Binding of Isaac(Akedah): Differing Viewpoints

Dr Jim Wideman

Presentation at Metro NY Adventist Forum

Oct 22, 2005

Binding of Isaac(Akedah): Differing Viewpoints

I. Introduction and ChronologyII. Jewish TraditionsIII. Christian CommentaryIV. Islamic InterpretationsV. Modernity and Re-Making of TraditionVI. Visual Representations

Introduction

• Leon R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom: No story in Genesis is as terrible, as powerful, as mysterious, as elusive as this one. It defies easy and confident interpretations, and despite all that I shall have to say about it, it continues to baffle me. Indeed, my approach seems even to me to be too shallow, precisely because I am attempting to be reasonable about this awesome and shocking story.

Introduction

• What this is not

• What do you remember from childhood about Akedah?

• Do you think Akedah is a foundation myth for you- for contemporary religions?

• What does the word sacrifice mean in 2005?

• Excursus on child sacrifice

Chronology

• Ancient World• ~2000 BCE• ?• Classical World• 3rd century BCE• 2nd century BCE• 40 CE• 100 CE • ~60 CE• ~ 100 CE

• Abraham• Pentateuch

• Septuagint• Jubilees• Philo died• Josephus died• Paul and letters• Synoptic Gospels

Chronology

• Rabbinic Texts• ~400 CE

• ~500 CE• ~7th century

• ~8th century

• ~13th century

• Midrash Rabbah on Genesis

• Babylonian Talmud• Midrash Tanhuma(on

Pentateuch)• Pirkei de Rabbi

Eliezer• Book of Jashar—Re-

written Bible genre

Chronology

• Church Fathers

• Melito of Sardis-----Died 190 CE

• Origen------Born 185 CE

• Augustine of Hippo-----354-430 CE

• Islamic Writings

• Qur’an completed----632/690 CE

• Classical post-Qur’anic writing---~9th cent

Chronology

• Middle Ages

• Maimonides

• Ephraim of Bonn---Poem for Jewish Martyrs

• Mystery Plays---English

• Rashbam----Jewish Commentator

Chronology

• Modernity 19th and 20th centuries• Kant---1798• Kierkegaard---1843: Fear and Trembling• Martin Buber--- Critique of Kierkegaard• Franz Kafka---On Abraham• Wilfred Owen---died 1918: Poet of The Great

War• Cristos Valenti---1990 Akedah replayed

• Musical Depictions

Jewish Traditions

• Book of Jashar, Chapter XXII

Christian Commentary

• Augustine of Hippo: The City of God, Book XVI, Chapter 31ff

Islamic Interpretations

• Qur’an, Surah 37:99-113

• Classical Hadith—before 891CE

Modernity and Re-Making of Tradition

• Franz Kafka: On Abraham

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