Join us for an exploration of Søren Kierkegaard’s profound work, Fear and Trembling. Penned under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, this "dialectical lyric" delves into Abraham's terrifying trial of faith—the Akedah, or Binding of Isaac. We examine how Kierkegaard, often considered a father of existentialism, used pseudonyms as a method of indirect communication to help readers grapple with complex truths, rather than merely presenting facts. The text challenges conventional ethical understanding, exploring the anguish and incomprehensibility of Abraham's absolute duty to God. Discover why Silentio's struggle to "understand Abraham" beyond human reason leads to the concept of the absurd. This episode unpacks the intense, personal journey Kierkegaard designed to inspire faith by making us appreciate the radical nature of Abraham's achievement.Works Cited"Abraham as Ritual Model in Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling." Imitating Abraham, by George Pattison, Brill, 2021."Akedah: How Jews and Christians Explained Abraham’s Faith." By Devorah Schoenfeld, TheTorah.com, 30 Oct. 2017, thetorah.com/article/akedah-how-jews-and-christians-explained-abrahams-faith. Accessed 18 June 2024."Binding of Isaac." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binding_of_Isaac. Accessed 18 June 2024.Existentialism. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 June 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism. Accessed 18 June 2024.Kierkegaard, Søren. Fear and Trembling: Dialectical Lyric. Translated by Alastair Hannay, Penguin Books, 2006.---. Fear and Trembling / Repetition. Translated and edited by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton UP, 1983.Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling: A Critical Guide. Edited by Daniel Conway, Cambridge UP, 2015.Pulliam, David. "Søren Kierkegaard’s View of Faith Found in Fear and Trembling and Practice in Christianity." MA thesis, Indiana U, 2016."Sören Kierkegaard and Existentialism." [No publication details provided in the source excerpt]."Søren Kierkegaard." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B8ren_Kierkegaard. Accessed 18 June 2024.

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