GBPress- Gregorian Biblical Press

The sacrifice of Isaac in Qumran literature

Author(s): Joseph A. Fitzmyer
Source: Biblica, Vol. 83, No. 2 (2002), pp. 211-229
Published by: GBPress- Gregorian Biblical Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/42614365 .
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The sacrifice of Isaac in Qumran literature

The storyof Abraham's willingnessto sacrificeIsaac is well known
because of the account of it in Genesis 22. Well knowntoo is the way
allusion is made to this storyin some writingsof the New Testament
(e.g., Jas 2,21-23; Heb 6,13-14; 11,17-19; possibly Rom 8,32). Even
morewell knownis theunderstanding
of thataccountin therabbinical
traditionamong the Jewishpeople, where it is known as the 'Aqdat
Yishaq, 'Binding of Isaac', or simplytheAqedah or Akedah. It is not
surprising,then,thata Qumran textmightbe foundthatsheds some
light on the understandingof that famous account in the Book of
Genesis.
The name Aqedah , however,is used with different
connotations
today,and so it is necessaryto be clear fromtheoutsetabout thesense
in which it is being used. Sometimes it is used to denote only the
vicariousexpiationof thesacrificeof Isaac, i.e. theoffering
of Isaac on
behalfof others(people of Israel); sometimesit means thestoryof the
sacrificeof Isaac as it developed in theJewishtraditionin contrastto
thebare account in Gen 22; and sometimesit connotesthe totalityof
eventsdepictedin artand literaturethatbuilds on Gen 22,1-19 (*). The
noun mpi?does not appear in thebiblical account of Genesis or in the
JesusandIsaac. A StudyoftheEpistletotheHebrews
0) See J.Swetnam,
in theLightoftheAqedah(AnBib94; Rome1981)75. Also R.J.Daly, "The
oftheSacrificeofIsaac",CBQ 39 (1977) 45-75;J.
Soteriological
Significance
d'Isaac dansle christianisme
Bib 28 (1947)
Danilou, "La typologie
primitif',
TheLegendsoftheJews(Philadelphia,
PA 1909-1938)V,
363-393;L. Ginzberg,
Judaica(Jerusalem
218,n.52; L. Jacobs,"Akedah",
1970-1971)
Encyclopaedia
du sacrifice
d'Isaac etla
II, 480-484;R. Le Daut, "La prsentation
targumique
Studiorum
Paulinorumcongre
ssus internationalis
sotriologie
paulinienne",
catholicus1961 (AnBib 17-18;Rome 1963) II, 563-574;D. Lerch, Isaaks
christlich
Eineauslegungsgeschichtliche
Opferung
gedeutet.
(BHT
Untersuchung
d'Isaacetla mort
deJsus",
REJ
12;Tbingen
1950)40-42;I. Lvi,"Le sacrifice
64 (1912) 161-184;A. Mdebielle, U Expiationdans l'Ancienet le Nouveau
Testament
(SPIB 42; Rome1923)264-265;RA. Rosenberg,"Jesus,Isaac and
the'Suffering
JBL84 (1965) 381-388;H.-J.Schoeps,"TheSacrifice
Servant'",
ofIsaacinPaul'sTheology",
JBL65 (1946)385-392;S. Spiegel,TheLastTrial:
on theLegendsand Lore of theCommandto Abrahamto OfferIsaac as a
fromtheHebrew,withan introduction
Sacrifice.TheAkedah.Translated
by
JudahGoldin(New York 1967); J.E. Wood, "Isaac Typologyin the New
NTS 14 (1967-1968)583-589.
Testament",

