what surprises me about Abraham's story
Reading about Abraham in Genesis this time through sure was a lot more interesting than when I read through it in sixth grade. I'm certain this comes from attentiveness that comes with age, and appreciation for stories that aren't as "exciting" as the fantasy I was reading at the time.
I was really surprised and intrigued by the stress on hearing and seeing throughout these chapters. It really seems to echo some common themes we've seen throughout Genesis: God creates by saying and then sees things and says they're good. Here in these chapters, seeing, saying, hearing, and showing are all still pretty important. I particularly liked how the stories seemed to echo each other, like how Sarah commands Abraham to send away Hagar and Ishmael, and God says to "listen to her voice," and then Abraham rises early in the morning just like he did when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac (21:12-14). This coherence seems pretty important, and I am so glad that I am having a chance to reread this with some attentiveness.
But there is something that struck me and took me completely by surprise. I had remember Abraham as a humble person, and had envisioned him as having somewhat humble origins and lifestyle. But here, in chapter 14, we see Abraham as pretty much a warlord, or leader of an army. He is engaged in battle and has 318 retainers (14:14). Of course, we are dealing with Legend here, but Alter seems sure that 318 does not seem exaggerative. The rest of the stories seem really humble and about individuals and families whereas this chapter sticks out as grandiose and feels more like Germanic tribal war or epic tales, like Icelandic narratives or something. It really makes me wonder about who Abraham is, since I have to question my previous notions of him to fit him into this "lordly" image.
I guess from a "history of Judaism" point of view, it makes more sense for him to have retainers and a large house, so that followers could come from his servants (I guess), and it also makes the family's fall into slavery so much more drastic and meaningful if they are "falling" from this much power. I don't know. The story just seems so out of place - not so out of place that it doesn't fit at all - but it at least jarred me from my reading: "Woah - what's going on here?"
I was really surprised and intrigued by the stress on hearing and seeing throughout these chapters. It really seems to echo some common themes we've seen throughout Genesis: God creates by saying and then sees things and says they're good. Here in these chapters, seeing, saying, hearing, and showing are all still pretty important. I particularly liked how the stories seemed to echo each other, like how Sarah commands Abraham to send away Hagar and Ishmael, and God says to "listen to her voice," and then Abraham rises early in the morning just like he did when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac (21:12-14). This coherence seems pretty important, and I am so glad that I am having a chance to reread this with some attentiveness.
But there is something that struck me and took me completely by surprise. I had remember Abraham as a humble person, and had envisioned him as having somewhat humble origins and lifestyle. But here, in chapter 14, we see Abraham as pretty much a warlord, or leader of an army. He is engaged in battle and has 318 retainers (14:14). Of course, we are dealing with Legend here, but Alter seems sure that 318 does not seem exaggerative. The rest of the stories seem really humble and about individuals and families whereas this chapter sticks out as grandiose and feels more like Germanic tribal war or epic tales, like Icelandic narratives or something. It really makes me wonder about who Abraham is, since I have to question my previous notions of him to fit him into this "lordly" image.
I guess from a "history of Judaism" point of view, it makes more sense for him to have retainers and a large house, so that followers could come from his servants (I guess), and it also makes the family's fall into slavery so much more drastic and meaningful if they are "falling" from this much power. I don't know. The story just seems so out of place - not so out of place that it doesn't fit at all - but it at least jarred me from my reading: "Woah - what's going on here?"
posted by Michael Faris @ 10:02 AM
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