The Study of the Old Testament

‘bible’ transaltion greek to English

document, piece of parchment

‘canon’ green to english

bar, straight rod, rule

Hindy Najman on reading

we should not separate readings from the way they were read, there is a theological history embedded in the reading

Michael A Fishbane

Abram receives praises of landm descendants and blessing constitution a typological reversal of the primordial curses in Eden

Bill T. Arnold on Covenants

cosmic beginnings and Israel's national beginnings are tied together theologically as one story - God created the universe and forged a covenant with a single righteous individual (Noah) and then did the same when he formed Israel as a nation with Abram.

Bill T Arnold on Abrams trust

throughout the narrative Abram has has little tangible confirmation of all of the wonderful promises God has made to him

Israel Finkelstein and Thomas Römer

wo main themes of the Abrahamic narrative in Genesis: land and offspring

The Johannine perspective

descent from Abraham is tired to ethical conduct and faith, true descendants would emulate this

Konrad Schmidt Abraham unifying

Abraham is a unifying figure for various strands of Israelite identity

Philo of Alexandria: On the life of Abraham

Abraham's action is worthy of praise and love considering the obedience to God practiced to a high degree as well as willing to perform a human sacrifice even though it is not custom in his country and therefore constitutes a completely new and extraordinary action

Gerhard von Rad

the narrator shows Abraham's attentive love for the child through the division of burdens, he himself carried the dangerous things like the knife

Gordon J. Wenham

repeated 'my father' and 'my son' draws attention to the deep affection binding them both, the possessor is endearing, God's commands are said with unusual gentleness 'please take', acknowledges the paternal devotion to his son

Ellen Birnbaum and John M. Dillon,

Abraham showed no physical or emotional reaction to the oracle, followed the command as if he were carrying on his usual routine

Ellen and John on Philo

Philo adds and emits detail to increase pathos and highlight Abraham's absolute obedience to God, rhetorical aim to present Abraham's willingness as impressive as possible

Ellen and John on the Philo’s Three motives of sacrifice

obedience to tradition, fear of greater power, desire for glory

J. Richard Middleton

Isaac would of been traumatised, especially since it was not his father who faultered or saved his life but the angels who called out in 22:11, would there not have been a way for Abraham to prove his allegaince without the collateral damage of trauma and ruined relationship

Jean Louis Ska

the fact that no one knows his feelings is to involve the reader as much as possibe in the plight, therefore it cannot communicate a message or an idea, but instead requires participation

Jon D. Levenson

the text is utterly silent about Abraham's thoughts, we can imagine he is jsut protecting Isaac from the full emotional impact of what is happening or even protecting himself

Jon D Levinson on allegory

would be weird if the story was an allegory to warn against child sacrificed because God so eagerly praises A's readiness to do just that

Hermann Gunkel

noted etiological function, an explanation for the rejection of human sacrifice in Israelite religion. simple and dramatic narrative structure follows the pattern of common folk tales

Joseph Blenkinsopp

Abraham is the designated agent of a new initiative of God

Carol Meyers

women in ancient Israelite households were hardly oppressed and powerless, not were they subordinate to male control in all aspects of household life, male dominance was real but fragmentary not hegemonic

Henry Sumner Maine

patria potestas (the father's power), noting the father has the 'power of life and death' over his servants, children and wife

Richard Saller

argues that the legal consturct 'too easily ignores the complexities of human relationships in everyday life

Elaine James

during the middle ages and renaissance, Sarah and hagar appear mostly as stock characters - hagar as the figure of an outcast, Sarah as a figure of wifely virtue

Augustinian reading of the relationship between Sarah and Hagar

dichotomizes the women - Hagar is the earthly city symbolizing sin and wrath, Sarah is in the heavenly city denoting grace and divine mercy

Feminist/Womanist reading

have explored the story's potential to illustrate women caught in malignant distortions of power

John J. Collins

the lack of explicit statements on female inferiority cannot mask the pervasive patriarchy that suffuses biblical law as well as biblical narrative

Esther Fuchs

he hebrew bible not only presents women as marginal, it also advocates their marginality. it is not merely a text authored by men - it also fosters a politics of male domination'

Carol Meyers on Israelite households

the household is the basic economic unit of society where women and men work hard in different sets of maintenance tasks, female power has been documented

Carol Meyers on women’s power

analysis of power tens to focus on instituional forms which highlights male power but it can also be less visiable and exerted by women on a smaller scale

Genesis 12:1

‘to the land that I will show you…so Abram went, as the Lord had told him’

Genesis 17:17

‘Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed’

Genesis 22:2

‘take your son, your only son Isaac. whom you love…and offer him there a sa burnt offering’

Genesis 12:11

‘say you are my sister that it may go well with me’

Genesis 16:2

‘Go in to my slave-girl, it may be that I shall obtain children by her

Genesis 21:10

‘cast our this slave woman with her son’

Genesis 12:2

‘I will make of you a great nation, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’

Genesis 15:5

‘I will make of you a great nation, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’

Genesis 17:10

‘this is my covenant, every male among you shall be circumcised’

Luke 9:20

‘but who do you say that I am? ‘ the Messiah of God’

Luke 9:22

‘the son of man must undergo great suffering, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’

Luke 9:23

‘if any want to become by followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily’

Luke 15:20 - the prodigal son

while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion’

Luke 15:7

‘there will be more joy in heven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons’

Luke 16:31

‘if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from dead’

Luke 22:19

‘this cup is the new covenant in my blood’