Magnús Eiríksson

Magnús Eiríksson (born June 22, 1806 in Skinnalón, Norður-Þingeyjarsýsla , Iceland ; † July 3, 1881 in Copenhagen ) was an Icelandic theologian , religious writer and contemporary of Sören Kierkegaards (1813–1855) and Hans Lassen Martensens (1808–1884) in Copenhagen.

Magnús Eiríksson's work can be divided into two main phases: the time of his engagement with the speculative theology of Hans Lassen Martensens (1844–1851) and the time of his increasingly harsh criticism of the Bible and church dogmas (1863–1877), especially on Dogma of the Trinity of God and the divinity of Jesus Christ . The 12 intervening years in which Magnús Eiríksson published only a few articles in newspapers and magazines as well as two small pseudonymous writings, on the other hand, can be characterized as a time of “literary silence”.

Magnús Eiríksson (1876)

Signature of Magnús Eiríksson

Life

childhood and education

Skinnalón, Ásmundarstaðir municipality, Norður-Þingeyjarsýsla (D. Dankel)

Magnús Eiríksson was born as the first of five children to the farmer Eiríkur Grímsson († 1813) and the pastor's daughter Þorbjörg Stephánsdóttir († 1841) in Skinnalón in the far northeast of Iceland. Leaving the Latin school in Bessastaðir as the best of his class in 1829, Magnús began studying theology at the University of Copenhagen in 1831 . His primary focus was on the Bible and its interpretation, which soon earned him a reputation as an accomplished exegete . In the first years after his, in turn, passed with flying colors, theological official exam in April 1837 was Magnús Eiríksson a sought Manudukteur among students, primarily for Old and New Testament exegesis .

The dispute with Martensen (1844-1851)

While Magnús felt extremely attracted to Henrik Nicolai Clausen's (1793–1877) rationalistic theology and biblical exegesis during his studies , he felt a deep dislike for Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783–1872) and his supporters from the start disparagingly referred to as "the Catholic theologians". Even more so his was antipathy but speculative theology Hans Lassen Martensen (1808-1884), the star of the Copenhagen university whose ascent Faculty of Theology at the same time roughly with the beginning of Magnús Eiriksson work as Manudukteur coincided.

Already Martensen's sensational dogmatics lectures towards the end of the 1830s gave Magnús cause for clear criticism, since he not only lacked the biblical foundation of Martensen's statements, but also the interpretation of the Bible that Martensen revealed as completely arbitrary. In addition, there was Magnús Eiríkssons noticeable discomfort with the enthusiasm that Martensen's “fashion theology” sparked among the students at the time. Since they now seemed to be primarily concerned with speculative dogmatics, at the expense of exegesis, they were well on the way for Magnús to “become free thinkers, conscious or unconscious pantheists and self-idolaters ”. The persecution of the Baptists turned out to be the immediate cause for a written response to Martensen's theological view in public .

The persecution of the Baptists as an occasion for Magnús Eiríksson's first work Om Baptister og Barnedaab (1844)

The immediate reason for Magnús Eiríksson's first work Om Baptister og Barnedaab (1844) (On Baptists and Infant Baptism) was the increasing reprisals against the free church movement of Baptists in Denmark in the early 1840s . Contrary to their own practice of baptizing adults, the Baptist parents were asked to baptize their children in a royal resolution published on a chancellery poster (Kancelliplakat) on December 27, 1842. However, when this did not bring the desired success, the Bishop of Zealand , Jacob Peter Mynster , spoke out in favor of a compulsory baptism of Baptist children, which was carried out by some pastors soon afterwards. When, after Bishop Nicolai Faber (1789–1848) from Odense , Martensen finally also took a written position on the question of the baptism of Baptists, but his position regarding the compulsory baptism of Baptist children remained unclear, Magnús had the opportunity not only to address the issue of ( according to him wrongly) to accept persecuted Baptists in writing, but at the same time to take a stand against Martensen himself and his speculative theology in general. Taking the Bible as the basis of his argument and without being a supporter of the Baptist movement himself, Magnús Eiríksson wanted to defend the right of Baptist parents to postpone the baptism of their children and to show the non-Christian nature of their persecution by state and church:

