Fear and Trembling
Front cover of the Penguin Classics edition | |
| Author | Søren Kierkegaard |
|---|---|
| Original title | Frygt og Bæven |
| Language | Danish |
| Series | First authorship (Pseudonymous) |
| Genre | Christianity, philosophy, theology |
Publication date | October 16, 1843 |
| Publication place | Denmark |
Published in English | 1941 |
| Pages | 160 |
| ISBN | 978-0140444490 |
| Preceded by | Two Upbuilding Discourses, 1843 |
| Followed by | Three Upbuilding Discourses |
| Text | Fear and Trembling at Wikisource |
Fear and Trembling (Danish: Frygt og Bæven) is a philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard, published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio (Latin for John of the Silence). The work is an extended meditation on Genesis 22, also known as the Binding of Isaac. Johannes de silentio examines the tension between ethical duty and faith through an analysis of Abraham's psychological state during his journey to Moriah. The text argues that it is impossible to understand Abraham's actions through ethical categories such as Sittlichkeit, or the universal, without introducing the category of faith.
The title references Philippians 2:12, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." The Philippians verse is thought to reference Psalm 55:5. Fear and Trembling addresses several key ideas in Kierkegaard's philosophy, such as the absurd, the knight of faith, the single individual, the teleological suspension of the ethical, the three stages, and the tragic hero. Fear and Trembling has become one of Kierkegaard's most influential texts and is a foundational contribution to the philosophy of religion and existentialism.