From the Shadows of Mt. Moriah: Approaching Faith in Fear and Trembling

Religious Studies and Theology 34 (1):41-52 (2015)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Johannes de Silentio, the pseudonymous author of Fear and Trembling, purports to be an individual who admires faith but cannot attain to its unearthly standards. The discontinuity between Kierkegaard, who self-identified as a religious author, and de Silentio, who approaches Abraham in self-doubt, is apparent—and as a result, some have argued for an utter dissociation between these two authors. I argue that such dissociation undermines the potency of the work, especially with regard to the perspective on faith presented therein. The significance of de Silentio’s perspective becomes clear when set against the backdrop of Kierkegaard’s view of the relationship between anxiety and faith; in this light, de Silentio turns out to represent an early stage of the individual’s religious development, and Kierkegaard turns out to have recently surpassed this stage before writing the work.

Author's Profile

Chandler D. Rogers
Gonzaga University

Analytics

Added to PP
2015-05-27

Downloads
393 (#39,188)

6 months
109 (#29,969)

Historical graph of downloads since first upload
This graph includes both downloads from PhilArchive and clicks on external links on PhilPapers.
How can I increase my downloads?