The Binding Of Isaac In Abraham By Bruce Feiler

The Different Interpretations of The Binding of Isaac in Abraham by Bruce Feiler

The binding of Isaac, also known as Abraham’s sacrifice of his youngest son Isaac has been named as one of Abraham’s defining moments next to the call. The sacrifice of Isaac has been talked and written about for centuries. Also, it has been given various interpretations depending on the religion one follows. Through critical analysis, I will be going through the different interpretations of the binding of Isaac in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

In Judaism, the binding of Isaac was seen as a pivotal movement in Abraham’s life. It was a test of his true willingness to trust God. For example, Feiler said : “The binding of Abraham’s favored son is the most

For example, Feiler says: “ Christians picked up this view of the binding and transformed it even further: into the centerpiece of an iconic link between Abraham and Jesus” (p.92). For Christian, the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his favorite son is very similar to the one of the Jewish faith. However, like Feiler mentions Christians parallel the binding of Isaac to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Feiler has traveled to the Golgotha ( the place where Jesus Christ was sacrificed) to talk to Jessica Harani, a professor of religion at Tel Aviv University. Harani goes on to say “It’s clear that the message here is that Mount Moriah and the Cavalry are the same,” “Abraham loves God so much that he will sacrifice his son. God loves humanity so much that he will sacrifice his son. There’s an equation here. And this is how it should be” (p.93). For Christians, they believed that Abraham believed has so much faith in God that he would be able to resurrect the “slain” Isaac. Some Christian commentators view this as a preview of God’s plan for his own son Jesus to die on the cross as a “substitute for humanity”, much like the ram God provided for

Both were persecuted by Romans. In context, both religions needed models not just of faith but of faith in the face of challenge.Both found inspiration in Abraham’s willingness to murder his son and in Isaac’s willingness to be murdered” (p.93). This initial connection between the binding and the crucifixion was made by one of the most prolific disciples, Paul. Paul placed the Golgotha and Jesus sacrifice in the heart of Christianity. In Hebrews 11 Paul wrote: “By faith Abraham when put to the test offered up Isaac,” “He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son. ” Not only that, but the Christian faith takes the phrase Abraham said “ God will provide” to a whole new level when they called Jesus the “Lamb of God” along with bringing about the fact that Isaac bore the wood for the offering like Christ did the cross before his sacrifice. Christianity’s main take away from the binding of Isaac is that faith is always the