Abram to Abraham; A Literary Analysis of the Abraham Narrative (11) (Alte Testament Im Dialog - an Outline of an Old Testament Dialogue) - Softcover

Grossman, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3034320779 ISBN 13: 9783034320771

Publisher: Peter Lang AG, 2016

Synopsis

Abram to Abraham explores the Abraham saga (11:27-22:24) through a literary lens, following the legendary figure of Abraham as he navigates the arduous odyssey to nationhood. Rather than overlook the textual discrepancies, repetitions and contradictions long noted by diachronic scholars, this study tackles them directly, demonstrating how many problems of the ancient text in fact hold the key to deeper understanding of the narrative and its objectives. Therefore, the book frequently notes the classic division of the text according to primary sources, but offers an alternative, more harmonious reading based on the assumption that the narrative forms a single, intentionally designed unit. The narrative's artistic design is especially evident in its arrangement of the two halves of the story around the protagonists' change of name. The stories of Abram and Sarai in the first half of the cycle (11:27-16:16) are parallel to the stories of Abraham and Sarah in the second half (18:1-22:24). A close reading of this transformation in the biblical narrative illuminates the moral and theological values championed by the figure of Abraham as luminary, soldier, family man, and loyal subject of God.

About this title

Review:

«[...] Grossman weaves a masterful synthesis, in which the conflicts and ambiguities in the Abraham narrative are shown to be essential elements in our understanding of the inherent complexity of the mission of the followers of Abraham.»
(David Curwin, TRADITION 50.1 2017)

«[...] on apprendra beaucoup de cette analyse très fouillée.»
(D. Luciani, Nouvelle revue théologique 140/1 2018)

«Insgesamt ist Abram to Abraham eine kompetent geschriebene Kommentierung der Abrahamgeschichte, die die Verbindungslinien betont und die vorhandenen Widersprüche ohne Zuhilfenahme von Quellenhypothesen zu erklären sucht [...]
(Benjamin Ziemer, Theologische Revue 5/2017)

About the Author:

Jonathan Grossman is a faculty member of the Department of Bible at Bar Ilan University. His main field of interest is the Bible as literature. Among his previous books are Esther: The Outer Narrative and the Hidden Reading (2011); Ruth: Bridges and Boundaries (Peter Lang, 2015); Text and Subtext: On Exploring Biblical Narrative Design (2015).

About this edition

• Publisher: Peter Lang AG
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 3034320779
• ISBN 13: 9783034320771
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 574