| Part 1 The Theory of Faith | Hirohumi Hoshika |
"Repetition"—much like the concept of "love" more than half a century ago—is a concept that many people today discuss in secular terms; but, it was Kierkegaard who clearly singled it out as a "new category that must be discovered".
In his book "Repetition", Kierkegaard draws parallels between his own romantic life — and likely the physical afflictions he endured — and the suffering of Job, seeking meaning in Job's experience.
"Job endured chastisement on the front lines of humanity――the Lord and Job came to a mutual understanding; they were reconciled, and 'the friendship of the Lord was once again upon Job’s tent, as in days of old.' ... Job was accepted and received everything back twofold. ――People call this 'repetition'."
"Repetition" consists of repeating a past happiness. However, the mere recovery of what existed before does not constitute "repetition". Job, who contended with God amidst unmerited suffering and came to know himself, found that the happiness restored to him was not the same as what he had once known.
In the 17th chapter of Luke's Gospel, there is an article about "ten men suffering from leprosy". They see Jesus' party passing by and ask for healing from afar. After Jesus healed ten people who were seriously ill, only one Samaritan came to Jesus and thanked him. Jesus laments, "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"
The biblical story ends here, but I imagine an aftermath.
Having recovered from their illness, they returned from the isolated village to their respective hometowns — some to their families, others to their former workplaces — and resumed their lives as before.
From time to time, the nine of them would recall the illness, telling those around them, "I was lucky to survive, but it was a truly terrible ordeal." To them, the illness was nothing more than a stroke of bad luck or misfortune. They resumed their former lives, yet there was no "repetition" in doing so.
The man who had thanked Jesus had also returned to his former life. The same people were around him, and the same scenery surrounded him. Yet, he feels as if his life is different from before.
He reflects on what befell him, recognizing it as a sudden misfortune and—equally—a sudden recovery brought about by no effort of his own. Though he was not a wrongdoer, he repented, just as Job did; for he had become a man who knew reverence. Thus, in his new life, he received his former life as a repetition.
Kierkegaard defines "repetition" as "recollection forward". Since recollection involves thinking about the past, does this mean that "repetition" is the act of reflecting once more on past events with an eye toward the future? Furthermore, while comparing "expectation" and "recollection", he describes "repetition" as follows:
"Expectation is a newly tailored garment; recollection is a discarded one; repetition is a garment that never wears out. Expectation is a lovely maiden who slips through the hands that reach for her. Recollection is a beautiful old lady whom it is now too late to catch. Repetition is a beloved wife of whom one never tires."
Repetition resembles expectation, yet because expectation seeks what has not yet been experienced, it can — like a brand-new garment — fail to fit one’s body properly; furthermore, it eventually grows stale and worn. Repetition, by contrast, deals with what has already been experienced, ensuring it truly suits one’s own measure. While there is no novelty in wearing the same garment again, finding something new within the familiar is the very essence of repetition. Yet, this "repetition" must be attained through despair.
Amidst his suffering, Job came to understand his relationship with God, while the Samaritan who gave thanks to Jesus grasped the solemnity of life. At that moment, they were compelled to reinterpret both the world and themselves. This reinterpretation becomes faith. Peter, too, having suffered a crisis of faith, attained a new faith through the "resurrection proposition," thereby recapitulating the faith he had held during his earlier days as a disciple. Through this "repetition," they came to receive something that surpassed what they had possessed before.
Kierkegaard also states that "all life is a repetition."
In the former case, the question arises as to when this first step takes place. If so, it would end up having the same meaning as Plato's "recollection", from which Kierkegaard drew inspiration for his concept of "repetition". This would mean that this life is a repetition of what was once experienced in the realm of Ideas. However, such an interpretation would fail to preserve the significance of positing this concept as something new.
If a person bears a hardship that cannot be resolved within a lifetime, the wish for "repetition" in life may remain unfulfilled. Yet, Kierkegaard speaks of "eternity as true repetition," envisioning the fulfillment of "repetition" beyond the confines of life itself.