Akedah

The Akedah (binding of Isaac) takes place on a mountain in the obscure land of Moriah. When a Judahite scribe later revised the story to have the angel of YHWH stop Abraham from killing his son, he connected Moriah with the Jerusalem Temple, thereby giving it a new hieros logos—a sacred founding legend, to compete with the northern worship site Bethel.

In the introductory verses of the Akedah (Binding of Isaac), God refers to Isaac as Abraham’s only son, ignoring the existence of Ishmael. Ishmael’s absence has bothered even the earliest readers of the text, but a documentary approach obviates the problem. The key is understanding the relationship between Abraham and Hagar.

The story of the Akedah appears to present Abraham’s actions in a uniformly positive light. However, Isaac’s absence at the end of the story, and Sarah’s death immediately afterwards, suggested to some traditional and modern commentators a criticism of Abraham.

In an effort to make greater sense of the inscrutable story of the Akedah and its relationship to the equally morally complex book of Job, some unconventional exegetical methods are called for. The aim of this essay is to apply two such methods, both of which are literary in nature. The first entails reading the Akedah in light of its subversive sequel. The second calls for a non-linear, post-modern reading of the biblical narrative.

A look at the the practice and prohibition of child sacrifice in the Bible and the ambivalence underlying the stories of Jephthah’s daughter, Agamemnon’s daughter, and the binding of Isaac.^[1]

Recovering a Lost Ending of the Akedah

Do we really want God to remember all that we did?

God promised Abraham that Isaac would be his heir, yet God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. What did Abraham believe that allowed him to reconcile this divine contradiction?

Maimonides believes any story with angels is a prophetic vision while Ramban believes they are real occurrences and calls Maimonides’ position “forbidden to believe” – what is at stake in this debate?

The lack of details surrounding God’s first call to Abram—לך לך, “go forth”—or about Abram’s trip to Canaan contrasts starkly with other biblical figures, highlighting that Abraham is not a typical hero.

Rabbinic Exegetes’ Attempts to Explain the Context, Meaning, and Value of the Akedah

A Time-Honored Tradition

The literary similarities between the expulsion of Ishmael account and that of the Akedah implies that a trial is taking place.