Abraham & Family: New Insights into the Patriarchal Narratives
Edited by Hershel Shanks, Founding Editor of Biblical Archaeology Society
This book is a unique look at the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel, each chapter offering fresh perspectives on some of the best-known Biblical characters. Fifteen biblical experts, some of the greatest modern minds—people like Elie Wiesel and Jack Miles—wrestle with the stories from Genesis, and each provides a different avenue to understanding the biblical text – serious, controversial, humorous, scholarly or challenging, but always intriguing.
Bible Study Groups will find Abraham & Family a thought-provoking and informative resource. University and seminary professors will encourage their students to use it in class preparation. Preachers will share its insights from the pulpit. Avid readers will delight in rediscovering the greatest stories of all times.
Soft Cover | 181 Pages
Table of Contents:
Part I: Abraham and Isaac
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The Binding or Sacrifice of Isaac: How Jews and Christians See Differently
by Robin M. Jensen -
Who’s Testing Whom: Was Abraham Really Ready to Kill His Son?
by Lippman Bodoff -
Abraham and Yahweh: A Case of Male Bonding
by Philip R. Davies -
Abraham’s Eight Crises: The Bumpy Road to Fulfilling God’s Promise of an Heir
by Larry R. Helyer -
Bible Versus Babel
by Jacob Milgrom -
The Baptism of Jesus: A Story Modeled on the Binding of Isaac
by William R. Stegner - The Stars in the Heavens: Many or a Few?
Part II: Sarah and Hagar
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Hagar’s Expulsion: A Tale Twice-Told in Genesis
by Zefira Gitay
Part III: Isaac and Ishmael
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Parallel Lives: The Trials and Traumas of Isaac and Ishmael
by Curt Leviant -
What Did Sarah See?
by Jonathan Kirsch
Part IV: Jacob and Esau
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Esau and Jacob
by Elie Wiesel -
Jacob’s Wrestling Match: Was It an Angel or Esau?
by Jack Miles -
The Patriarch Jacob: An “Innocent Man”
by Carl D. Evans -
Deception for Deception: Who Breaks the Cycle?
by Richard Elliott Friedman -
Jacob’s Terrible Burden: In the Shadow of the Text
by Gordon Tucker
Part V: Rachel and Leah
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Rachel and Leah: Sibling Tragedy or the Triumph of Piety and Compassion?
by Samuel Dresner
