Abraham & Family: New Insights into the Patriarchal Narratives

Edited by Hershel Shanks

"This is a book for Bible study groups--and others, too, of course. But it was the Bible study group that I had in mind when this project was conceived."
Editor's Introduction

Some of the greatest modern minds--people like Elie Wiesel and Jack Miles--wrestle with the Biblical text in this unique look at the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel. Each chapter offers fresh perspectives on some of the best-known Biblical characters.

BAS, 2000. Softcover, 181 pp.
13 Illustrations
10 color plates
ISBN 978-1-880317-57-0

Chapters and Authors:

Part I: Abraham and Isaac
The Binding or Sacrifice of Isaac: How Jews and Christians See Differently
By Robin M. Jensen
Who's Testing Whom: Was Abraham Really Ready to Kill His Son?
By Lippman Bodoff
Abraham and Yahweh: A Case of Male Bonding
By Philip R. Davies
Abraham's Eight Crises: The Bumpy Road to Fulfilling God's Promise of an Heir
By Larry R. Helyer
Bible Versus Babel
By Jacob Milgrom
The Baptism of Jesus: A Story Modeled on the Binding of Isaac
By William R. Stegner
The Stars in the Heavens: Many or a Few?

Part II: Sarah and Hagar
Hagar's Expulsion: A Tale Twice-Told in Genesis
By Zefira Gitay

Part V: Rachel and Leah
Rachel and Leah: Sibling Tragedy or the Triumph of Piety and Compassion?
By Samuel Dresner