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Binding of Isaac

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File:Sacrifice 600.JPG
"Sacrifice" by Robert Sherman (1983).

The Binding of Isaac (Hebrew: עֲקֵידַת יִצְחַק, Akedát Yitzhák) in Genesis 22, is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. To many readers the tale is one of the most challenging, complex, mystifying, and perhaps ethically troublesome episodes in the entire Bible. The story is referred to as the Akedah (עקדה) or Akedat Yitzchak (עקידת יצחק) in Hebrew (the binding of Isaac) and as the Dhabih in Arabic.

Abraham agrees to God's command without argument, even though God gives him no reason for the sacrifice (called an Olah in Hebrew -- for the significance of sacrifices, especially in Biblical times, see the korbanot). The text of the story says that God wishes to test Abraham, which indicates that he does not intend for Abraham to actually sacrifice his son. Indeed, after Isaac is bound to an altar, an angel stops Abraham at the last minute, at which point Abraham discovers a ram caught in some nearby bushes. Abraham then sacrifices the ram in Isaac's stead.

According to Josephus, Isaac is twenty-five years old at the time of the sacrifice, while the Talmudic sages teach that Isaac is thirty-seven. In either case, Isaac is a fully grown man, strong enough to prevent the elderly Abraham (who is 125 or 137 years old) from tying him up had he wanted to resist.

In 2 Chronicles 3:1, the Bible seems to identify the location of this event as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, though Genesis only states that it occurred on a mountain somewhere in "the region of Moriah," and not necessarily on the hill of that name. This space is currently occupied by the Dome of the Rock. Some have speculated that the binding may have occurred at Golgotha, i.e., Calvary, the hill on which Jesus was crucified, which is also a hill in the same general vicinity.

Abraham Sacrificing Isaac by Laurent de LaHire, 1650

Jewish responses

The majority of Jewish Biblical commentators argue that God was testing Abraham to see if he would actually kill his own son, as a test of his loyalty. However, a number of Jewish Biblical commentators from the medieval era, and many in the modern era, do not agree with this notion. They read the text in another way.

The early rabbinic midrash Genesis Rabbah quotes God as saying "I never considered telling Abraham to slaughter Isaac (using the Hebrew root letters for "slaughter", not "sacrifice")". Rabbi Yona Ibn Janach (Spain, 11th century) wrote that God demanded only a symbolic sacrifice. Rabbi Yosef Ibn Caspi (Spain, early 14th century) wrote that Abraham's "imagination" led him astray, making him believe that he had been commanded to sacrifice his son. Ibn Caspi writes "How could God command such a revolting thing?" But according to Rabbi J. H. Hertz (Chief Rabbi of the British Empire), child sacrifice was actually "rife among the Semitic peoples," and suggests that "in that age, it was astounding that Abraham's God should have interposed to prevent the sacrifice, not that He should have asked for it." Hertz interprets the Akedah as demonstrating to the Jews that human sacrifice is abhorrent. "Unlike the cruel heathen deities, it was the spiritual surrender alone that God required."

Other rabbinic scholars also note that Abraham was willing to do everything to spare his son, even if it meant going against the divine command: while it was God who ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son, it was an angel, a lesser being in the celestial hierarchy, that commanded him to stop. However, the actions and words of angels (from the Greek for "messenger") are generally understood to derive directly from God's will. In some later Jewish writings, most notably those of the Hasidic masters, the theology of a "divine test" is rejected, and the sacrifice of Isaac is interpreted as a "punishment" for Abraham's earlier "mistreatment" of Ishmael, his elder son, whom he expelled from his household at the request of his wife, Sarah. According to this view, Abraham failed to show compassion for his son, so God punished him by ostensibly failing to show compassion for Abraham's son.

In The Last Trial, Shalom Spiegel argues that these commentators were interpreting the Biblical story as an implicit rebuke against Christianity's claim that God would sacrifice His own son.

This 18 century relief of the Abraham's offering of Isaac is one of a series of reliefs in the chapel inside the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc with sacrifices to the God as the main topic, ending with Jesus' crucifixion.

Christian responses

This story is mentioned in the New Testament Book of Hebrews among many acts of faith recorded in the Old Testament:

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:17-19, NKJV)

The Author of Hebrews here considers Abraham's faith in God to be of such a magnitude that he felt reassured that if God would allow him to perform the task which he'd requested, he would be able to resurrect the slain Isaac, in order that his prophecy (Genesis 21:12) might be fulfilled. Such faith in God's word and in his promise lead this particular Old Testament passage to be regarded by many Christians as an incredibly significant (and exemplary) one.

