Purity of Heart: Is To Will One Thing (Harper Torchbooks) [Paperback]

Soren Kierkegaard (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harper Torchbooks | Publication Date: September 5, 1956

Crossing the boundaries of philosophy, theology, psychology, and literature, the Danish writer Soren Kierkegaard is regarded as one of the most significant and influential figures in contemporary thought. In Kierkegaard's view, faith is the most essential task of life. Faith is not a matter of dogmatic adherence, but rather of subjective passion. In Purity of Heart, Kierkegaard discusses different aspects of living, particularly the responsibility of single-minded spiritual seeking and ethical integrity, offering clues to the nature of the good while insisting that each reader must work this out for themselves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SØren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) lived in Copenhagen, Denmark. His books include Works of Love and Spiritual Writings (translated and edited by George Pattison).

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (September 5, 1956)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061300047
• ISBN-13: 978-0061300042
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #508,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Danish

More About the Author

Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, generally recognized as the first existentialist philosopher.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cut to the Heart, April 14, 2000

By 

John C. Tittle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Purity of Heart: Is To Will One Thing (Harper Torchbooks) (Paperback)

Kierkegaard's Purity of Heart is one of his most accessible works. Like in Sickness Unto Death, Purity of Heart cuts to the heart. Through irony, dialogue, and parable, Soren slices through the masks and fascades we construct that delude us into thinking that all is well with our soul. With the skill and precision of a surgeon's hand, Kierkegaard opens up the true condition of our motivations in life and faith. Kierkegaard is not afraid to stare in the face the dark side of our humanity. In Purity of Heart we see that only through this brutal honesty can we become our true selves and find healing. Kierkegaard boldly asserts that only by joining with providence and the Great Physician's hand can we "will one thing"--the good. The good is all that is true, eternal, and authentic. The good is all that comes from God. Scant writers this day in age know the human condition more intimately than the great Danish theologian/philosopher. Come and join Kierkegaard and take the leap of faith!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relentless, March 12, 2006

By 

silent c "silent c" (spokane, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purity of Heart: Is To Will One Thing (Harper Torchbooks) (Paperback)

Coming from a reformed Christian perspective with very little exposure to Kierkegaard, I was sometimes puzzled by this book but mostly challenged in my spiritual life, relentlessly so. This book made Puritan introspection seem comparatively shallow. If you are looking for extreme depth, you've got it here. He is exploring the idea of double-mindedness found in book of James to prepare the Christian for confession. This work asks questions you may have never thought to ask. Of course he is trying to get the individual to spiritually be laid bare before God in his double-mindedness. Is the work without hope since it should drive the honest person to despair in his own heart's purity? I don't believe the book is without hope. Christ is in there a few times in direct reference, but mostly assumed or implied..in the gaping hole created by our ties to the temporal and lack of eternal-mindedness and inability to truly will one thing. As spiritual shock-therapy, it works for me. It is my second read, the first being in college nearly 20 years ago. Had a similar effect then, but it is still the only Kierkegaard book I've ever read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Meditations on Confessing Real Existence, February 26, 2000

By 

John Parsons - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purity of Heart: Is To Will One Thing (Harper Torchbooks) (Paperback)

This work aims at preparing the reader to enter into the "office of confession," and probes deeply into the inner motivations for choosing to become an authentic self. Considered a classic of devotional literature, it sometimes reads obscurely (e.g., the "Good" is never really defined), yet at other times is radiantly clear (e.g., on the call to live self-consciously and with responsibility). As with all of SK's non-psuedonymous works, "Purity of Heart" makes for worthy reading which will provoke and challenge you.