentral to this volume.Both are strong forces on each axis and make virtually identicalcontributions on the first and second. Joining forces, they stand incontrast on the principal axis to discourse four and on the secondaxis to diseourse one. On the third axis, they eontinue to bestrong forees but moving towards opposite poles to form aeontrast with eaeh other. The opposition whieh they representand presented diagramatieally (Figure 1) are as follows: On axis

247

Abrahim H. Khan

three, knowledge and doubt in eontrast with gratitude andequality; on axis two. Job and the Lord in eontrast with reeeivinggood and perfeet gift from above, and on axis one good andperfeet gift in eontrast with gaining the soul in patienee. Thesepolar eontrasts, however, are related through affinities that thediseourses have for eaeh other.

Their affinities are suggested by the following abfreq wordseommon to all: Eller/or, give/give, haver/have, Ordet/word, andSjel(en)/(the) soul. The first of these underseore the deliberativenature of the diseourses whieh draw on the apostolie word,espeeially on seriptural passages that underseore the idea ofhaving to give so as to aequire or to have one's soul. Oeeurrencesillustrating the deliberative feature inelude "Or does only thatman see God's hand who sees that He gives; does not the onealso see God who sees that He takes" (113/145). "Or had theLord really ehanged" (114/146). "Or, did you not yourselfdiscover that what the word said, but whieh you did not wish tounderstand... to awaken the pain which makes the soul morereceptive to what it has to add" (123/159). "Or will you deny,my hearer, that no doubt can refute this, precisely because it isbeyond all doubt, and abides in God" (125/161). "Or was thedescription itself something which the world and time could notaccept without accepting patience..." (159/210). The remainingcommon words are ones encountered earlier and the primaryideas that their connections support already presented. Thus weproceed to describe the volume with respect to peculiarities inconsecutive pairs of diseourses suggested by words showing aehange in their rate of use.

Peculiarities

To expand on the peculiarities, aberrant frequent word lists are

248


eonstrueted for eaeh of the four diseourses. Two eonseeutive listsare then eompared with one another for words in eommon, andthose with a change in z-scores are noted. These lists (Word ListTI, T2, T3, and T4) show the top sixty abfreq wordsaccompanied by z-scores and raw frequencies. A word commonto both lists but showing a larger z-score in one is presumed tomean that its use in the discourse corresponding to the larger z-score is intended to stress a feature of the discourse or object inmind. Alternatively, a smaller z-score would mean a decrease inemphasis. Of course, words present in one list and not in theothers are equally revealing of peeuiiarities, but for this study weconcentrate on those eommon to lists for two eonseeutivediscourses.

Word List TI and T2 have in common four words: Da Then,ham him, Ordet word, and skulde would. All but the last wordhave slightly higher^ z-scores in TI and thus occur morefrequently in discourse one. This may well be that the discourseconstantly alludes to Job as teacher of mankind regardingthankfulness to God. The use of Da, in very many cases,emphasizes the temporal order or sequence of events in Job'sexperience, and ham points to Job as object of an action or ashaving something done to him. Ordet used as word refers to thesaying of Job: "The Lord gave, and the Lord took Away..." Thefollowing passages exemplify the context of use for these threewords: "Then'° he sat one day alone by his fireside...Then he

^ Z-scores for words common to both lists T1/T2 are Da 9.47/6.63. ham8.84/6.39. Ordet 16.42/15.98. anA skulde 5.67/9.16 respectively.'" Swenson translates the Danish word Da in the te.xt as there" in thepassages cited. I have rendered it as "then" as done also by the new Englishtranslation of the te.xt Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses, trans. Howard V.Hong and Edna H. Hong (Princeton University Press. 1990). pp. 114. Theword could also mean "when" as in a single occasion, or could be used as acausal conjunction. Of course, we cite here the contexts in which it is used as

249

Abrahim H. Khan

offered burnt offering ....Then Job stood up and rent hismantle...Then follows the confession from the man whom notsorrow alone ..." (107£'136f). "Then his happiness becamepernicious to him;... it tempted him more on the day of sorrowwhen everything was lost, then he [Job] first thanked God.... Heconfessed that the blessing of the Lord had been merciful to him"(llOCMlf). "The expression [Ordet] itself is not the guidance,and Job's significance does not lie in the fact that he said it but inthe fact that he acted in accordance with it" (103/130).

