The Book on Adler I believe was a good introductory book because most scholars believe that Kierkegaard agreed with Petrus Minor’s analysis of Magister Adler. Now we will take on Fear and Trembling, a book written under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio. I of course recommend that you read the books for yourselves because Kierkegaard was a very complex man whose writings have not been fully (and may never be) fully understood. He wrote pseudonymous works alongside direct ones. Allow me to explain. If a child reads Crispin by Avi, that child is really reading a book by Edward Irving Wortis. If he/she picks up The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, the author is really Theodor Geisel. Although Wortis and Geisel wrote under pseudonyms, they did not attempt to deceive anyone through their books. They certainly wanted to hide their identities, but Avi is Edward Wortis and Dr. Seuss is Theodor Geisel in the most direct sense. Not so with Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard created fictional authors through which he wrote his pseudonymous books. These fictional authors did not necessarily agree with Kierkegaard, but had their own ideas and personalities. It is generally understood that Kierkegaard wrote these books to deceive people into Christianity. In nineteenth century Denmark “Christians” were becoming less and less interested in learning about Christ directly from the scriptures and were more interested in understanding and reassessing traditional Christian truths through the writings of modern philosophers like Friedrich Hegel. Through his many pseudonyms, Kierkegaard attempted to challenge people to rethink how they understood Christian discipleship – how they understood the God of the Bible. Amid all the technological and scientific advancements in Denmark, Christ had become only one variable in a larger philosophical System. People had forgotten what it meant to “take up their crosses” and follow Jesus. The majority of Danes felt as if their Christian identity was a birthright while the theologians and pastors had watered down the gospel to appeal to a more spiritually-deficient audience. Instead of pastors challenging their parishioners, they helped contribute to the spiritual crisis.
Fear and Trembling is written by Johannes de silentio who is not a Christian. It is important to remember this as we discuss the book. Rather, Silent John is an ordinary man who is trying to understand the story of Abraham’s sacrifice in the Book of Genesis. He recognizes the fact that Christians refer to him as the “Father of Faith,” and, while he himself does not share the faith, he yet attempts to trace Abraham’s footsteps to the mountain in Moriah in hopes of understanding how Abraham could have had the courage to respond to God’s command to kill his only son, Isaac. Maybe, Christians have not really read the story at all – at least not seriously anyway. Unlike many people who praise Abraham for his greatness, John is rather disturbed by the story. Was not Abraham called by God to be a murderer?
Johannes de silentio explores faith through the eyes of Abraham. Abraham was what the author calls a « Knight of Faith.” Abraham, to be faithful to God, had to kill his son even if this action was unethical by the world’s standards. From the Universal point of view, Abraham would have been a murderer if he had killed Isaac but John continues to believe the Scriptures: that this was the will of God and that by following God, Abraham was justified. No one can understand Abraham’s pain nor why he had to sacrifice his son; in fact, Abraham, himself, had no idea either. It is nevertheless clear from the story that Abraham loved his son; it was only in loving his son that Abraham could sacrifice him. The journey of faith is thus a leap into the unknown – the absurd. A “Knight of Faith” like Abraham is completely confident in what the author deems as absurd. Abraham was a man who lived and walked alone with his God. He was not a tragic hero because he had to kill his son neither for his country nor for another noble cause. In fact, he never knew why God asked for Isaac’s life. Abraham’s story is disturbing. After all, it is easy to misunderstand the story and to excuse terroristic actions. God put Abraham to the test, but this test is difficult and disconcerting.
