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The Paralyzing Instant
Author(s) -
Malesic Jonathan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of religious ethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.306
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1467-9795
pISSN - 0384-9694
DOI - 10.1111/jore.12011
Subject(s) - reductio ad absurdum , narrative , instant , temporality , subject (documents) , dilemma , epistemology , philosophy , vocabulary , generosity , face (sociological concept) , sociology , psychology , computer science , theology , linguistics , metaphysics , physics , quantum mechanics , library science
Kierkegaard in F ear and T rembling presents a reductio ad absurdum regarding the time‐spans subject to moral evaluation. The text's classic dilemma depends on assuming that we only evaluate discrete, contextless instants. The pseudonymous author constantly seeks the single instant or moral “photograph” that indicates A braham's status. Doing so, however, extracts scripture's moral legislation out from narrative, resulting in theological paralysis and thereby requiring an alternative temporal vocabulary for evaluating Abraham. F ear and T rembling contains an under‐explored alternative that sets A braham within the covenantal narrative's temporality. The paper explores the consequences of shifting from evaluating instants to evaluating narrative durations, showing that while G enesis 22 remains a challenging episode, it also offers a model of imaginative faith, fidelity to promises, and hope in the face of trauma that focusing on moral instants overlooks.