"Thi at bruge imod Nogen andre Vaaben end de aandelige, paa det aandelige, navnlig det christelige , prayer, viser: at det christelig-aandelige Liv er mere eller mindre forfalsket og uægte hos dem, who gjøre eller raade til at gjøre det; thi vel kan en violently aandelig Kamp bestaae med Kjærlighedens Grundlov, men en udvortes Tvang, Undertrykkelse, Berøvelse af Gods, Frihed eller Liv , kan paa ingen Maade bestaae Dermed ... Naar altsaa's Church, for at blive christelig , saameget det staaer til den, overtræder og tilintetgjør Kjærlighedens Lov , som er Christendommens Väsen above ground force , saa arbeider the derved aabenbart paa: at tilintetgjøre sig selv som christeligt Samfund , og jo sea har formaaet at etablere Intolerancens og Ukjærlighedens principle, the mere har beviist the allerede, at the ikke mere er et christeligt Samfund uden af ​​Navnet. "

“For using weapons other than spiritual towards someone, in the spiritual, especially in the Christian field, shows: that the Christian-spiritual life is more or less falsified and inauthentic with those who have such [sc. the persecution] do or advise doing it; because there can be a violent spiritual struggle together with the basic law of love, but an external coercion, oppression, deprivation of property, freedom or life can in no way exist with it ... So if the church to become Christian , as far as it goes who transgresses the law of love and destroys what is the essence and fundamental force of Christianity , then it is apparently working towards destroying itself as a Christian community ; and the more it has established the principle of intolerance and disloyalty, the more it has already proven that it is no longer a Christian community, apart from the name. "

Martensen's indictment

The sharp from the start, to the inexorable increasing opposition Martensen theology occasion was almost all publications Magnús Eiriksson in the years 1844 to 1851. The fact that the intensity of this conflict also their over the years more and more controversy grew more and more, is primarily due to the behavior shown by Martensen on his part, instead of dealing with the content of Magnús Eiríksson's allegations, simply reacting to it with “elegant silence”. Magnús' polemics finally culminated at the end of his work Dr. Martensens trykte moralske Paragrapher (1846) (Dr. Martensens printed moral paragraphs) in the undisguised threat of a public indictment of Martensens, which Magnús put into practice the following year. When he wrote a letter to King Christian VIII personally in June 1847 , in which he also complained "about the principles and behavior of the government in many other matters which most likely or solely belong to the political", this led on the indictment of Magnús Eiríksson for libel against majesty by the highest prosecutor of state power (Generalfiskalsag) . Due to the immediately after the accession of King Frederik VII. Issued an amnesty decree of 20 January 1848, the charges against Magnús but was soon dropped thereafter.

Financial problems

His relentless opposition to Martensen let Magnús Eiríksson's previous reputation and thus also the demand for Manuduction with him gradually decline, which increasingly brought financial problems, especially since Magnús had to publish most of his writings at his own expense. The sometimes precarious financial situation as well as the associated privations and hardships were to be a constant companion of Magnús Eiríksson's life from the mid-1840s. In his need, Magnús Eiríksson asked Sören Kierkegaard several times for financial support, but the latter refused. In 1856 Magnús Eiríkssons tense financial situation seemed to turn for the better for a short time when he - despite all his differences with the teaching of the Church - at the endeavor of the Icelandic bishop Helgi Guðmundsen Thordersen (1794-1867) a position as pastor in Iceland was offered. The fact that Magnús renounced this office a short time later, however, is primarily due to the radical changes that his theological thinking had undergone during the time of his "literary silence" (1851–1863).

The radicalization of Magnús Eiríksson's view (1863–1877)

All of the writings that Magnús Eiríksson published after 1863 testify to an increasingly radical criticism of the Bible itself and, above all, of the dogma of Jesus' sonship . Magnús Eiríksson's self-image, as it came to light more and more in his later writings, was that of a " reformer ": "a church reformation is to begin", which aims at a new "reasonable religion", which is through and through - more positively understood - " simplicity " and " charity " is shaped.

Appearance at the 4th Nordic Church Meeting (1871)

Significant for Magnús Eiríksson's critical attitude towards theology and the church and for his unshakable conviction to act in the service of the "love of truth" was finally his appearance as a speaker at the 4th Nordic Church Meeting in Copenhagen (September 1871), which was his first point of negotiation dealt with the topic "The relationship of neuralism to the Christian faith". Instead of wanting to determine what is to be understood by "neurationalism" like the previous speakers, Magnús considered it more urgent and necessary to ask what is to be understood by "Christian faith" and whether the faith known by the Church with Jesus Christ my own doctrine and belief. After his speech was interrupted several times by the negotiators and the audience, Magnús addressed "the Lord of heaven and earth" in front of everyone and concluded his prayer with the words:

“Help me and everyone who seeks your truth to find it and to spread it among people in order to lead it to you, you, eternal source of light and life, truth and bliss; people are so far away from you. Father, forgive me my sins, be gracious to me and answer my prayer! "

The theologians' silence about a dispute with Magnús Eiríksson

Since the authoritative representatives of theology and the church in Magnús Eiríksson's Copenhagen environment consistently avoided a substantive discussion of Eiríksson's increasingly radical views, the statements on Magnús' writings often went back to religiously interested laypeople , such as the religious writer Andreas Daniel Pedrin (1823–1891) or the postal controller and writer Jørgen Christian Theodor Faber (1824–1886). Last but not least, Magnús Eiríksson's determined and indomitable demeanor towards those responsible in the church at the church meeting in 1871 earned him numerous expressions of respect and sympathy and was ultimately a reason for the formation of a group of supporters who - without Magnús Eiríkssons “religious views “So to share - wanted to remedy his difficult financial situation.