The majority of Christian Biblical commentators hold this whole episode to be an archetype of the way that God works; this event is seen as foreshadowing God's plan to have his own Son, Jesus, die on the cross as a substitute for humanity, much like the ram God provided for Abraham. And Abraham's willingness to give up his own son Isaac is seen, in this view, as foreshadowing the willingness of God the Father to sacrifice his Son; also contrasted is Isaac's submission in the whole ordeal with Christ's, the two choosing to lay down their own lives in order for the will of God to be accomplished, as no struggle is mentioned in the Genesis account. Indeed, both stories portray the participants carrying the wood for their own sacrifice up a mountain.

Muslim responses

The Qur'an itself does not mention the name of Abraham's son, although the full narrative points to Ishmael (Qur'an 37:99-113). Traditionally, many Muslims believe that it was Ishmael rather than Isaac whom Abraham was told to sacrifice and link many pilgrimage rites with the story, though there are classical commentators who said it was Isaac. The ones who say that it was Ishmael argue from the assumption of coherency of Quranic narrative, and say that God would not have asked for the sacrifice after He has foretold Abraham and Sarah the glad tidings of Isaac and his offspring (Quran 11:71; 15:53, 37:112 etc). Some also note that the text of Genesis as it stands, despite specifying Isaac, appears to state that Abraham was told to sacrifice his only son ("Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, Isaac" Genesis 22:2) to God. The mention of Isaac may have been a later interpolation by someone who wished to give this honour to their forefather. And since Isaac was Abraham's second son - younger than Ishamel by 13 years, there was no time at which he would have been Abraham's only son, so they take this to imply that the original text must have meant Ishmael rather than Isaac as the intended sacrifice. The Pentateuch does not imply that Ishmael was an illegimate son - he's referred to as Abraham's son and his mother as Abraham's wife.

What is interesting in the Quranic narrative is that Abraham shares his vision of sacrifice command with the son who was old enough to talk and understand, and the son himself advises Abraham to go ahead and carry out the command:

"And [one day,] when [the child] had become old enough to share in his [father’s] endeavours, the latter said: “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice thee: consider, then, what would be thy view!” He answered: “O my father! Do as you are bidden: you will find me, if God so wills, among those who are patient in adversity!”" (37:102)

Muslims consider that visions experienced by prophets are revealations from God, and as such it was a divine order to Abraham. The entire episode of the sacrifice is regarded as a trial of God for Abraham and his son, and both are seen as having passed the test by submitting to God and showing their awareness that God is the Owner and Giver of all that we have and cherish, including life and offspring. The submission of Abraham and his son is celebrated and commemorated by Muslims on the days of Eid ul-Adha Sacrifice festival. During the festival, those who can afford and the ones in the pilgrimage sacrifice a ram, cow, sheep or a camel. Part of the sacrifice meat is eaten by the household and remaining is distributed to the neighbor and the needy. The festival happens in the pilgrimage hajj season. The well-known site of Marwah (Arabic مروة) may be identified with the biblical Moriah (Hebrew מריה)in Gn 22:2.

Modern-day interpretations

It also figures prominently in the writings of many major modern theologians, such as Søren Kierkegaard in Fear and Trembling and Shalom Spiegel in The Last Trial.

In Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, the literary critic Erich Auerbach considers the Hebrew narrative of the Binding of Isaac, along with Homer's description of Odysseus's scar, as the two paradigmatic models for the representation of reality in literature. Auerbach contrasts Homer's attention to detail and foregrounding of the spatial, historical, as well as personal contexts for events to the Bible's sparse account, in which virtually all context is kept in the background or left outside of the narrative. As Auerbach observes, this narrative strategy virtually compels readers to add their own interpretations to the text.

Some have argued that the story should be read in the context of ancient Near Eastern culture. In the time and era in which Abraham lived, he was surrounded by cultures where the sacrifice of animals to gods was the normal way of showing devotion and loyalty. Abraham lived among some cultures that sacrificed human beings to their gods - sometimes even their own children.

One understanding of the text is that God inspired Abraham in this episode in order to teach him a lesson, in order to stop human sacrifices from happening.

Readers note that Abraham was put by God into a dilemma with no clear solution.

  • If Abraham had said "No God, I cannot comply! Even for You I could never do such a thing", then Abraham would be shown as disobedient to God, which is normally a bad thing. However, he also would have been shown to be a moral person; in this possibility, he could realize that if he couldn't sacrifice his own child, then no one else should do so.
  • If Abraham had said "I don't want to, but I trust you and will do so" then Abraham would be shown as being obedient to God, which is normally a good thing. In this case (which occurs in the text), God prevents Abraham from following the initial order. The reader may ask why God has done this, perhaps God in effect says "Ah-Ha! You assumed that this was what I wanted. But I now give you a revelation: This is not the way to serve me. Human sacrifice is not allowed".