A comparison of abfreq word lists for T2 and T3 shows 12words in common. Four of them have in T2 relatively higher"rate of use: Gaver/gifts, ham/him, herovenfra/down from above,and Ordet/word. Their uses inelude drawing attention to theapostolie word over whieh the diseourse deliberates: Every goodgift and every perfeet gift eomes down from above, and that Godgives good gifts to them who asks him (120/154). In short, theydireet attention to gifls that eome down from above. Sueh giftsare good and perfeet, in eontrast to temporal ones which areimperfect.

In T3, eight words have a higher'^ rate of use than in T2:al/every, fuldkommen/perfeet, god/good. Gave/gift, Gaven/thegift, give/give, modtage/reeeive, ovenfra/from above. In fact,each of the last four show an excessively higher rate of use. Thecontexts in whieh all eight oeeur, however, have already beenpresented. From their higher rate of use, we ean say that the thirddiseourse emphasizes the ideas of giving and of reeeiving thatwhieh eomes form above: the good and perfeet. The foeus on

then"." The z-scores in T2/T3 are Gaver 33.76/6.36, ham 6.39/5.57, herovenfra26.44/19.99, and Ordet 15.94/8.32 respectively.'2 Z-scores for the eight in T2/T3 are al 7.22/9.S2, fuldkommen 13.28/14.56,Gave 44.02/45.03, Ga\'en 11.76/63.89, give 9.24/16.37, modtage 6.46/33.00,ovenfra 16.39/51.87, undgod 14.28/15.12 respectively.

250


those ideas are aehieved through exploring the biblieal passage"every [al\ good and every {al\ perfeet gift is from above," Thefollowing fragments of text illustrate some of the oeeurrenees:"To be able to give or to have to reeeive —this differeneeembraees a great multitude of men... The faet of being able togive or of being foreed to reeeive, divides men into two greatelasses... The apostolie word requires, then, that he who eangive humble himself and his gift under the word... If you arewilling to give, then the word tests you to see if your willingnessindieates that you are a eheerful giver, who is well pleasing untoGod" (134/173f). Sinee the two diseourses (T2 and T3) haveidentieal titles, their abfreq word lists, not surprisingly, have ineommon more words than the lists for the remaining pair ofdiseourses.

A eomparison of the abfreq word lists for T3 and T4 showsonly five words in eommon. Three of them, however, inerease'^eonsiderable their z-seores in T4: Eiendom/possession,Ordet/word, and Sjel/soul. Their exeessive use is not surprising,bearing in mind that the diseourse seeks to understand the gospelword: to gain possession of one's soul through patienee. The useoi Sjel/soul oeeurs frequently with a possessive pronoun and thusunderseores deliberation over the soul as a personal possession,rather than an objeet for investigation. The following passagesillustrate this peeuliarity of the diseourse quite well: "It [the soul]belongs to God as his true possession, that is as the possessionwhich he must acquire. Consequently, he then aequires, if heactually does acquire it, his soul from the world, of God, throughhimself (151/199). "This, the word itself enjoins in a two-foldmanner... by eontaining a double repetition. It admonishes a manto aequire his soul 'in patienee'.... It does not say: seize upon

'^ Z-scores for the five in T1/T2 are behovede 7.74/6.13, denEiendom 7.72/27.07, Ordet 8.32/15.78, and.S/e/ 12.4/49.06 respectively.

251

Abrahim H. Khan

your soul as if it was an affair of the moment .... It does not say:save your soul... It is indeed eertain that he who aequires his soulsaves it" (154/203). Note, however, that this context ofdeliberating over the soul as having to be acquired from Goddoes not compel to the same extent a rate of use ofbehovede/needed and den/the as does reflection over the goodand perfeet gif̂ in the third diseourse, T3.