Controversy in Iceland, successes in Sweden

The cause of a bitter controversy with numerous writings, counter-writings and newspaper articles was the harsh criticism that Magnús Eiríksson's writings from Iceland received: on the one hand from the two French mission priests , Jean-Baptiste Baudoin (1831-1875) and Bernard Bernard (1821-1895) who settled in the framework of the Catholic North Pole Mission (1855–1869) in 1857/58 to establish the first Catholic church in Iceland since the Reformation; on the other hand by the theologian Sigurður Melsteð (1819-1896), who worked from 1866 to 1885 as a lecturer at the Prestaskólann (pastors' school) in Reykjavík . On the other hand, Magnús Eiríksson's remarks found predominantly fertile ground in Sweden , above all with the “liberal pastor” Nils Johan Ekdahl (1799–1870), who translated two of Magnús' writings into Swedish. It is no coincidence that the last articles published by Magnús Eiríksson in 1877 appeared in the Swedish magazine Sanningssökaren (The Seeker of Truth) .

The last years of life

Magnús Eiríksson would certainly have faced great financial hardship in his old age if his friends had not given him a modest life pension. In mid-1878 he was even given the money for a return trip to Iceland, his home country, which he had not seen since 1837 and which he had to postpone visiting again and again until this was finally no longer possible for health reasons. After his death on July 3, 1881 in Frederiks Hospital in Copenhagen, Magnús Eiríksson's friends erected a bust on his grave in the Kirkegård garrison . Magnús died unmarried.

In contrast to the outstanding personalities of theology and church in the time of the so-called Golden Age of Denmark (1800-1870), above all Kierkegaard and Grundtvig, the Icelandic theologian and religious writer Magnús Eiríksson and his more than 4,200-page work came soon after his Death more and more into oblivion.

Magnús Eiríksson's theological position

Magnús Eiríksson as a rationalist?

Magnús Eiríksson's theological position is usually characterized across the board as (new) rationalism within the scarce secondary literature on him , which is not least due to his lifelong personal ties with his theological teacher Henrik Nicolai Clausen (1793-1877), who is in the middle between theological Represented rationalism and Schleiermacher's mediation theology . The objection to this, however, can be made that (a) Magnús Eiríksson viewed himself only as a “scriptural theologian”, (b) that his understanding of reason is fundamentally different from that of Clausen, and (c) that Magnús Eiríksson in his explanations of the existence of supernatural revelations and undeniably presupposed “beckons” of God. In the late essay Min Forfattervirksomhed (1875) Magnús Eiríksson (d) can also speak of the fact that true faith for its part “comes to the aid” of reason, which only “completes” the acceptance of the higher spiritual things received through the sense of reason (cf. perfectibility ) will:

“This is what you need to do, which means that you have to deal with fresh sand, beware or forest, strengt taget, ducks are not allowed to work ..., and you have to worry about them being overflowed or at times when they are in season Fornuften, at the just commer Fornuften til Hjælp, supplerer det Manglende, fuldstændiggjør Antagelsen af ​​and Overbevisningen om the høiere Aandelige, which first presented sig for Fornuftsanden and Umiddelbarten, more afflicts for the other moddieres opfattedes or other modifications hvorved Gjenstandens Antagelse blev almost og urokkelig "

“... for the higher spiritual things that we receive through the sense of reason can, strictly speaking, either not be understood or understood at all or only very incompletely ... and faith is therefore far from being either superfluous or in hostile opposition to Reason to stand; Rather, it comes to the aid of reason, supplements what is missing and completes the acceptance and conviction of the higher spiritual, which first presented itself for the sense of reason and was conceived or received directly by it, and that finally by the sister and ally of reason, the Belief, was taken, whereby the acceptance of the object [sc. of a higher spiritual] became firm and immovable. "