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212

JosephA. Fitzmyer

Qumrantextto be discussed. It firstappears in therabbinictraditionof

thethird-fourth
centuryof theChristianera. For thisreason I shall not
use it again untilI come to discuss thattradition.I shall be speakingof
the sacrificeof Isaac in a sense thatmediates between the firstand
second senses just mentioned,because I am concernedto determine
how much of the firstmeaning can really be found in the Jewish
traditionthat develops out of Gen 22,1-19 in the pre-Christian
PalestinianJewishtraditionpriorto theNew Testament.
My furtherremarkswill be made under four headings: (1) the
Genesis account in its original Hebrew formand in the Old Greek
of the account in theBook of Jubilees;
version;(2) theunderstanding
it; and (4) laterdevelopmentsof the
(3) theQumrantextthatinterprets
of the sacrificeof Isaac.
understanding
I. The Genesis Account in Its OriginalHebrew Form
and in theOld Greek Version
The Hebrew narrativeof the sacrificeof Isaac is recountedin Gen
22,1-19, whichcan be summarizedthus:
1After
theseeventsGodputAbrahamtothetest.. . 2.. . Take yourson,
youronlysonIsaac,whomyoulove,andgo tothelandofMoriahand
himthereas a burnt
offer
on one ofthemountains
thatI shall
offering
3
saddledhis
pointoutto you'. Abrahamroseearlythenextmorning,
andtookwithhimtwoofhisservants
andhissonIsaac. He cut
donkey,
woodfortheburnt
andsetouttogo totheplaceofwhichGod
offering
hadtoldhim.4On thethirddayAbrahamraisedhiseyesand saw the
6
and
placefromafar.. . Abrahamtookthewoodfortheburntoffering
in
on
his
son
Isaac's
he himselfcarriedthefireandthe
shoulders;
put
7Isaac said to hisfather
knife;andthetwoof themwenton together.
'Father!'Abrahamanswered,'Yes, myson?' He continued,
Abraham,
'Here are thefireand thewood,butwhereis thelambfortheburnt
8
willprovidethelambfor
'God himself
answered,
offering?'Abraham
theburntoffering,
myson'. Thenthetwoof themwenton together.
9Whentheycame to theplace of whichGod had toldhim,Abraham
builttherean altarand arrangedthewood (uponit); thenhe bound
hissonIsaac andplacedhimuponthealtaron topofthewood.
("ipjn)
10
ThenAbrahamreachedoutandtooktheknifeto slayhis son. 11The
Abraham!'
tohimfromheaven,'Abraham,
angeloftheLordcriedout
He answered
him,'Yes?' 12'Do notlayyourhandontheboy;do notdo
since
tohim,becauseI nowknowthatyouarea God-fearer,
anything
As Abraham
frommeyourson,youronlyson'.13
youhavenotwithheld
raisedhis eyes, he saw a ram caughtby its hornsin the thicket.
Abrahamwent,tooktheram,and offeredit up as a burntoffering
insteadofhisson.14Abrahamcalledthatplace 'Yahweh-Yir'eh'.So it
is calledtothisday: 'On themountoftheLorditwillbe provided'.

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

213

The strikingdetails in the Genesis account are the age of Isaac,

who is no longer a mere infantbut a youth who understandswhat
sacrificeis and can carrywood, and the place fromwhich Abraham
startsand to which he returns,viz. Beer-sheba. Only two noteworthy
differencesare foundin the Septuagintversionof this account. First,
theway it translatesHebrew mon as ei tt|v yfjvtt|v ij'|/r|Xiv,
'to the
in
v.
and
how
the
2;
second,
tit, 'only',
high land',
descriptionof
Abraham's son, as yatrix,'beloved', in vv. 2, 12, 16. Elsewhere in
theSeptuaginttit is sometimesrenderedas |o.ovoyevrj
(Judg11,34 in
MS B [2]; also Ps 22,21). Although'Moriah' turnsup again only in 2
Chr 3,1, as the place where Solomon built the Temple, the site in
Genesis is usually regarded as otherwiseunknown. Moreover, this
narrativeemphasizes that Isaac is Abraham's 'only' son (MT) or
'beloved' son (LXX), because Abraham has already abandoned and
sentoffto the wildernessof Beer-sheba both Ishmael and his mother
Hagar (Gen 21,8-21), so thatIshmael no longer counts as a son. In
Genesis itself, one eventually learns that Abraham had six other
childrenby Keturah(25,2), buttheyplay no role in thisnarrativeabout
Isaac, who is Abraham's 'only' son and heir (3). The test to which
Abrahamis subjected:thechild bornto him aftera long delay,who is
to be thelinkto thepromisednumerousprogeny(Gen 15,4-6), is now
to be given up at God's requestas a sacrifice.
II. The Understandingof theAccount in theBook of Jubilees
The narrativeof thesacrificeof Isaac was reproducedin theBook
of Jubilees,and itreveals how theGenesis storywas being understood
in the second pre-Christiancenturyin PalestinianJudaism.Although
the details of the narrativeremainbasically the same, five important
as thetranslation.
(2)In MS A onefindsixovoyevfi
YCMtiT
G. von Rad, Genesis.A Commentary
(3) See further
(London1966)232240;id.,Das OpferdesAbraham
(KT 6; Munich1971);H. GrafvonReventlow,
deinenSohn.EineAuslegung
vonGenesis22 (BSt53; Neukirchen-Vluyn
Opfere
Genesis12-36.A Commentary
MN 1985)
1968);C.Westermann,
(Minneapolis,
Sacrifice
ofFaith:A Form-Critical
351-365;G.W.Coats, "Abraham's
Studyof
Genesis22",Int27 (1973) 389-400;L. Kundert,Die Opferung/Bindung
Isaaks
(WMANT78; NeukirchenVluyn1998) I, 95-107;G. Steins,Die "Bindung
Isaaks" im Kanon (Gen 22). Grundlagen
und Programm
einerkanonischintertextuellen
Lektre.
MitSpezialbibliographie
zu Gen22 (Herdersbiblische
Studien20; Freiburg
imB. 1999);R. Brandscheidt,
"Das Opferdes Abrahams
(Genesis22,1-19)",TTZ110(2001) 1-19.

