Under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio (roughly translated as "John of Silence"), Kierkegaard here discusses the question of faith (i.e. what it is).

Drawing upon the familiar story from Genesis of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac as commanded by God, he first describes, in Attunement, four versions of the story as if imagined by someone trying to understand Abraham and his actions. This is followed by Speech In Praise Of Abraham in which he describes and praises Abraham's actions given the circumstances.

In the following section, the author, in order to setup the discussion of faith, examines the notion of "faith" compared to "resignation" in Preamble From The Heart, before continuing to the three Problemata:
I. Is there a teleological suspension of the ethical?
II. Is there an absolute duty to God?
III. Was it ethically defensible of Abraham to conceal his purpose from Sarah, from Eleazar, from Isaac?

While some of his assumptions, and in turn conclusions, are questionable on certain levels, it is nevertheless a very interesting, profound and edifying discussion. Fear & Trembling, although not very long, is not what one would consider to be light reading material; definitely not the easiest read.

Recommended Audience: 18+