This is one of the
sources referred to in James Goodman's excellent book Abraham and his
Son with I have reviewed elsewhere on this blog.
The key element that
Boehm considers is the textual evidence that the intervention by the
Angel to stop Abraham sacrificing Isaac is a later addition. The
Angel speaks twice during the story, and there is wild consensus that
the second occasion is an addition, but most have assumed that the
first is an essential part of the narrative as without it there is no
explanation of why Abraham did not go through with the command by
God.
Boehm gives us
detailed evidence for why the intervention can be considered an
addition to the original text, and how the original text without
either of the Angel's intervention remains a coherent whole –
albeit one in which it is Abraham that decides not to complete the
command of God rather than God deciding to withdraw that command.
Boehm looks at the
dynamic between Kierkegaard and Kant who wrestle with this story, and
in simple terms Kierkrgaard uses it as an example to support faith
over “reason” while Kant sees it as central to the problems of
faith. Their conclusions will of course be filled around if we
accept Boehm's reading, as Abraham now rejects the command of God,
which Kant argues is the only moral outcome. That Scripture shows
that following his Disobedience Abraham is not punished but continues
to enjoy the favour of God, would seem to imply that God is with Kant
and disobeying his own command is OK, perhaps even better than
obedience.
But what Boehm
doesn't do is go the next step and offer is an exploration of the
implications of this “Model of Disobedience” on the contemporary
life of faith. This is a question Boehm does not set out to answer
but it is surely one that is essential to consider once you allow
this alternative reading any credence – I don't think you have to
have signed up to it as fully authoritative before you need to at
least test out its implications.
Perhaps it is that
next layer of exploration that comes through in James Goodman's
reflections on this theme.
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