Contrasting Augustine and Kierkegaard as Theologians of Desire

In response to Lee C. Barrett’s recent book on Augustine and Kierkegaard, this article highlights three ways in which Kierkegaard diverges from (and actually goes farther than) Augustine on the subject of spiritual desire: the degree to which he considers desire to be amenable to satisfaction; the degree to which he affirms worldly objects of desire as valuable in inciting eros for God; and the degree to which he believes desire for God leads to participation in God. Building on Barrett’s triangulation of Augustine and Kierkegaard with Martin Luther, the author argues that Kierkegaard often diverges from Augustine precisely because he is appropriating distinctively Lutheran themes in a subversive way.