First Father: Abraham: The Psychology and Culture of a Spiritual Revolutionary
This book discusses the adult development of the Biblical Patriarch, Abraham, as a 'Spiritual Revolutionary' (based on Genesis 11-25). It begins with the image of the 'akeda,' the binding of Isaac in which a father is ready to murder his son, and asks what significance this disturbing scene holds for us today. Focusing on the Hebrew text, and with the help of life-cycle psychology and cultural anthropology, the author argues that the 'sacrifice of the most beloved son' must be viewed not as...
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This book discusses the adult development of the Biblical Patriarch, Abraham, as a Spiritual Revolutionary (based on Genesis 11-25). It begins with the image of the akeda, the binding of Isaac in which a father is ready to murder his son, and asks what significance this disturbing scene holds for us today.
PrefaceCh. 1Introduction1Ch. 2Abraham in Context19Ch. 3Life With Father37Ch. 4Abram as Wanderer55Ch. 5Abram the Founder73Ch. 6Abram Reborn as Abraham87Ch. 7Crises of Growth101Ch. 8Akeda115Ch. 9Final Reconciliation125Ch. 10Conclusion: The Psychology of Spiritual Revolution133Epilogue: Abraham and the Paths of Peace137Epilogue: Psalm of the Jealous God139Appendix: The Common Cultural-Ecological Background of the Patriarchs141Notes149Bibliography171Index185Biblical Index188
\ From the Publisher...Abramovitch manages to illumine the psychic, social and personal cost to this revolutionary figure...\ \ \ \ \ Robert Jay LiftonFirst the Father Abraham is a remarkable study. Abramovitch combines his biblical scholarship with carefully applied principles of cultural anthropology and of the psychology of the innovator. He does so with imagination, insight, devotion, and playfulness. Abraham emerges as a 'spiritual revolutionary' whose personal quest enriches us all.\ \
