Texts in Conversation
The Christian theologian Augustine explains the binding of Isaac as a test that showed Abraham’s faith to others, not to God. In Genesis, God learns that Abraham fears him; Jubilees already has God say he has shown everyone Abraham’s faithfulness.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Jubilees 18:16
Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
15 And he said: 'By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, Because you have done this thing, And have not withheld your son, your beloved son, from Me, That in blessing I will bless you, And in multiplying I will multiply your seed As the stars of heaven, And as the sand which is on the seashore. And your seed shall inherit the cities of its enemies, 16 And in your seed all nations of the earth shall be blessed; Because you have obeyed My voice, And I have shown to all that you are faithful to Me in all that I have said to you: Go in peace.' 17 And Abraham went to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba, and Abraham dwelt by the Well of the Oath [2010].
Augustine, City of God 16.32
On the City of God Against the Pagans
Early Christian
Among other things, of which it would take too long time to mention the whole, Abraham was tempted about the offering up of his well-beloved son Isaac, to prove his pious obedience, and so make it known to the world, not to God. Now every temptation is not blame-worthy; it may even be praise-worthy, because it furnishes probation. And, for the most part, the human mind cannot attain to self-knowledge otherwise than by making trial of its powers through temptation, by some kind of experimental and not merely verbal self-interrogation; when, if it has acknowledged the gift of God, it is pious, and is consolidated by steadfast grace and not puffed up by vain boasting. Of course Abraham could never believe that God delighted in human sacrifices; yet when the divine commandment thundered, it was to be obeyed, not disputed.
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Notes and References
"... in interpreting in this way, these writers seemed to contradict what the Bible itself says explicitly later on. For in the biblical account, after Abraham has demonstrated his willingness to offer up his beloved Isaac, God says to him: 'Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me' (Genesis 22:12). 'Now I know' seems to imply 'I did not know before.' How then could the author of Jubilees and other interpreters maintain that God did know all along? The answer lies in yet another ambiguity in the Hebrew. For the same consonants that spell the Hebrew word 'I know' can also be read in such a way as to mean 'I have made known' or 'I have notified.' This is apparently how some interpreters chose to understand the text ... Thus, God's great test of Abraham took place in response to a challenge and was carried out in order to prove Abraham's virtues not to God, but to others—Satan, the other angels, or the world at large ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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