Magnús Eiríksson's relationship with Sören Kierkegaard

Magnús Eiríksson saw in Kierkegaard above all an ally in their mutual opposition to Martensen's speculative theology. On Kierkegaard's theological outlook, however, led to the understanding of the (Christian) faith as "in place of the absurd", practiced Magnús Eiríksson very clear criticism because it unacceptable exaggeration of fact Tertullian ascribed dictum credo quia absurdum [est] (I think because it [is] absurd) saw. If “the absurd” is made “the basic principle and power of belief” in this way,

"Saa even one etableret et aldeles falsk Troesprincip, the ikke blot maa føre til the mest tøilesløse overtro, one saa in rules shalt thou if he is absurd, and netop demanded he absurd and in the force of the, men one har tillige derved i Found aldeles ophævet det sande Troesbegreb, for i dets Sted at stille et falsk "

“Then you have established a completely wrong principle of belief, which not only has to lead to the mostly unbridled superstition, because then you should usually believe everything that is absurd, and precisely because it is absurd and in force, but you also have it at the same time Basically the true concept of faith has been completely abolished in order to put a false one in its place. "

Both the solidarity with Kierkegaard in the opposition to Martensen and the unimpressed demarcation from Kierkegaard's understanding of faith is particularly clear at one point in the foreword of Magnús Eiríksson's work Dr. Martensens trykte moralske Paragrapher (1846) (Dr. Martensens printed moral paragraphs) :

“Thi uagtet han er gaaet videre end Any i sin opposition mod Kirkelæren, det Overleverede, det saakaldte Objective, og uagtet vore Begreber om Troen ere høist forskjellige ... saa ere vi dog i det væsentlige aabenbart some om Beskaffenheden about the speculative, specologie martielt , to hvilken han tydeligt siger paa flere Steder. Jeg kan da ogsaa glæde Mr. Martensen ved at underrette ham om, at denne Bog [sc. Postscript] has skaffet ham af med en Deel Tilhængere, navnlig blandt Cadidaterne og de modern students, which han neppe mere vil være i Stand at omvende, hvilket jed selv hørt af nogle af Vedkommendes own mouth. "

“Because although he [sc. Kierkegaard] went further in his opposition to church doctrine than I, to what is traditional, what is called objective, and although our concepts of faith are very different ... we are obviously essentially in agreement about the nature of speculative, especially Martensian, theology, which he is clearly aiming at in several places. I can also please Mr. Martensen by informing him that this book [sc. Kierkegaard's Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846)] has freed him from some of his followers, especially among the candidates and more mature students, whom he will hardly be able to convert, which I myself have heard from some of those concerned. "

In Kierkegaard's (unpublished) reactions to Magnús Eiríksson's criticism, there are important and noteworthy statements on the one hand on the understanding of “the absurd” and, on the other hand, on the significance of the perspectives attributed to his pseudonyms, since in their talk of (Christian) faith they appear as “in the power of Absurd ”or as“ the paradox ” outside the practice of faith. For the believer himself, however, the object of his belief in no way seems absurd: “When the believer believes, the absurd is not the absurd - faith transforms it; but in every weak moment it is more or less the absurd to him again. ”The argument between Kierkegaard and Magnús Eiríksson therefore proves to be extremely important for an interpretation of Kierkegaard's understanding of faith, as Kierkegaard's criticism“ made him more precise and modified of his earlier statements. "

Magnús Eiríksson as a Unitarian?

The critical attitude that Magnús Eiríksson expressed throughout his life towards the dogmatic doctrines of the Trinity of God and the divinity of Jesus Christ was not only condensed in his later work into a radical rejection of these teachings and of ecclesiastical dogmatics in general. The Bible itself, especially the Gospel of John and the Pauline letters , is now the subject of Magnús Eiríksson's criticism, since he purifies it from the idea of ​​a deification of man (and be it of the man Jesus of Nazareth ), this "serpent theology" wanted to. This is particularly evident in Magnú 's last major work, Jøder og Christne (1873) (Jews and Christians) , in which he took both the ecclesiastical-dogmatic tradition and the Bible itself "historically and critically" with regard to the development of the doctrine of the divinity of Jesus Christ. wanted to investigate. The aim of this writing was to prove the "original correspondence of Christianity with the Jewish religion", since Jesus viewed himself merely as "servant of God and reformer of the Jews", but never as the Son of God or even as God himself. Since Jesus' followers only considered him to be “the Messiah”, their Christianity was in reality just “Reformed Judaism”.

The fact that Magnús Eiríksson's radical position (at least) on the part of the Unitarians movement characterizes it as Unitarianism and that he himself is regarded as a “pioneer” or “trailblazer” of Unitarianism in Denmark is also true from a historical point of view insofar as the movement the Unitarian - under the name The Free Church Fellowship (Det fri Kirkesamfund) , since 1992 Unitarian Church Fellowship (Unitarisk Kirkesamfund) - only officially entered Denmark around 1900. It is an irony of fate that Magnús Eiríksson's (now closed) grave was on the Kirkegård garrison in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, just a stone's throw from the Unitarernes Hus , which was built in 1927 and is the official seat of the Unitarian Church Fellowship in Denmark.