Altogether, the diseourses are distinguished by their affinity foreaeh other. That is, they explore the biblical word or passages, ora simple expression eharaeteristie of everyday life, to presentpossibilities for deliberation and to move a reader to act or toreshape his own personal life in accordance with his deliberationof the possibilities. They are also distinguished from one anotherby each emphasizing a different human disposition or tendencywhich is presented as a possibility for strengthening or remakingone's personal life. The first directs attention to learning from Jobto be thankful even in the midst of tribulations and sorrows. Thesecond and third emphasize the importance of both giving andreceiving the good and perfect gif\ by which both receiver andgiver aehieve equality before God. And, the fourth admonishesthat only in patience can one gain possession of his own soul.Other words that play a role in confirming these emphases areprovided in the abfreq word list for each discourse.

Conclusion

We conclude with summary answers to questions raised at theoutset regarding the focus of the volume, the relations among thediscourses, and the appropriateness of their titles. The answerseonvey aspeets of Kierkegaard's religious thinking in late 1843,and thus lend themselves to gaining a better grasp of the titleAtten opbyggeiige Taler {Eighteen Edifying Discourses), aeompanion volume to the aesthetic or pseudonymous writings

252


following Either/Or.The presumed foeus of the volume is the idea of beeoming

thankful to God even in the midst of loss or life's struggles andtrials. The first diseourse direets attention to Job as the paradigm.He remains thankful to God, reeognizing that what God took forhim is what in the first plaee God had given to him. The seeondand third diseourses eontinue with the idea of gratitude, this timehowever, treating it through the notion of giving and reeeiving.That is, thankfulness to God is overeoming doubt and beeominghumble in giving and reeeiving the good and perfeet gift, sineesuch a gift comes only from above, from the hand of God. Thefourth discourse carries forward the idea of gratitude to God, byadmonishing that it is only through patience one receives or takespossession from God that whieh truly belongs to Him in the firstplace, namely, one's soul. The deliberations over the notions ofsuffering loss, doubt, equality, good or perfect gif̂ , and learningpatienee aequire signifieanee in the volume with respeet tobecoming thankful to God. The treatment of these notions are inconsonant with the thrust of the discourses in general, namely,upbuilding the moral-spiritual person through exercising andstrengthening of certain natural human capacities.

Holding together the four discourses, and hence another aspectof the focus of the volume, is a tension sustained by eachdiscourse. The tension is between a spiritual loss and gain in thislife. Job's experience of loss is in one sense with respect totemporal goods, but in another sense is with respect to himself(his inner or moral-spiritual self) which he regains when he comesto recognize that what the Lord took from him, or whatamounted to his worldly loss, is what had been given to him andnever was his own in the first place. His loss of earthly goods isan occasion for him to regain himself, the self that withstands thetrials of this life and continue to praise God. In the ease of givinggood gifts, a person would suffer loss by eheating himself out of

253

Abrahim H. Khan

learning to give and reeeive a good or perfeet gift. Removal ofdoubt, or alternatively gratitude to God for the opportunity togive and to reeeive love as the only good and perfect gif̂ that isfrom above, is the means whereby one gains equality before God.While the first discourse (on Job) seems to make the idea of lossevident, and the second and third make neither loss nor gainobvious at first glanee, the fourth diseourse puts into greaterrelief the idea of a spiritual gain. That is an individual would losehis soul by failing to gain it properly. One's soul has to be gainedor reeeived form God through patienee. Where impatienceabounds, ownership of the soul is virtual and never gained.

Finally, the titles of these four discourses clearly reflect theiraetual eontents. Though the first diseourse alludes to a historicalbiblical figure, its focus is less on Job's loss and more on hisrecognition that God took what he gave to him in the first, thatall temporal goods are really a loan given by God, and thatpersonal entitlement is not to ownership of temporal goodsloaned to him, but to expressing gratitude to God for having theloan. Titles of the next two discourse properly reflect theircontents: that the good and perfect gift comes only from aboveand that when a benefactor learns to give to the needy humblybefore God and the needy learns to receive the benefactionhumbly before God the two have become equals through the giftbeing a good and perfect one. While their titles are identical,there is reason based on the peculiarity of each to consider thesecond discourse as emphasizing that a gift is good and perfectonly when it comes from above, and that no temporal gift couldbe considered good and perfect in that sense. The third djscourseemphasizes the giving and receiving of the good and perfect gift.Given its' emphasis, there is room to make the title reflect moreprecisely aspects of the theme discussed. The title of the finaldiscourse is brief and to the point, reflecting precisely the contentwhich our dimensional analysis and its abfreq word list play a role

254


in disclosing.

