The Teleological Suspension of the Ethical: Abraham, Isaac, and the Challenge of Faith

Abstract

God demands that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac. Why? Kierkegaard tells us that God requires of Abraham a "teleological suspension of the ethical." In this essay I explore the meanings of the Ethical, God, and Faith in an effort to make sense of this phrase, and, more broadly, of the biblical story itself.

Author's Profile

Richard Oxenberg
Emory University (PhD)

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