Works

Major works A translation of the titles of the major works into German can be found in the bibliography of the article on Magnús Eiríksson in the BBKL , Volume 28 (2007).

• Om Baptister og Barnedaab, including several moments af the circular og speculative Christian cathedral. Copenhagen 1844.
• Tro, Overtro and Vantro, i their Forhold to Fornuft and Forstand, including to go to the Indbyrdes. HG Klein, Copenhagen 1846.
• Dr. Martensens trykte moralske Paragrapher, eller det saakaldte »Grundrids til Moralphilosophiens System af Dr. Hans Martensen «, i dets forvirrede, idealistisk-metaphysiske og phantastisk-speculative, religion og Christian cathedral undergravende, fatalistiske, pantheistiske og selvforguderiske Væsen. HG Klein, Copenhagen 1846.
• Nokkrar athugasemdir um dóm þann, he herra "JS" hefir lies á "sjö" föstuprédikanir. Samdar af Ólafi Indriðasyni, presti til Kolfreyjustaðar, ritaðar af O. Indriðasyni, með inngángsorðum, fáeinum skíringargreinum og stuttum viðbætir af Magnúsi Eiríkssyni. Copenhagen 1847.
• Speculative Rettroenhed, stranger-quiet efter Dr. Martensen's "Christian dogmatics" and spiritual retfærdighed, belyst ved en Biskops Deeltagelse i en Generalfiskal-Sag. Copenhagen 1849.
• [under the pseudonym Theophilus Nicolaus ] Er Troen et Paradox og "i Kraft af det Absurde"? : et Spørgsmaal foranlediget ved "Frygt and Bæven, af Johannes de silentio", besvaret ved Hjelp af en Troes-Ridders fortrolige Meddelelser, til cases Opbyggelse for Jøder, Christne og Muhamedanere, af registered Troes-Ridders Broder. Chr.Steen & Søn, Copenhagen 1850.
• Den nydanske Theologies Cardinaldyder belyste ved Hjelp af Dr. Martensens Skrifter including Modskrifterne, tilligemed 75 theologiske Spørgsmaal, rettede til Dr. H. Martensen. Steen, Copenhagen 1850.
• [under the pseudonym Theodor Immanuel ] Breve til Clara Raphael. Reitzel, Copenhagen 1851.
• [under the pseudonym Adam Homo ] Epistle eller Sendebrev til the Lord "Intrepidus" (?) quoting HM Kongens Ægteskab og Reise i Jydernes Land. Copenhagen 1852.
• [under the pseudonym Lars Maagensen ] En liden epistel til hvidtölsbrygger Hans Mikkelsen, i Kallundborg, indeholdende en chemisk undersøgelse af hans "hvidtøl". Copenhagen 1852.
• Hvem har Ret: Grundtvigianerne or deres Modstandere? og Hvad har Christ afflicted om Daaben? Nogle orienting Bemærkninger. Copenhagen 1863.
• He Johannes-Evangeliet et apostolisk og ægte Evangelium og he dets Lære om Guds Menneskevorden en sand og Christian Lære? En Religøs-dogmatisk, historisk-kritisk Undersøgelse. Copenhagen 1863.
• Jóhannesar guðspjall og Lærdómur kirkjunnar um guð, nokkrar athugasemdir til yfirvegunar Þeim Íslendíngum, sem ekki vilja svívirða og lasta guð með trú sinni. Copenhagen 1865.
• Svar uppá "Hálfyrði" "Prestsins" í "Þjóðólfi". Akureyri 1865.
• Gud og reformers. A religious idea. Together with Bemærkninger om de kirkelige Tilstande, Dr. S. Kierkegaard and Forfatteren. Schubothe, Copenhagen 1866.
• Nokkrar athugasemdir um Sannanir "katólsku prestanna í Reykjavík" fyrir guðdómi Jesú Krists. Copenhagen 1868.
• About Bønnens Virkning and the Forhold til Guds Uforanderlighed: Nogle Oplysninger and Bemærkninger, nærmest byggede paa aandelig Erfaring og et umiddelbart Gudsforhold. Copenhagen 1870.
• Kunne vi elske Next som os selv? Nogle tildeels nye tankers om Kjærligheden including all their hearing skripters. Copenhagen 1870.
• Paulus og Christ or Pauli Lære om Retfærdiggjørelsen together with Christi Lære om Syndsforladelsen tilligemed nogle Bemærkninger om other paulinske Lærdomme. Copenhagen 1871.
• Jøder og Christne eller Hvorledes blev Jesus af Nazareth is the oldest church og hvorledes blev han senere? En populær, historisk-kritisk Undersøgelse, tilegnet de Sandhedskjærlige. Copenhagen 1873.
• Mr. A. Pedrin og Christendommen. Nogle Oplysninger om hans script: "Before Herres og Frelsers Jesu Christi nye Testament og Magnus Eirikssons reformeerte Jødedom". Copenhagen 1874.

