ABSTRACT
This subject of humility figures prominently in Kierkegaard’s upbuilding discourses but is also found in the Concluding Unscientific Postscript, The Sickness unto Death, Stages on Life’s Way, as well as the essays Judge for Yourself! and For Self-Examination. Kierkegaard was keenly aware of the differences between a feigned or false humility (abundantly visible in his world, he was convinced) and what he thought to be a genuine humility, especially as expressed in the context of the “God-relationship.” The latter is closely related to the life of an “apostle,” “discipleship,” “becoming a witness for truth,” and the “imitation” of Christ. The former “supposed humility and modesty” (formeentligt ydmygt og beskeedent) amounts to the “pride, conceit” of calling oneself an apostle, without the proper “existence.”2 Those who only pretend to live earnestly with modesty and humility live “a great big lie” (en stor Usandhed).3 In Kierkegaard’s works, humility has an important place in both ethical and religious existence, as one cannot properly commit to Christian faith and practice without it. The biblical figures of John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul are prominent exemplars of genuine humility for Kierkegaard.
