Abraham was but one man, yet he was given possession of the land,” declare the people of Jerusalem to the Babylonian exiles (Ezek. 33:24). And in many ways, the Jerusalemites were right in praising Abraham for his accomplishments despite him being “but one man.” Abraham is not only the founder of the Israelite nation, he is also largely considered to be the originator of the revolutionary religious philosophy of ethical monotheism.
As a protagonist, Abraham is fascinating. Literary scholars tend to define characters according to the dynamics of their actions and the complexities of their personas. There are “flat characters” and “round characters,” “static characters” and “dynamic characters,” and other types of literary character profiles. Abraham contains within him complexities that make it difficult to define him according to these classifications. True, Abraham maintains a certain literary consistency throughout the narrative. However, within Abraham there are internal paradoxes that we rarely see coexisting in the same person. The same Abraham who builds altars in the name of God (see, for example, Gen. 12:7) gathers his legions and goes out to battle in order to save Lot (14:14–16). The same Abraham who silently follows God’s command to leave his homeland (12:1), who says nothing when God asks him to sacrifice his only son (ch. 22) – this is the same man who stands adamantly in front of God and claims that the Judge of all creation was defying His own value of fair justice when it came to the destruction of Sodom (18:25). Abraham, who in one narrative tells his wife, “She is your maid, do with her what you will” (15:6), later refuses to heed his wife’s guidance to expel the maid and her son until God commands him to listen to her (Gen. 21:11–12). It would seem that although Abraham’s character is cohesive on the whole, it contains a multitude of complexities and paradoxes. Abraham’s story is far more nuanced than a mere description of the founder of institutionalized monotheistic thought; his character, like his journey, is complex and paradoxical.
The Historical Period of the Abraham Narrative
When did Abraham live? Many would claim that this type of question is inconsequential when trying to understand the purpose and messages of the stories of the forefathers. To them, it makes no difference in what time period Abraham lived, because at the end of the day, the narrative remains the same. In many ways, this perspective is correct; any reader who follows the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can sense that these stories are not intended to build a precise biographical history. For example, although the stories are rooted in a sequential narrative throughout the characters’ lives, the text makes gigantic chronological leaps over long periods of time; it presents details of great personal significance as parenthetical (such as Abraham’s marriage to Keturah and the birth of their six children in Genesis 25:1–4); and it engages in a clear methodology by which it builds recurring themes and ideas within the narrative. These literary devices clearly demonstrate that the Abraham narrative is not so much a biographical-historical account as a narrative intended to highlight the moral ideals within the stories. Thus, to paraphrase Martin Buber, Abraham could be defined as a “figure of history,” rather than a “figure of archaeology.”
Despite this characterization, it is important to emphasize the historical realism of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob narratives; meaning to say, despite the underlying moral lessons of the stories, the narrative itself does not read as folklore. As Nahum Sarna aptly points out, the stories do not depict mythical figures. In fact, the opposite is true: the characters fail repeatedly, they are subject to criticism, and their stories are well anchored in a historically authentic setting of Mesopotamia and Canaan. Indeed, knowledge of the social and legal norms of Abraham’s time leads the reader to a deeper layer of understanding of the stories in which he appears. Ephraim Avigdor Speiser, in his analysis of the forefathers, notes that while early contemporary scholars doubted the historical accuracy of the biblical narrative, today – with the many discoveries of Ancient Near East manuscripts – “these chapters are generally a true reflection of prevalent traditions and customs in the relevant era.”3 In the half-century since Speiser wrote those words, our historical and archaeological understanding of the period has expanded significantly, and it is difficult to imagine that there is any doubt regarding the accuracy of the Abraham narrative’s overall historical setting among scholars today, although modern scholars are cautious not to date the occurrences too precisely. Either way, Speiser, along with his colleagues of the “archaeological” school of thought, is correct in his analysis that highlighting Abraham and his progeny’s literal place in history only serves to deepen our understanding of their narratives and the lessons they embody.
Jonathan Grossman – Abraham - The Story of a Journey
First English Edition, 2023. – Jerusalem: Maggid Books, An imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd. – 475 p.