Articles in newspapers and magazines (selection)

• Nogle Ord om Nutidens kirkelige Tilstande og Religøse Bevægelser. In: Kjøbenhavnsposten (1845), nos. 222–223, 226, 232–234.
• Nogle Bemærkninger til Orientering i de nærværende kirkelige Tilstande. In: Den Nordiske Folkeskole (1849), No. 5, 8, 22, 47.
• Endnu et Indlæg i Say: Dr. S. Kierkegaard versus Biskop Martensen m. Fl. In: Avertissements-Tidende (1855), No. 82–86, 89, 91–93.
• Min Forfattervirksomhed. In: Flyvende Blade for Literature, Art and Samfundsspørgsmaal. 3 volumes. ed. v. Vilhelm Møller, Copenhagen 1875–1876, Volume 3, Nos. 11–13.

literature

• Magnús Eiríksson. A Forgotten Contemporary of Kierkegaard , ed. by Gerhard Schreiber and Jon Stewart, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press 2017 (478 pages) ( Danish Golden Age Studies , Volume 10) ISBN 978-87-635-4390-3 .
• Herman Swan Wings: Magnus Eiriksson. In: Georg Brandes and Edvard Brandes (eds.): Det nittende Aarhundrede. Maanedsskrift for literature and criticism. Volume 2. Copenhagen 1877, pp. 266-294.
• Hafsteinn Pjetursson: Magnús Eiríksson. In: Tímarit hins íslenzka bókmenntafélags. Reykjavík 1887, Volume 8, pp. 1-33.
• Eiríkur Albertsson: Magnús Eiríksson. Guðfræði hans og trúarlíf (Disputats). Reykjavík 1938.
• Michael Theunissen, Wilfried Greve (eds.): Materials on the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt 1979, pp. 147–167, pp. 171–174 (contains excerpts from Er Troen et Paradox og i Kraft af det Absurde? (1850) translated into German ).
• Emanuel Skjoldager: To Unwanted Ally: Magnus Eiriksson. In: Bibliotheca Kierkegaardiana 12 (1983), pp. 102-108.
• Olivier Cauly: La foi est-elle un paradoxe ou "une vertu de l'absurde"? A propos d'une critique de Magnus Eiriksson (Theophilus Nicolaus). In: Kairos 10 (1997), pp. 99-114.
• Jóhanna Þráinsdóttir: He trúin þverstæða? Gagnrýni Magnúsar Eiríkssonar á trúarskoðunum Kierkegaards í "Ugg og ótta". In: Tímarit Máls og menningar 61 (2000), pp. 35-45.
• Carl Henrik Koch: Den danske idealisme. 1880-1880. Gyldendahl, Copenhagen 2004, pp. 292-298.
• Gerhard Schreiber:  Eiríksson, Magnús. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 28, Bautz, Nordhausen 2007, ISBN 978-3-88309-413-7 , Sp. 517-538.
• Gerhard Schreiber: Is belief a paradox and “power of the absurd”? - Kierkegaard's argument with Magnús Eiríksson. In: Roman Králik u. a. (Eds.): Kierkegaard and Faith. Barcelona / Nitra / Málaga / Mexico City 2008, pp. 34–47.
• David D. Antics: On Kierkegaard's Copenhagen Pagans. In: Robert L. Perkins (Ed.): “Christian Discourses” and “The Crisis and a Crisis in the Life of an Actress”. Macon 2008 (IKC 17), pp. 35-59.
• Gerhard Schreiber: “Eiríksson: An Opponent of Martensen and an Unwelcome Ally of Kierkegaard”. In: Jon Stewart (Ed.): Kierkegaard and His Danish Contemporaries , Tome II: Theology. Aldershot 2009 (KRSSR 7 / II), pp. 49-94.
• Vilhjálmur Árnason: “Neglect and Misunderstanding”: The Reception of Kierkegaard in Iceland. In: Jon Stewart (Ed.): Kierkegaard's International Reception , Tome I: Northern and Western Europe. Aldershot 2009 (KRSRR 8 / I), pp. 219-236.
• H. Schwanenflugel: Eiríksson, Magnus . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 4 : Clemens – Eynden . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1890, p. 479-482 (Danish, runeberg.org ).
