Søren Kierkegaard's 13 communion discourses constitute a distinct genre among the various forms of religious writing composed by Kierkegaard. Originally published at different times and places, Kierkegaard himself believed that these discourses served as a unifying element in his work and were crucial for understanding his religious thought and philosophy as a whole. Written in an intensely personal liturgical context, the communion discourses prepare the reader for participation in this rite by emphasizing the appropriate posture for forgiveness of sins and confession.

Sylvia Walsh is Scholar in Residence at Stetson University. She is author of Kierkegaard: Thinking Christianly in an Existential Mode.

Abbreviations
Introduction
Part 1. "Discourses at the Communion on Fridays." Part Four of Christian Discourses (1848)
1. Luke 22:15
2. Matthew 11:28
3. John 10:27
4. 1 Corinthians 11:23
5. 2 Timothy 2:1213
6. 1 John 3:20
7. Luke 24:51
Part 2. "The High Priest""The Tax Collector""The Woman Who Was a Sinner": Three Discourses at the Communion on Fridays (1849)
8. Hebrews 4:15
9. Luke 18:13
10. Luke 7:47
Part 3. "From on High He Will Draw All to Himself." First Christian Exposition from Practice in Christianity, No. III, by Anti-Climacus (1850)
11. John 12:32
Part 4. Two Discourses at the Communion on Fridays (1851)
12. Luke 7:47
13. 1 Peter 4:8
Index