Latest Essays
The Satan Provokes God into Testing Job and Abraham
The Satan Provokes God into Testing Job and Abraham
Why would God make righteous people suffer just to test their faithfulness? With Job, the Bible is explicit that it was in response to Satan’s challenge, but what about Abraham? Jubilees (2nd cent. C.E.), and later the Talmud and midrash, reimagine the Akedah to have been instigated by Mastema, the Satan, or jealous angels. The midrash goes further and envisions the demon Samael tempting Abraham to make him fail.
Elisha’s Miracles: Holiness or Hubris?
Elisha’s Miracles: Holiness or Hubris?
With a miracle of an overflowing jar of oil, Elisha saves a widow’s sons from debt-slavery. He then grants the Shunammite woman a child and later resurrects that child from an untimely death. Both stories craft a portrait of a prophet exercising powers usually reserved for God. Is this prophetic hagiography or criticism of his encroachment on God’s domain?