• Ágúst H. Bjarnason: Magnus Eiriksson, the first Icelandic Unitarian (Lecture at Harvard Divinity School, May 21, 1923; transcribed from the original manuscript and edited by S. M. Jonasson; members.shaw.ca PDF; 192 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Wartburg , in: Illustreret Magazin 2 (1854), pp. 283–284 (No. 36) and P. 301 (No. 38); Brigham Joung , in: Illustreret Magazin 2 (1854), pp. 281–283 (No. 36) and Pp. 290-292 (No. 37); Endnu et Indlæg i Say: Dr. S. Kierkegaard versus Biskop Martensen m. Fl. , in: Avertissements-Tidende (1855), no. 82-86, 89, 91-93; Til Íslendínga , in: Þjóðólfur 9 (1856/57), p. 140 (No. 34/35); Brudstykker af den islandske Elucidarius , in: Annaler for nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie , Copenhagen 1857, pp. 238–308.
2. ↑ [Adam Homo]: Epistle eller Sendebrev til den Herre "Intrepidus" (?) [Ie Peter Salicath] stated H. M. Kongens Ægteskab og Reise i Jydernes Land , Copenhagen 1852 and [Lars Maagensen]: En liden epistel til hvidtölsbrygger Hans Mikkelsen, i Kallundborg, indeholdende en chemisk undersøgelse af hans "hvidtøl" , Copenhagen 1852.
3. ↑ Om Baptister og Barnedaab (1844), p. VI.
4. ↑ Om Baptister og Barnedaab , p. XXXIX.
5. ↑ HL Martensen: The Christian Daab amounts to med Hensyn paa det baptistiske Spørgsmaal. Copenhagen 1843.
6. ↑ Om Baptister and Barnedaab. S. XIX.
7. ↑ So Magnús Eiríksson's later report on this (no longer preserved) letter in his book Speculativ Rettroenhed (1849), p. II.
8. ↑ Magnús Eiríksson's letter of October 14, 1847 to Søren Kierkegaard, in: Breve og Aktstykker vedrørende Søren Kierkegaard , ed. v. Niels Thulstrup, Copenhagen 1953–1954, 2 vols., Vol. 1, pp. 181–183 (no. 163) as well as Kierkegaard's answer to Magnús on the same day in: Breve og Aktstykker , vol. 1, p. 183 (no. 164 ).
9. ^ Gud og Reformatoren, S. XV.
10. ↑ Forhandlingerne paa det fjerde Nordiske Kirkemöde i Kjøbenhavn the 5th, 6th and 7th September 1871. Udgivne af den danske Bestyrelse ved Mødets danske Secretary. Copenhagen 1871, pp. 40-68.
11. ↑ So the shorthand of Magnús Eiríksson's speech, in: Forhandlingerne paa det fjerde Nordiske Kirkemöde i Kjøbenhavn , p. 51.
12. ↑ So explicitly in Indbydelse til at bidrage til at understøtte Magn. Eiriksson. Copenhagen 1872.
13. ↑ Hinir katólsku prestar í Reykjavík , Útskýring um trú katólsku Kirkjunnar í þeim trúaratriðum, þar sem ágreisningr er milli hennar og mótmælanda. Reykjavík 1865; This., Jesús Kristr er guð. Þrátt fyrir mótmæli herra Magnúsar Eiríkssonar , Reykjavík 1867 as well as Magnús Eiríksson's answer to the latter with the title Nokkrar athugasemdir um Sannanir “katólsku prestanna í Reykjavík” fyrir guðdómi 1868 Jesú Krists .
14. ↑ Þjóðólfur 17 (1864/65), pp. 115–116 (No. 29); Pp. 123-125 (No. 31/32); Pp. 140-141 (No. 35/36); Pp. 168-170 (No. 42/43); Pp. 182-184 (No. 45/46); Pp. 188-189 (No. 47/48).
15. ↑ Harald Ossian Wieselgren: Ekdahl, Nils Johan. In: Nils Linder, John Rosén, Theodor Westrin, BF Olsson (eds.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 1st edition. tape 4 : Duplicator Folkvandringen . Gernandts boktryckeri, Stockholm 1881, Sp. 294-295 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
16. ↑ John's Gospel. Ar det en äkta apostolisk bok och är des lära: att Gud är vorden menniska, en sann och kristlig lära? En Religiös-Dogmatisk Historisk-Kritisk Undersökning , Stockholm 1864 (= Magnús Eiríksson: Er Johannes-Evangeliet et apostolisk og ægte Evangelium og er dets Lære om Guds Menneskevorden en sand og christelig Lære? En Religøs-dogmatisk, historisk-kritisk Undersøgel 1863 ) and Läran om dopet , Stockholm 1865 (= Magnús Eiríksson: Hvem har Ret: Grundtvigianerne eller deres Modstandere? Copenhagen 1863).
