#whatireadovershabbat Søren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, translated by Bruce Kirmmse (1843; Liveright, 2021)
Who, really, understands the Binding of Isaac, when you come down to it? At God’s command, Abraham goes to sacrifice his beloved son; if he knows why, we are never told. Writing under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio, Kierkegaard refused to accept pious defenses or rationalist criticism of Abraham’s action, and gave us, as a result, this masterpiece of modern philosophy. He declares that what Abraham did he did as a knight of faith, dedicated to the paradox of faith. And this—the paradox of faith—defies explanation. To weigh that claim, you must read this strange, uncompromising essay yourself.
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