Sunday Firesides: Protect the Sanctum Sanctorum of Selfhood

The innermost room in the ancient Israelites’ temple was called the Holy of Holies — the sanctum sanctorum. It was here, it was thought, that heaven intersected with earth. Only the High Priest was allowed through the curtain that marked off this sanctuary, and it was said that when he left it, his face would be aglow.

The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard b…