255

Abrahim H. Khan

Word List A

60 Abfreq Words in TI, T2, T3; an T4

Word/(Usage)Job (Job)Gave (gift)erhverve (aequire)Sjel (soul)Taalmodighed (patienee)Gaven (the gift)eies (owned)Erhvervelsen (the aequirement)ovenfra (from above)Herren (Lord)Taalmodigheden (the patienee)Ordet (word)erhverver (aequire)erhverves (aequired)Eien (possession)Erhverven (aequirement)eier (own)herovenfra (down from above)Verdenslivet (worldly life)mindedes (remembered)Jobs (of Job)Kundskabens (of knowledge)Fuldkomne (perfeet)modtage (reeeive)Traengende (the needy)taalmodigen (patient)Sielen (the soul)

Z-score53.5444.2143.7942.6041.9939.7938.8637.2335.3230.9829.5728.0425.6625.6325.1324.9724.1822.8521.7621.3320.58

. 20.4819.7919.7819.6619.5619.14

Freq,708658

11358352121254836672123

812431168

119

1625118

27

256


Gaver (gifts)Kundskaben (the knowledge)eie (own)Ligheden (equality)Skyidner (debtor)Eiendom (possession)ringere (poorer)Herrens (of the Lord)VeIgJ0rer (benefaetor)Tvivlen (doubt)F0rstegr0de (firstfruits)Erhvervelse (aequirement)rettelig (rightly)Eller (or)billedlige (figurative)Viseste (wisest)takke (thank)n0gen (naked)god (good)fuldkommen (perfeet)gode(good)Betingede (the thing eonditioned)voxer (grows)give (give)haver(have)Tabet (loss)Tvivlens (of doubt)Giveren (the giver)Redskaber (weapons)modtog (reeeived)bortgive (give away)Overveielsen (eonsideration)Velgjerningen (benefaetion)

18.8918.8217.7717.6117.4417.3516.6916.6016.3016.0515.5915.3015.3014.8514.6614.3714.1613.9613.9313.8913.4213.3113.2612.9912.9712.8412.8312.6312.6012.2212.0811.6711.66

228

1718io1713201326

577

4257

257

402933

4155720121065

105

104

257

Abrahim H. Khan

Table 1

Matrix'

Word TI T2 T3 T4BetbilboreieEieEimeireisEllerhErhEmEreerrersfulFulF0r

GavGanGargivGivgodgoehavher

00000000

17000000100110201230

050000507000000

13115

405

1818

11825

26

00330410

12100000

1530

4529

433

521

5125

402

148

133721

657

721122123

020000400130

BetingedebilledligebortgiveeieEienEiendomeiereiesEllererhverveErhvervelseErhvervelsenErhvervenerhververerhvervesfuldkommenFuldkomneF0rstegr0deGaveGavenGavergiveGiverengodgodehaverherovenfra

258


HerHesJobJosKunKusLigminmodmogn0gOrdoveOveRedretrinSjeSjnSkytaaTaaTanTabtakTraeTviTvsVelVerVetVisvox

451869110008032

1906010

2510010

11100000060

12108900410

1861400620000000

261000000

200000

180

2162

1119204

1318330000

2411004

13011

00000000003

1901120

6421

78

5736

100000060

14

HerrenHerrensJobJobsKundskabenKundskabensLighedenmindedesmodtagemodtogn0genOrdetovenfraOverveielsenRedskaberretteligringereSjelSjelenSkyidnertaalmodigenTaalmodighedTaalmodighedenTabettakkeTraengendeTvivlenTvivlensVelgjerningenVelgj0rerVerdenslivetVisestevoxer

