In the Preface of Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling his character, Johannes de silentio critiques the modern attitude towards doubt and faith which is reached, he believes, in a way that is much too simple. He compares the modern man’s ability to reach doubt and faith to Descartes’ doubt or those of even older philosophers who reached doubt with intense questioning and logical processes. Faith is now also considered something easily attainable, a default of nearly every individual whereas it was once considered something much more challenging to obtain.
In the next section of our reading, “Tuning Up,” Johannes discusses various ways in which the story of Abraham and his son Isaac could be rendered. The true story where Isaac is murdered by his father, is an example of perfect faith in God. The retellings that are outlined here do not help anyone to understand Abraham’s actions because, if I understand Johannes meaning, Abraham’s faith is not something that we should try or can understand. These retellings don’t lead the man who is thinking of them anywhere and we will be equally as lost in attempting to make sense of them. One can only understand Abraham’s actions if one understands faith wholly.
Johannes discusses in the following section, “A Tribute to Abraham,” what makes a great man which he claims is determined by a man’s love, expectation, and struggle. The greatest of men will be those who love God, expect the impossible, and struggle with God. Abraham was of the greatest men because he felt these three things, because his faith in god was so unwavering and unconditional. Johannes continues to express Abraham’s greatness by telling his life story and how all of his brave actions by faith.
Heading into the reading ahead, we know 4 things about faith as it is defined and presented in Fear and Trembling:
1. Its opposite is doubt
2. It is not something that we can understand or obtain easily
3. Faith is a requirement for the religious man
4. And it is a requirement for the greatest of men to live by it
Faithful Hero
ReplyDeleteMany would say that Abraham’s unwavering obedience to God’s horrifying command was brave; that it was a demonstration of faith at its purest. “For the one who struggled with the world became great by conquering the world, and the one who struggled with himself became greater by conquering himself, but the one who struggled with God became greater than everybody. Thus there was conflict in the world, man against man, one against a thousand, but the one who struggled with God was greater than everybody” (pg. 13). In this passage, Abraham is exalted as a hero because he chose his faith. He chose his faith above reason, above ethics, above even his own desire. In his struggle with God he won. In acting in complete compliance with God’s request, but more than that, by believing beyond reason, Abraham demonstrated the spirit of a hero. In choosing God, Abraham performed the truest form of faith.
Is faith just that, obedience? How far shall one go to act in pure faith? Is it reasonable to do what Abraham did; to follow with whole-hearted belief even when it conflicts with one’s ethics? It does appear so in Kierkegaard’s recounting of Abraham’s story. To choose faith even when it meant sacrificing the single most important thing in his life, the treasure he had waited so long to behold, the promise of a future filled with all the things he had worked for; giving this up in accordance with God’s command is what made Abraham great. God does not have to reasonable but his truest follower will act accordingly, regardless.
By giving over to God what was most precious to him, Abraham gained a closeness with God unlike anyone else. Acting in any other way would have made him less great. Abraham stands out in his struggle not only because he willed to do what God asked but because he held back all forms of doubt and question. He went steadfastly ahead as God asked, without flinching.
It brings to light the conflict of being faithful over ethical reasoning. The struggle with God is the purest form of good. To be close to God is to be good, and to be close to God, you must act in accordance with his will, without questioning or wavering. Kierkegaard’s recounting of Abraham’s story is incredibly powerful in how he describes the beauty and commitment of Abraham to grant God his request.
I agree with what you said Pauline and think you said it really well. The only part of your post that's making me pause is how you talk about Abraham's struggle with God, which you claim Abraham won. Is it a struggle though? I am apt to think that pure faith--the kind that Abraham exhibited cannot, by the definition that Kierkegaard (or rather, should I say, Johannes) is following, faith isn't a struggle. Faith in God needs to be, as you also said, without "doubt and question." Without those two things, it hardly seems like a struggle at all.
ReplyDeleteHannah, I understand your pause at the use of the word struggle. I use it as I believe Kierkegaard used it where he wrote, “Thus there was conflict in the world, man against man, one against a thousand, but the one who struggled with God was greater than everybody” (pg. 13). I believe the way it makes sense is to interpret it as the constant making of a decision to believe in and trust God; to maintain that relationship by deciding daily to keep faith first. That couldn’t possibly have been easy, yet Abraham in his deep faith, followed God even in the face of such tremendous loss to his world. Also, Abraham’s decision to make Issac believe that he is crazy so that Issac would not lose his faith in God, was another difficult decision Abraham had to make in the moment to satisfy God’s command. I think it is fair to imagine that a struggle of sorts was had internally in Abraham, however, it was his actions which demonstrated the purity of his true faith in God.
ReplyDelete