ABSTRACT
The French philosopher and theologian Peter Abelard (Petrus Abaelardus)1 belongs undoubtedly to the best-known figures of the Middle Ages. The reason for this is only partly his original manner of dialectical thinking and intellectual ability; to the general reading public he is famed first of all for his exceptional life and love story with the young and-as Villon says-“very sage” (très sage) Heloise (1101-64).2 As a matter of fact, the image of Abelard which became widely known is generally more influenced by his life than his work. Although there are relatively few passages in Kierkegaard’s oeuvre which explicitly refer to the celebrated dialectician, a closer analysis of the texts shows that Kierkegaard, the dialectician of existence, was really interested both in Abelard’s thinking-in some respects-and in his dramatic form of existence. Therefore, the task of the following investigation is, on the one hand, to reconstruct the topics in Abelard’s thinking which attracted Kierkegaard’s attention and, on the other hand, to reflect on the biographical moments which played a specific role in Kierkegaard’s interpretation of Abelard’s existence.