259

Abrahim H. Khan

Table 2

Numerical Analysis Data

INERTIAS AND PERCENTAGES OF INERTIA

1 0.745883 42.53%2 0.659995 37.63%3 0.348095 19.85%

1.753974

ROW CONTRIBUTIONS

I12345

67

8

910111213

14

151617

181920

212223242526

2728

NameBetbilboreie

EieEimeireisEllerhErhErnEreerrersfulFulForGavGanGargivGivgodgoehav

herHer

QLT1000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000

MAS344

126

12311530

41

5

159

151621114

61251641

4

282314

834

INR3827

66

20167

415169

1617

12108392422184

1727

56

75

k=l-1328

949-41

-950-1328-823

-1013-1328

340

-1291-1328-1328-1328-1328-1328

859640949873822925

691838

864

823437

889374

COR961222

2868961785

878961284

958961

961961

961

961724261222682405

341616

406

708337

328

61936

CTR7

40

151311

4235

5

9212

3520

35

392064

62

2318

264

28214

86

k=2-261-651-461-320-261-340-314-261533

-267-261-261-261-261-261-527-591-651-589-526-640-494-604-553-464-147-6251927

COR37104267

9937

1348537

700

413737

37

37

37

272223104311166163

315

211

289107

37

306964

CTR0

212

12

52

13

41212

2

9

62321010

152

13

8

0

5192

k=355

1653-763-186

55-26620955

-80

31555555555566

8981653

85-8471115-230-814

58

1057-607307

3

COR2

6/4

731

33

28237

2

161

2

2

22

24

51567 4

6430495

68

3833

556

6357 4

0

CTR0

286102

• 4

01

00

00

0

0026281

51566

8

075

1520

260


293031323334

• 3 6

363738394041

42

4344454647

48495051525354555657585960

HesJobJosKunKusLigminmodmognagOrdoveOveRedretrinSjeSjnSkytaaTaaTanTabtakTraTviTvsVelVerVetVisvox

10001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000

1450866

136

187548187

459

80197

641269

188187394511

29124201315201518414155521413936

412718251243164

1449

9

402

350341949949816341837687

-238109848330494136816

-496-859-685

-1328-1299-1328

202797816949949816816

-1328409

-1185

462826

2222222442639853120787

49890

10433

24485592764796197096111

26024422222224424496154945

3

817

8111

17

501

171108

27194

1393610

157

22938

101

20

182220582097-651-651-595209-7-604207317248

-6081048-573-115-595187

-240-361-261-221-2611900-487-595-651-651-595-595-2611712-284

944971

974104104130974-20748

36644925690514024

1301217218037283798997

1301041041301303793854

7231952447

381001410122054

21133

4764

125250

221

187

4824

16531653

-1308• 24-834-612-343252

-597-76

1334-728

-1308-8421

-35455545527

-1254-130816531653

-1308-1308

55-166-36

101

067467 4626

0395421428463247

5Ibl944626251

1732220

643626674674626626

291

1004550630368291801884520300008038145561445000

COLUMN CONTRIBUTIONS

J1234

NameTIT2T3T4

QLT1000100010001000

MAS181198268353

INR309215203274

k=l295820705

-1147

COR29353375966

CTR21178179622

k=21703-529-483-212

COR97114717633

CTR797849524

k=314975

-77132

COR0

500449

1

CTR0

5404581

261

Abrahim H. Khan

Figure 1

THEMATIC DIMENSIONSThemes and main words

patience

SOUL

Dimension 1Gift from Above

--0-

aquire

gift +GIFT

good perfect

gift receive

GIFTgive from above

Dimension 2Thankfulness

—0-

loss Job +JOB

Urd

Dimension 3Equality

GRATITUDE give awayg^

EQUALITY thank equality

knowldge KNOWLEDGE&

doubt weapons DOUBT

Position of words on each linear dimension are approximations of the data inTable 2.

262


Wordlist TI

60 Abfreq Words in TI

WordlistJobHerrenmindedesJobsHerrensVisesteTabettogSjelOrdetTaknemlighedlovetOverveielsenfordumhavdeMenneskehedensgavforstodEllervarhansSorgensprovetNavnNodfrommehanDa

Z-score109.6361.3744.1042.8032.0125.7325.2220.0819.1416.4215.3515.3314.8814.7214.4414.1213.6313.5713.0812.3911.6111.3711.2710.9210.4110.119.569.47

