Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

tan felt moved to challenge God concerning his faithful servant. God takes

up the challenge, but the author ofJubileesgoes to the trouble to assure his

readers that there was really no need for God to test Abraham, since “the

Lordknew that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told

him” and would certainly pass this test as well.

As noted, this revised version of the biblical story contains a lesson for

today (Assumption 2): Abraham was faithful to God, even when put to a

very difficult test; you should be too, and you will be rewarded as Abraham

was. It also illustrates Assumption 3, the idea that the Bible is not only in-

ternally consistent, but that it agrees with the interpreter’s own beliefs and

practices — in this case, the belief that an all-knowing God would have no

need to put Abraham to the test. (As a matter of fact, however, the idea of

divine omniscience is never stated outright in the Hebrew Bible — appar-

ently, this notion did not come into existence until later on.) Finally, it is

thanks to Assumption 1, that the Bible speaks cryptically, that this inter-

pretation was possible: When the Bible said “after these things,” although

this looked at first glance like a common transitional phrase, what it really

meant was “after these words,” and it thereby intended readers to think of

the book of Job and the divine test with which that book begins.

All this was well and good, but interpreters still had not completely re-

solved the matter of what God knew beforehand. They were still troubled

by the way the test ended:

The angel of the Lordcalled to him from heaven and said, “Abraham!

Abraham!” and he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not put your hand on

the boy or do anything to him; fornow I knowthat you fear God, since

you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Gen. 22:12)

“NowI know” certainly seems to imply “I did not know before.” Why

should God say such a thing if He was really omniscient? To this problem,

too, the book ofJubileeshad an answer:

Then I [the angel who narrates the book ofJubilees] stood in front of

him [Abraham] and in front of Mastema [Satan]. The Lord said: “Tell

him not to let his hand go down on the child and not to do anything

to him, because I know that he is one who fears the Lord.” So I called

to him from heaven and said to him: “Abraham, Abraham!” He was

startled and said, “Yes?” I said to him, “Do not lay your hands on the

child and do not do anything to him, because now I know that you are

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Early Jewish Biblical Interpretation

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:04:00 PM