Dear Opher,

Thank you very much for being so patient with me.
As you can surmise, I have thought about theological
and literary issues a great deal, and consequently
I have opinions on various matters, which I am pleased
to share with youm but which I don't want to force
on you, - or any one else. I very much respect the
fact that your opinions are different, and I would be
very much embarrassed, if anything I wrote offended you.
Let me summarize some of the points we have discussed.

1. I believe that _all_ literature is potentially holy
and that the process of interpretation is similar for
all literature. I believe that whenever we read, we
must have faith that what we read has meaning and points
to a reality beyond the text.  I believe that meaning
_always_ transcends the text.

2. I think that you and I agree that God does not want
Isaac sacrificed. Then why does he tempt Abraham? You
and I have different answers to this question. If I
understand you correctly, you believes that God tempts
Abraham to test a) Abraham's obedience, and b) Abraham's
ethical sensitivity.  I believe that God tempts Abraham
to create yet another dimension of experience to reveal
the greatness of his gift to Abraham.  I can explain
this in greater detail, if it interests you.

3. I believe that one of the important functions of 
Scripture is to help us to come to terms with the losses,
sadnesses and tragedies of our lives.  For this reason,
I think we must face squarely the fear and trembling
that is described in many passages in the Bible,
including the account of Abrahams temptation.

I am ot sending these notes to the Kierkegaard list
because I am embarrassed to be so long-winded about
what I believe. However, I will be glad to correspond
further with you about any issues that interest you.

Best wishes,

Ernst Meyer
review@netcom.com