Gospel of Sufferings

In his trilogy Opbyggelige Taler i Forskellig Aand ("Edifying Discourses in Another Vein"), Kierkegaard passed from a general religious and philosophical standpoint to a specifically Christian one. The Gospel of Sufferings forms the third part of that trilogy, and is a central plank in the structure of Kierkegaard's mature thought. "The theme [of these discourses] is our sufferings. It is also the gospel that pertains to, and is appropriate to, our sufferings. It is in the realm of faith, and though this gospel that is the peculiar property of those who suffer, that sufferings are found to contain joys. We may say therefore that it is the purpose of this volume to disclose the meaning in the most meaningless element of life. Which might be held to be quite a good definition of the Christian faith." From the Translators' Introduction