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Binding of Isaac
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The Binding of Isaac, in Genesis , is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. In Islam, Muslims believe that God's command to Abraham was to sacrifice his older son Ishmael rather than Isaac, which is supported through narrations of Muhammad, although the son to be sacrificed is not distinguished in the Quran.
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The Binding of Isaac, in Genesis , is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. In Islam, Muslims believe that God's command to Abraham was to sacrifice his older son Ishmael rather than Isaac, which is supported through narrations of Muhammad, although the son to be sacrificed is not distinguished in the Quran. The event is remembered on the 1st of Tishrei in the Jewish calendar and from the 10th - 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Muslim calendar: on Eid al-Adha.
The narration is referred to as the Akedah or Akedat Yitzchak (????? ????) in Hebrew and as the Dhabih in Arabic. The sacrifice itself is called an Olah in Hebrew — for the significance of sacrifices, especially in Biblical times, see korban.
According to the narration, Abraham sets out to obey God's command without questioning. After Isaac is bound to an altar, the angel of the Lord 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.
While it is often imagined that Isaac was a young boy at the time of the incident, this is mostly a modern idea, with most traditional sources claiming he was an adult. According to Josephus, Isaac is twenty-five years old at the time of the sacrifice; the Talmudic sages teach that Isaac is thirty-seven, likely based on the fact that the next Biblical story is of Sarah's death at 127 (she was ninety when Isaac was born). In either case, Isaac is a fully grown man, strong enough to prevent the elderly Abraham from tying him up had he wanted to resist.
Genesis 22:14 states that it occurred at "the mount of the LORD": in 2 Chronicles 3:1; Psalm ; Isaiah & ; and Zechariah , the Bible seems to identify the location of this event as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Jewish responses
window depicting an angel stopping Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac]]
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 mediæval 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 imagines 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." In Jeremiah 32:35, God states that the later Israelite practice of child sacrifice to the deity Molech "had [never] entered My mind that they should do this abomination."
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, and indeed, the angel in question speaks as if he were God Himself.
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. This is a somewhat flawed theory, however, since the Bible says that God agreed with Sarah, and it was only at His insistence that Abraham actually had Ishmael leave. In The Last Trial, Shalom Spiegel argues that these commentators were interpreting the Biblical narration as an implicit rebuke against Christianity's claim that God would sacrifice His own son.
In The Binding of Isaac, Religious Murders & Kabbalah, Lippman Bodoff argues that Abraham never intended to actually sacrifice his son, and that he had faith that God had no intention that he do so.
In The Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides argues that the story of the Binding of Isaac contains two "great notions." First, Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrates the limit of humanity's capability to both love and fear God. Second, because Abraham acted on a prophetic vision of what God had asked him to do, the story exemplifies how prophetic revelation has the same truth value as philosophical argument and thus carries equal certainty, notwithstanding the fact that it comes in a dream or vision.
Christian responses
The Binding of Isaac 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.
There has been speculation within Christianity whether the Binding occurred upon the Temple Mount or upon Calvary, the hill upon which Christ was crucified, which is in the vicinity. Genesis 22:2 states that it occurred "in the region of Moriah" and not necessarily upon the Temple Mount, specifically. Some Christians view Abraham's statement in 22:14, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided," as a prophecy that upon this spot God would provide the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.
An alternate interpretation contains the proposition that Calvary was on a section of Mount Moriah, the temple mount, which has subsequently been divided from the main part for the purpose of defending Jerusalem. Following this and the unproven indication that the mountain of Isaac's Sacrifice is the Temple Mount. As such the crucifixion would occur on the same mountain. Again this supports the prophetic nature of Genesis 22:14 and also in Isaiahs comment "You did not desire sacrifice, but a body you prepared for me" which is a strong reference to Abrahams sacrifice.
Muslim responses
Muslims believe that it was Ishmael rather than Isaac whom Abraham was told to sacrifice. Some 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). Others note that Genesis 22:2, despite specifying Isaac, states that Abraham was told to sacrifice his only son, so they believe this took place with Ishmael before Isaac was born, and that the name of Ishmael was later replaced by Isaac.
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Muslims consider that visions experienced by prophets are revelations 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 ????) may be identified with the biblical Moriah (Hebrew ?????) in Gn 22:2.
The belief of Muslims in the sacrifice of Ishmaiel and not Isaac is strengthened by the above verse of Koran in which God gave merry tidings to Abraham of another son after he stood successful in the test of subjugation to God's will.
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. Jacques Derrida also looks at the story of the sacrifice as well as Kierkegaard's reading in The Gift of Death.
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.
The binding of Isaac in art
- The Binding of Isaac: 6th Century C.E. mosaic floor panel at Beit Alpha by Marianos and Hanina.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1401 bronze relief by Brunelleschi.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1418 sculpture by Donatello.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1512-1514 fresco on the ceiling of the Stanza di Eliodoro by Raphael.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: painting by Domenichino.
- The Sacrifice of Abraham: 1520-1525 painting by Sarto.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1526-1532 sculpture by Berruguete.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1582-1647 painting by Giovanni Lanfranco.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1590 painting by Empoli.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1596 painting by Ligozzi.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1601-1602 painting by Caravaggio.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1607 painting by Cigoli.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1625 painting by Riminaldi.
