Fear and Trembling
book by Søren Kierkegaard
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). It is widely regarded as one of Kierkegaard's most influential texts and a foundational contribution to the philosophy of religion and existentialism.
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 the ethical framework of Hegel's philosophy. Rather, the actions can only be understood through a distinct category—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.
Summary
The work starts with an "Exordium", or prologue that presents four different retellings of the Binding of Isaac. In each, Abraham is prepared and willing to follow God's command to sacrifice Isaac, but something goes wrong.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Fear and Trembling” as book by Søren Kierkegaard. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as book by Søren Kierkegaard. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1193229. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1843.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Fear and Trembling” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.