When they arrived at the place which God had indicated to him, Abraham built
an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son and put him on
the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the
knife to kill his son . . .” —The Book of Genesis
Abraham's Curse
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this thought-provoking study, Bard College professor Chilton (Rabbi Jesus) asks how the Abrahamic faiths have understood Genesis 22, the story of the binding of Isaac. All three religions include a strand of interpretation that reads the binding of Isaac as valorizing the sacrifice of human life. Some rabbinic texts, for example, suggest that Abraham did in fact nick Isaac's neck, shedding the boy's blood, and that Isaac offers a model for the necessary readiness for martyrdom. Christianity has seen Isaac as prefiguring Jesus' crucifixion, and Christians, too, find in both these sacrificial stories an approval of martyrdom. In Islam, Chilton finds a range of interpretations, some of which gradually make Ibrahim more and more aggressive, to the point that Allah could only prevent the slaughter... by miraculous means. These interpretations appear to underwrite violence, but Chilton also finds within Jewish, Christian and Islamic sacred texts a corrective: a clear insistence that God does not want human beings to sacrifice ourselves or our children. Today's violent fundamentalists, Chilton claims, overlook those correctives and take their cues from readings of Genesis 22 that seem to favor human sacrifice. Chilton produces yet another creative and very relevant historical account. (Feb. 19)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Praise for Rabbi Jesus
“Bruce Chilton’s masterpiece of religious narrative marks a genuinely new and important step beyond the now-faltering historical Jesus movement.” —Jacob Neusner, Jerusalem Post
“Open this book and see Jesus as you’ve never seen him . . . This is one heck of a good read.” —National Catholic Reporter
“Engaging and lively . . . Chilton has done an admirable job of taking us into Jesus’ world and witnessing the life of one of history’s most important figures.” —Charlotte Observer
“Rabbi Jesus is a scholarly pursuit that reads more like a novel. The biography flows with the fluidity of an adventure tale, rich in characters, texture, and detail.” —The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)
Praise for Rabbi Paul
“A worthwhile exploration of a life that has richly touched all of ours.” —Dallas Morning News
“[Chilton’s] inviting prose, ability to recreate the cultural contexts of Paul’s life, and deep affection for the Apostle bring new life to a tale that has been told many times before.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An eloquent biographical masterpiece.” —Jerusalem Post
Praise for Mary Magdalene:
“A compelling portrait of Mary . . . Graced by both power and wit, Chilton’s book aims to reshape and reorient the imagination of a new generation.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Chilton is an eloquent, erudite, insightful, and pastorally sensitive biblical scholar. He has produced a profoundly affecting biography of Mary Magdalene.” —America
“An intriguing portrait of a woman strong enough to break through cultural misogyny . . . fascinating reading.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Bruce Chilton’s masterpiece of religious narrative marks a genuinely new and important step beyond the now-faltering historical Jesus movement.” —Jacob Neusner, Jerusalem Post
“Open this book and see Jesus as you’ve never seen him . . . This is one heck of a good read.” —National Catholic Reporter
“Engaging and lively . . . Chilton has done an admirable job of taking us into Jesus’ world and witnessing the life of one of history’s most important figures.” —Charlotte Observer
“Rabbi Jesus is a scholarly pursuit that reads more like a novel. The biography flows with the fluidity of an adventure tale, rich in characters, texture, and detail.” —The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina)
Praise for Rabbi Paul
“A worthwhile exploration of a life that has richly touched all of ours.” —Dallas Morning News
“[Chilton’s] inviting prose, ability to recreate the cultural contexts of Paul’s life, and deep affection for the Apostle bring new life to a tale that has been told many times before.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An eloquent biographical masterpiece.” —Jerusalem Post
Praise for Mary Magdalene:
“A compelling portrait of Mary . . . Graced by both power and wit, Chilton’s book aims to reshape and reorient the imagination of a new generation.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“Chilton is an eloquent, erudite, insightful, and pastorally sensitive biblical scholar. He has produced a profoundly affecting biography of Mary Magdalene.” —America
“An intriguing portrait of a woman strong enough to break through cultural misogyny . . . fascinating reading.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Going under the knife,
By
This review is from: Abraham's Curse: The Roots of Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Hardcover)
The story of how Abraham could, without question, pack up his son, firewood and a knife and march out to sacrifice Isaac has always bothered me. A test? This book examines the story from Genesis, and an analogous story from the Koran; and the fact that it prefigures the sacrifice of Christ on the cross (who, like Isaac, carried the wood himself). The impact of this story in our history, in which we continue to sacrifice our young on the altar of Democracy, is a work of scholarship that is well-written and easily understood even by non-scholars. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the primal urge to sacrifice, and how much of what we have taken from the story may have been a mis-interpretation: one that has cost millions their lives. Highly recommended.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read for both Religious and Non-Religious,
By
This review is from: Abraham's Curse: The Roots of Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Hardcover)
As much as I thought I knew about the abrahamics and their theologies, this book goes into great detail about the often overlooked significance of the Issac typology and the practice of blood sacrifice in the Near East. Whether you are religious or non-religious, this book is both an affirmation and a wake-up call.
I purchased the book here on Amazon. The Book encompasses all three abrahamic religion and its Gnostic offshoots. His analysis of Basilides vis-a-vis Issac is incredibly insightful.
2 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
History lesson from school,
By
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This review is from: Abraham's Curse: The Roots of Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Hardcover)
This book has a lot of history in it. And you find that out by reading it over and over and over. It is like you are back in school and being taught the same lesson over and over and over.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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crucifi xion, rstborn son, sacrifi ced, sacrifi ces, infl icted, fulfi lled, cial vision, refl ected, refl ects, infl uenced, cial violence, refl ection, confl ict, martyr dom, justifi cation, rst century, identifi cation, infl uences Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Blood of the Lamb, Taking Leave of Moriah, The Test, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Species Human Offerings, The Long Descent, Blood Harvest, Martyrdom the Jewish Invention, Roman Empire, The Eternal Sacrifi, Gnostic Laughter Roman Pornography Blood Payment, New Testament, Middle Ages, Genesis Rabbah, Hebrew Bible, Muslim Aqedah, Scriptures of Israel, Near Eastern, Marcus Aurelius, United States, Greco Roman, Mount Moriah, Old Testament, Middle East, Israelite Scriptures Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
crucifi xion, rstborn son, sacrifi ced, sacrifi ces, infl icted, fulfi lled, cial vision, refl ected, refl ects, infl uenced, cial violence, refl ection, confl ict, martyr dom, justifi cation, rst century, identifi cation, infl uences Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Blood of the Lamb, Taking Leave of Moriah, The Test, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Species Human Offerings, The Long Descent, Blood Harvest, Martyrdom the Jewish Invention, Roman Empire, The Eternal Sacrifi, Gnostic Laughter Roman Pornography Blood Payment, New Testament, Middle Ages, Genesis Rabbah, Hebrew Bible, Muslim Aqedah, Scriptures of Israel, Near Eastern, Marcus Aurelius, United States, Greco Roman, Mount Moriah, Old Testament, Middle East, Israelite Scriptures Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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