Freq.6945

811186

111825196864

594

121317

10258

64

1464

15814

263

Glsedenfors0gtVelsignelseeiedeovervundethamGlaedeforstaaervendetagetblev0reOrdlevendevajsentligtskJ0ntgladeElendighedStriden0nskeindenSorgenLaererForklaringskuldeUrolaere

snarereForestillingensitTankeAlt

Abrahim H. Khan

9.449.339.339.339.068.848.588.467.977.757.517.467.267.046.966.936.886.806.506.346.286.205.875.735.675.515.375.325.204.994.984.82

75644

73141777

284

2364645485556

254964

201128

264


Wordlist T2

60 Abfreq Words in T2

WordGaveKundskabensKundskabenTvivlenGaverFerstegrodebilledligeFuldkomneTvivlensherovenfragodelangsomRedskabersnarLysenesJordlivetSandhedsovenfraFrugtOrdetglajdedeFadersbehovgodfuldkommenfuldkomneFuldkommenhedFader

Z-score44.0243.6140.1136.0333.7633.1831.2629.2628.0726.4423.6622.6721.5920.7319.8519.4019.4017.7816.3915.9815.4715.1314.8214.2813.9013.2813.1612.95

Freq.40

98

261855

11106

2574455568

18444

181369

14

265

VredeGodeApostelengiverMennesketGavenhurtigskuehvorfrahjalpondhimmeiskeEdersSkyggeondegiveskuldeheresnartalBetingelsevideTvivlBedragRaadhvadDaAdamIndremodtagehamGuds

Abrahim H. Khan

12.7312.7012.6212.2712.2311.7611.2711.1510.5810.5010.439.679.539.499.339.249.168.047.547.337.056.976.866.846.826.736.636.606.606.466.396.35

825102020

5545655654

1834121122

414664

5510444

5813

266


Wordlist T3


WordGavenovenfraGaveTraengendeLighedenmodtageringereVelgj0rertakkeDinVelgjerningenGiverenherovenfraDuapostoliskeLighedTakretteligkj0bteFormaninggiveSkatteMajgtigehavergodfuldkommenmodtogskyldte

Z-score63.8251.8745.0338.2634.9433.0032.8832.1628.0225.1322.7220.5819.9919.1818.5518.4618.2016.9416.4216.4116.3715.9415.8115.7115.1214.5614.4614.17

Freq.29194511182113132460455

1349

1810447

3348

12211565

267

GodsSjelmodtagervilligJordensduDigForskjellighedenalusynligRingeDitAIOrdetEllerbeh0vedeForskjellighedEiendom0denopdagedetungtBeundringOverveielseDeeltagelseGudNaesteGavertakkergavhamjordisk

Abrahim H. Khan

12.9612.4011.9211.6910.7810.1810.079.899.839.559.018.538.448.328.157.747.727.727.357.297.167.037.026.716.686.636.606.366.005.885.775.66

618

6945

556

3155

165

1112574

13227

45655

444446

635

268


Wordlist T4


WorderhverveTaalmodighedeiesErhvervelsenTaalmodighedenerhverveserhververEienErhvervenSjelVerdensliveteiertaalmodigenErhvervelseSjeleneieEiendomBetingedevoxerSkyidnerUtaalmodighedutaalmodigenEierKJ0bmandenutaalmodigSelvmodsigelseBetingelsenOrdet

Z-score86.6383.2377.3574.1759.9851.7651.7249.9849.9049.0643.2842.9839.1330.8030.6829.8627.0726.6525.7724.5423.0922.2419.4618.7417.3317.1116.9915.78

Freq.57572121362321

81264

637

87

2114134

147

1344499

1219

269

VerdenUdvortessinKorthedErkjendelseneiedesvageretabeserkjendererhvervetTimeligeByrdenErkjendenhanIndvortesventerSjelensdatilsyneladendevordervandtDenvundetdenvinderMaaletSikkerhedHvoBetingelsebeh0vedebedragertilherer

Abrahim 11. khan

15.1414.8213.0112.0211.4211.3110.9110.7110.4410.329.789.539.348.858.818.508.418.277.987.827.337.307.267.247.197.006.976.826.576.315.915.87

521678

455544

47

45

160564

83545

435

21565554446

270

four edifying discourses (1843): a dimensional analysis

Documents