17. ↑ Förnuftstro och kyrkolära. Bref från en gammal sanningsökare , in: Sanningssökaren. Nordisk månadsskrift förnuftstro och Praktisk kristendom , Stockholm / Uppsala 1877–1893, Volume 1 (1877), pp. 41–47; Förtröstan på Gud , in: Sanningssökaren 1 (1877), pp. 113–121; Kristi religion and kristna religions. Paulus och Christus , in: Sanningssökaren 1 (1877), pp. 139–151; Kierkegaard och kristendomen , in: Sanningssökaren 1 (1877), pp. 203-239; Ortodoxe theologer och kritiske filosofer , in: Sanningssökaren 1 (1877), pp. 289–305.
18. ↑ Hal Koch: Den Danske Kirkes Historie , ed. by H. Koch and B. Kornerup, Copenhagen 1954, Volume 6, p. 322 and Niels Thulstrup: Martensen's Dogmatics and its Reception , in: Kierkegaard and His Contemporaries. The Culture of Golden Age Denmark (Kierkegaard Studies, Monograph Series 10), ed. by Jon Stewart, Berlin / New York 2003, pp. 181–202, p. 194: “he was an extreme rationalist”.
19. ↑ on this the article on Magnús in the Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, Volume XXVIII (2007), Col. 523
20. ↑ Magnús Eiríkssons own review of his work, which he published under the title Min Forfattervirksomhed in Flyvende Blade for Literature, Art og Samfundsspørgsmaal , 3 vol., Ed. by V. Møller, Peter Bjørnbaks Forlag, Copenhagen 1875–1876, Volume 3, No. 11 (12.6.), pp. 81–83, No. 12 (19.6.), pp. 90-93 and No. 13 (26 June 1875), pp. 100-104, especially pp. 83, 90.
21. ↑ See above all Tro, Overtro og Vantro (1846), pp. 55–78. Carl Henrik Koch: Den danske idealisme 1880–1880 , Copenhagen 2004, pp. 294–296, takes as the source for Magnús Eiríksson's concept of reason Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi's understanding of reason (“the interrogation of the supernatural”).
22. ↑ Compare for example Er Troen et Paradox og “i Kraft af det Absurde”? (1850), p. 45.
23. ↑ Min Forfattervirksomhed. P. 90.
24. ↑ z. B. Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling (Section 4 of the edition obtained by E. Hirsch), pp. 35–36, 48–50, 56–58.
25. ↑ Tro, Overtro og Vantro. Pp. 58-59.
26. ↑ Dr. Martensens tried a moralsque paragraphor. P. IV (note)
27. ↑ Søren Kierkegaard Papirer. Volume X-6, p. 85, B 79.
28. ↑ So in the article Eiríksson, Magnús. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon. Volume XXVIII (2007), Col. 524.
29. ^ Gud og Reformatoren. Copenhagen 1866, p. 62.
30. ↑ Ibid., P. 23
31. ↑ JODER og Christne. Copenhagen 1873, p. 24.
32. ↑ Ibid., P. 28
33. ↑ See, for example August H. Bjarnason: Magnus Eiriksson, the first Icelandic Unitarian (1923), hand-written manuscript, Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Cambridge; S. H. Fritchman: Men of Liberty. Ten Unitarian Pioneers. With illustr. by Hendrik Willem van Loon , Boston 1944, pp. 163-180; Th. Kierkegaard (1878-1965) [Th. Kierkegaard was chairman of the Unitarian Church Fellowship (Unitarisk Kirkesamfund) in Copenhagen from 1918 to 1965 ]: Magnus Eiriksson og Mary B. Westenholz. To Forkæmpere for Unitarismen i Danmark , Copenhagen 1958, pp. 3-9.
34. ↑ The first Unitarian service in Denmark was held on February 18, 1900, with Uffe Birkedal (1852–1931) as pastor in Copenhagen. The constituent general assembly finally took place on May 18, 1900; the first chairman of the community was Mary B. Westenholz (1857-1947), the aunt Karen Blixens (1885-1962) and a pioneer for the Danish women's movement .
35. ^ Gerhard Schreiber:  Eiríksson, Magnús. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 28, Bautz, Nordhausen 2007, ISBN 978-3-88309-413-7 , Sp. 517-538.

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