Calls, Decisions and Conflicts Shaping the Human Pilgrimage: The Narrative of Abraham

Abstract

This article explores how resilience and conflict resolution figure in the narratives common to all monotheistic religions, such as the call and the transformative journey of Abraham. The text focuses on the dynamics of Abraham’s inward relationship with God, and getting on with other people in a world divided by wars into which Abraham is thrown, and out of which he emerges with a different vision of life. It explores the evolution of the divine promise shaping his and Sarah’s journey, the experience of conflicts and sacrifices that his double fatherhood puts into motion, his balancing between engagement and surrender, and in these processes, relations between human greatness, human fragility and hope. Iconic-contemplative, socio-political and psychological readings of the texts are brought into conversation. Each approach sheds a different light on the nature of Abraham’s pilgrimage, on the choices he makes in a war situation in which his relatives are taken hostage, and on what options are available to him as he attempts to understand what sounds like an impossible promise and offensive call to sacrifice his offspring. The article shows how Abraham’s outer and inner conflicts participate in his growth, and, revealing different forms of fragility and resilience, make Abraham an iconic father of the multitude of nations.