It has been well observed that Johannes de Silentio offers in Fear and Trembling “his own version of a midrash on Abraham’s struggle,” and several scholars have explored the relationship between his reflections on this struggle and the tradition of rabbinic midrash, or scriptural interpretation. Yet there is more work to be done in this area, and not simply for philological reasons. In particular, I believe that the multiple narratives of the first chapter of Fear and Trembling, entitled Stemning or “Attunement,” can – and should – be read as midrash, and studied in relation to the very different versions of the Akedah (the scriptural narrative of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac) that are recorded in the Jewish tradition. This chapter aims to show that reading “Attunement” as midrash can illuminate the problem of faith in Fear and Trembling, and perhaps even enrich our understanding of the Akedah itself.

In at least one essential respect, “Attunement” presents Fear and Trembling in microcosm: it tells the story of an anonymous man who – like Silentio – tries to understand the faith that Abraham displays in the Akedah, but is unable to do so. What is the point of Silentio’s story? To what is it supposed to “attune” the reader? What accounts for the interpretative failure of its protagonist (hereafter referred to as “the exegete”)? How might it be related to Silentio’s own failure to understand Abraham? These basic questions motivate the present inquiry.