Kierkegaard’s Paradoxical Christology

This essay considers T. F. Torrance’s assertion that Kierkegaard’s paradoxical Christology seeks to draw attention to God’s nearness to humanity. I begin by looking at what Kierkegaard has to say about the union between God and humanity in Christ. I then turn to look at how his paradoxical understanding of the God-human relationship helps him to understand two difficult issues in theology: (1) God’s relationship to Christ’s suffering; and (2) the changelessness of God. Following this theological reflection, I examine the practical role that paradox played in his theology. Finally, I conclude by offering a brief account of how Kierkegaard’s paradoxical Christology relates to the mediation of Christ — a connection that would come to be taken up in the Christocentric theologies of Barth and Torrance. What I show is that, despite his limited understanding of Kierkegaard, the above statement from Torrance shows a deep appreciation for Kierkegaard’s theology on an issue that is often both overlooked and misunderstood.