ISBN 978-1-59264-504-6, hardcover
Jonathan Grossman – Abraham – Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Introduction: Abraham Was But One Man
- The Line of Terah: The Prelude to the Hero’s Journey (Gen. 11:26–32)
- Abram’s Journey to Canaan (Gen. 12:1–9)
- Famine and the Loss of Sarai (Gen. 12:10–20)
- The Separation from Lot (Gen. 13)
- Lot’s Rescue (Gen. 14)
- Looking to the Stars (Gen. 15)
- Hagar’s Flight (Gen. 16)
- The Covenant of Circumcision (Gen. 17)
- Angels Eat and Sarah Laughs (Gen. 18:1–16)
- The Debate over Sodom’s Destruction (Gen. 18:16–33)
- Sodom’s Destruction and Lot’s Rescue (Gen. 19:1–29)
- Lot’s Daughters (Gen. 19:30–38)
- Abraham and Sarah in Gerar (Gen. 20)
- Birth of Isaac and Ishmael’s Expulsion (Gen. 21:1–21)
- The Treaty with Abimelech (Gen. 21:22–34)
- Binding of Isaac (Gen. 22:1–19)
- Sons of Nahor (Gen. 22:20–24)
- Sarah’s Burial (Gen. 23)
- Finding a Wife for Isaac (Gen. 24)
- The End of Abraham’s Life (Gen. 25:1–18)
- Conclusion
- List of Abbreviations
- Bibliography
Jonathan Grossman – Creation - The Story of Beginnings
First English Edition, 2019. – Jerusalem: Maggid Books, An imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd. – 441 p.
ISBN 978-1-59264-503-9, hardcover
Jonathan Grossman – Creation – Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction
- The Creation: Humanity and Nature (1:1–2:3)
- Growing Up in Eden (Chs. 2–3)
- Cain and Abel: Seeds of Hatred, Seeds of Exile (Ch. 4)
- The Family of Cain and the Line of Seth (4:17–5:32)
- Sons of God and Daughters of Man: On Flesh and Spirit (6:1–4)
- The Flood: Destruction and Re-Creation (6:5–9:7)
- The Covenant of the Rainbow: Growth and Fulfillment (9:8–17)
- Noah’s Vineyard: Family Curse and National Blessing (9:18–29)
- The Dispersal of the Nations: Three Families, Seventy Nations (Ch. 10)
- The Tower of Babel: Technology and Imperialism (11:1–9)
- From Noah to Abraham: Ten Generations (11:10–21)
- Bibliography
Jonathan Grossman – Ruth - Bridges and Boundaries
Bern: Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, 2015. – 350 p. – (Das Alte Testament in Dialog/An Outline of Old Testament Dialogue, Band/Vol. 9.)
ISSN 1662-1689 pb.
ISBN 978-3-0343-1674-3 pb.
ISSN 2235-5707 eBook
ISBN 978-3-0351-0850-7 eBook
Jonathan Grossman – Ruth – Contents
Introduction
- The Book of Ruth’s Dating and Objectives
- The Structure of the Book of Ruth
- Artistic Structure
- Theology in the Book of Ruth
- Attitude Towards the Law
- The Narrative’s Employment of Legal Discourse
- Intertextuality Reflecting Violation of the Law
- The Story of Judah and Tamar
- Time and Space in the Book of Ruth
- Time
- Space
- Introduction to Chapter 1
Exposition (1:1–6)
The Long Way Home: Naomi and Her Daughters-in-Law (1:7–18)
- Naomi’s Second Soliloquy (11–14)
- Naomi’s Third Soliloquy (15)
- “Wherever You Go, I Will Go” (16–17)
- Silent Acquiescence (18)
Naomi (and Ruth’s) Return to Bethlehem (1:19–22)
- Introduction to Chapter II
Ruth and Boaz’s Encounter in the Field (2:1–23)
- The Solitary Gleaner (2–3)
- Boaz and His Boy in the Field (4–7)
- Boaz Addresses Ruth (8–9)
- Ruth’s Response (10)
- Boaz’s Response (11–12)
- Ruth’s Reaction (13)
- Lunchtime Conversation (14–16)
- The Remains of the Day (17)
- Ruth’s Return to Naomi (18–22)
- The Structure of Ruth 2
- Introduction to Chapter III
Ruth and Boaz’s Encounter at the Threshing-Floor (3:1–18)
- Naomi’s Suggestive Suggestion (1–5)
- Ruth and Boaz at the Threshing-Floor (6–13)
- Boaz’s Reaction (10–13)
- Daybreak (14–15)
- Uncovering and Covering
- Ruth’s Return to Naomi (16–18)
- Naomi’s Reaction
- The Structure of Ruth 3
- Introduction to Chapter IV
Before the Law (4:1–12) .
- Gathering at the Gate (1–2)
- The First Dialogue – the Redeemer Consents to Redeem the Field (3–4) .
- The Second Dialogue – From Redemption to Acquisition (5–8) .
- “The Wife of the Deceased” – From Two Widows to One Couple
- From the Redeemer to Boaz
- Boaz’s Declaration (9–10)
- The People’s Blessing: Security and Estate (11–12)
Two Mothers in Bethlehem (4:13–17)
- Marriage and Birth (13)
- The Choiring of the Town: Let Your Name be Called (14–15)
- The Feminine Signature (14–17)
- “The Father of Jesse the Father of David” (17)
Appendix – The Lineage of Peretz (4:18–22)
Afterword
- Reading the Story in Light of Winnicott
- Bridges
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