DESCRIPTION

The story of Abraham and Isaac is a story of near universal importance. Sitting near the core of three of the world's greatest religious traditions, this nineteen-verse story opens a world of interpretive possibilities, raising questions of family, loyalty, faith and choices that are common to all.

This collection of essays, edited by Bradley Beach and Matthew Powell, takes up the question of how our interpretation of thsi pivotal text has changed over time, and how, even in unlikely intellectual places, the story influences our thought. It begins by exploring various readings of Abraham and the Akedah story throughout the modern lenses of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. From there it moves into modern and postmodern readings, including how such varied thinkers as Kant and Kiekegaard, Kafka and Derrida have engaged the text. Interpreting Abraham demonstrates the diversity of interpretations and the dramatic impact of the story on the Western intellectual tradition.