Whatever the original intent (which may never be totally elucidated) of the text, the episode has quite an effect on Abraham and Isaac; it is clear to them both that human sacrifice is not acceptable.

Many readers have noted Abraham's prophetic "Freudian slip": He says "I and the boy will go there, bow down, and we will return to you". Many classical rabbinic commentators hold that Abraham knew that Isaac wouldn't die, although, since he was addressing his servants, it is possible he was trying to mislead them (or Isaac) about what he intended to do.

The near-sacrifice in art

The near-sacrifice in literature

  • The Brome Play of Abraham and Isaac: 14th century English mystery play (Gassner, 1963)
  • Fear and Trembling, in which the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard explores the ethical implications of Abraham's act, tries to place it in his contemporary world, and distills from this an admirable picture of how a "knight of faith" is more than just someone who knows the rules of religion. Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, but this submission to the will of God was not where he stopped, for he believed that he would have him back: he trusted the "absurd" — a trust that is a paradox, beyond ethics and intellectual comprehension. It develops the leap of faith, that faith is separate from religious or empirical knowledge, and thus always "absurd".
  • The Parable of the Old Man and the Young: Poem by Wilfred Owen used the near-sacrifice, altered to a successful slaughter, as an allusive metaphor for World War I. Text of poem
  • Without Feathers: 1975 book by Woody Allen containing an essay (The Scrolls) that humorously re-tells the near-sacrifice story. Excerpt embedded in speech
  • Hyperion: first novel (1989) in the science-fiction series Hyperion Cantos written by Dan Simmons in which one of the characters, Sol Weintraub, ponders the near-sacrifice in relation to his own problem of being told by a voice to take his daughter Rachel to the planet Hyperion and offer her to the Time Tombs, publishing a number of widely-read works on the ethical dilemna. In The Fall of Hyperion, Weintraub concludes (after giving his daughter to the Shrike) that the answer is that Abraham was testing God, not the other way around: if God had allowed the sacrifice, then he would thereby have proven that he was not to be worshipped.
  • Roderick: in this satiric science fiction novel, the title character offends and confuses the teachers at his Catholic school when he creates a flow chart to document the various ways that the story of Isaac could have been played out, as well as their possible meanings.

The near-sacrifice in music

The near-sacrifice in film

The near-sacrifice in pop culture

See also

References

  • Berman, Louis A. (1997). The Akedah: The Binding of Isaac. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 1-56821-899-0.
  • Bodofff, Lippman (1993). "The Real Test of the Akedah: Blind Obedience versus Moral Choice". Judaism. 42 (1).
  • Caspi, Mishael Maswari and Sascha Benjamin Cohen (1995). The Binding and Its Transformations in Judaism and Islam. Mellen Biblical Press. ISBN 0-7734-2389-3.
  • Delaney, Carol (1998). Abraham on Trial. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-05985-3.
  • Delaney, Carol (1999). "Abraham, Isaac, and Some Hidden Assumptions of Our Culture". The Humanist. May/June.
  • Feiler, Bruce (2002). Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-083866-3.
  • Firestone, Reuven (1990). Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Legends in Islamic Exegesis. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-0332-7.
  • Gassner, John (Ed.) (1963). Medieval and Tudor Drama: Twenty-Four Plays (2000 reprint ed.). Applause. ISBN 0-936839-84-8.
  • Josephus, Flavius (93-94 C.E.). Antiquities of the Jews. Interhack Digital Library. ISBN 1-58827-612-0. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  • Jensen, R. (1993). "The Binding of Sacrifice of Isaac, How Jews and Christians See Differently". Buble Review. 9 (5): 45.
  • Levenson, Jon D. (1995). The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-06511-6.
  • Plaut, W. Gunther (1974). The Torah: A Modern Commentary I. Genesis. Union of American Hebrew Congregations. ASIN B0006DJTU8. p. 210.
  • Aviezer Ravitzky of Hebrew University , Abraham: Father of the Believers, (Hebrew)
  • Sarna, Nahum (1989). The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis. Jewish Publication Society. ISBN 0-8276-0326-6.
  • Spiegel, Shalom (1967). The Last Trial: On the Legends and Lore of the Command to Abraham to Offer Isaac As a Sacrifice: The Akedah (1993 reprint ed.). Jewish Lights Publishing. ISBN 1-879045-29-X.
  • Vaux, Kenneth L. (2003). Jew Christian, Muslim: Faithful Unification or Fateful Trifurcation? Word, Way, Worship and War in the Abrahamic Faiths. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 1-59244-363-X.
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