- The Sacrifice of Abraham: 1634 painting by Rembrandt.
- Abraham Sacrificing Isaac: 1650 painting by de LaHire.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1726-1729 fresco by Tiepolo.
- The Sacrifice of Isaac: 1960-1965 painting by Chagall.
The binding of Isaac in literature
- Faith by Christopher Smart
- Abraham to kill him by Emily Dickinson
- The Sacrifice by Adele Wiseman
- The Brome Play of Abraham and Isaac: 14th century English mystery play (Gassner, 1963)
- Fear and Trembling: 1843 philosophical work by 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: 1920 poem by Wilfred Owen. It used the binding of Isaac, altered to a successful slaughter, as an allusive metaphor for World War I.
- Without Feathers: 1975 book by Woody Allen. Contains an essay (The Scrolls) that humorously re-tells the Binding of Isaac.
- Roderick: 1980 satiric science fiction novel by John Sladek. 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 Binding of Isaac could have been played out, as well as their possible meanings.
- Hyperion: 1989 science fiction novel by Dan Simmons. The novel is first in the science-fiction series Hyperion Cantos. One of the characters, Sol Weintraub, ponders the binding of Isaac 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 dilemma. 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.
- Testament: 2005 comic book by Douglas Rushkoff. The binding of Isaac is directly paralleled by a father refusing to implant an RFID chip into his adolescent son and putting it into the family dog instead.
The binding of Isaac in music
- Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac, for alto, tenor, and piano, Op. 51: 1952 song/opera by Benjamin Britten. Text adapted from the medieval Chester Mystery Plays. One voice sings the role of Abraham, the other Isaac. The two voices sing homophonically to create a third voice for God.
- Abraham and Isaac, a sacred ballad for baritone and orchestra: 1963 work by Igor Stravinsky. Text in Hebrew taken from Genesis 22.
- A Test of Faith - A One act opera of the Akeidah for Abraham, young Isaac, and the Angel/God Libretto by Marcia Hain Engle, Music by Lawrence Goldberg, New York.
- Highway 61 Revisited: 1965 song by Bob Dylan from the album Highway 61 Revisited. Lyrics reference the binding of Isaac ("Oh, God said to Abraham, 'Kill me a son'/Abe said, 'Man, you must be puttin' me on..."). Highway 61 was a highway near Bob Dylan's home; Bob Dylan's father was named Abraham.
- Story of Isaac: 1969 song by Leonard Cohen from the album Songs from a Room.
- Isaac and Abraham: 1992 song by Joan Baez from the album Play Me Backwards.
- The Cave: 1994 opera by Steve Reich. Contains the song The Binding of Isaac in the third act.
- Abraham: 2004 song by Sufjan Stevens from the album Seven Swans. Discusses the binding of Isaac from a Christian perspective.
- Mr. Shiny Cadillackness: 2007 song by Clutch from the album From Beale Street to Oblivion. References the binding of Isaac with the lyrics, "Will you sacrifice your first born like Abraham would his Isaac?"
The binding of Isaac in film
- The Sacrifice: 1986 movie directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. WWIII threatens nuclear holocaust and the main character offers his son and his home to God if everything is put right again. He is saved, he burns his house and is ultimately prevented from killing his son by external forces.
- The Rapture: 1991 movie directed by Michael Tonklin. Contains a key scene that closely resembles the binding of Isaac.
- Abraham: 1994 TV-movie directed by Joseph Sargent.
- Frailty: 2001 movie directed by Bill Paxton.
- The Believer: 2001 movie directed by Henry Bean. The central character has a particularly powerful moment centered around his critique of the kind of God that would expose a father to such torment.
The binding of Isaac in television
- Law & Order season 6 episode 8 Angel (first aired 1995-11-29): loosely based on the story of Susan Smith, but added a religious motive for the murder.
- Xena: Warrior Princess season 1 episode 19 Altared States (first aired 1996-04-22): changes the names ("Anteus" for Abraham, "Icus" for Isaac, "Mael" for Ishmael, "Zora" for Sarah) but follows the story of the command and the final reprieve.
- Family Guy season 2 episode 2 Holy Crap (first aired 1999-09-30): Brian Griffin mentions the Old Testament narration in which "God told Abraham to kill Isaac." In the show's irreverent style, a cutaway then shows President Abraham Lincoln shooting bartender Isaac from the television show Love Boat.
- Lost season 3 episode 17 Catch-22 (first aired 2007-04-18): the binding of Isaac is a theme in the episode.
- Family Guy season 6 episode 7 Peter's Daughter (first aired 2007-11-25): Peter states that he has been a worse father than Abraham, leading to the scene quickly cutting to Abraham and Isaac walking down a hill and Isaac stating "You wanna tell me what the f*** that was?"
- The West Wing season 3 episode 1 Isaac and Ishmael (first aired 2001-10-3): Episode deals with Islam and terrorism immediately following the September eleventh attacks.
See also
External links
- chabad.org
- Mystery play texts in the cycles from , , and
- a one-act opera by Matthew Peterson (2006)
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Further reading
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p. 210.
- Aviezer Ravitzky of Hebrew University , Abraham: Father of the Believers, (Hebrew)
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