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214

JosephA. Fitzmyer

elements were introducedinto it as it became part of Jub 17,1518,16(4).

The first is the role of 'prince Mastemah'. Whereas God's
commandgivento Abrahamin Gen 22 to offerhis son is simplystated
withoutany reason forit otherthanthatGod would 'tes Abraham,in
JubileesprinceMastemah is used to supplythe motivationforit. He
functionsin the heavenly court as Satan does in Job 1-2, for he
challenges God to putAbrahamto thetest:
The princeMastemahcame and said in God's presence,'Look,
Abrahamloves his son Isaac and is morepleased withhim than
on an
else; commandhimto offerhimas a burntoffering
anything
he willcarryoutthisorder.Thenyouwillknow
altarandsee whether
in everytestto whichyou subjecthim' (Jub
whether
he is faithful
17,16).
Second, the account in Jubilees gives a list of tests to which
Abrahamwas subjectedby God priorto the greattestof the sacrifice
of Isaac. God's answerto Mastemah's challenge runsas follows:
The Lord knew thatAbrahamwas faithfulin all his afflictions,
and
becausehe had testedhimwitha commandto leave his country,
withfamine;he testedhimwiththewealthofkings,andhe testedhim
again withhis wife,whenshe was takenaway fromhim;and with
and he had testedhim withIshmaeland Hagar,his
circumcision;
whenhe sentthemaway.In everytestto whichtheLord
slave-girl,
His soul was not
subjectedhim,Abrahamhad been foundfaithful.
andlovedtheLord(Jub
or slowto act.Forhe was faithful
impatient,
17,17-18).
In this passage we learn about six tests to which Abraham was
subjected by God (5): (a) the command to leave his country(= Gen
12,1); (b) the faminein Canaan thatmakes him go down to Egyptto
get grain (= Gen 12,10); (c) the wealth of booty retrievedfromthe
defeatof theeasternkingsthatAbrahamdid notkeep fromthekingof
Sodom (= Gen 14,21-23); (d) the abductionof Sarah by Pharaoh (=
Gen 12,14-15); (e) thecommandto circumcisehimselfand all his men
as a sign of the covenant(= Gen 17,10-12); and (f) the sendingaway
of Hagar and his son Ishmael (= Gen 21,9-14).
and
(4) See J.C.VanderKam,TheBookofJubilees(Guidesto Apocrypha
Sheffield
2001)52-53.
Pseudepigrapha;
thetestsas ten,butonlysix are
numbered
(5) The laterrabbinictradition
inJub17,17.ThetentestsarelistedinPirqedeRabbiEli'ezer26-31;
mentioned
An
and RabbinicLiterature.
see also Jub19,8,andJ.Bowker,TheTargums
ofScripture
Introduction
toJewish
1969)228-229.
(Cambridge
Interpretations

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

215

Third,afterthesix tests,Jubileesrecountsthestoryof thesacrifice

of Isaac, the greattestin Abraham's life (18,1-16). The storyrepeats
the details of the account in Gen 22 ratherclosely, but it again
introducestheprinceMastemahat two points,(a) As Abrahamis about
to use theknifeto slay Isaac, it records: 'I was standingin the Lord's
presence,and theprinceMastemah was theretoo. And the Lord said,
"Tell him not to lay his hand on the child.. .'" (Jub 18,9). (b) Later on
it records, after God has found Abraham faithful: 'The prince
Mastemah was put to shame' (18,11). ThereuponAbraham spies the
ram. In thisway, whatthe 'the angel of theLord' does in the Genesis
accountbecomes one of thetasks of Mastemah.
Fourth,Jubileesmay connectthe sacrificeof Isaac withPassover,
but only indirectly.It dates the approach of Mastemah to God on the
twelfthday of thefirstmonth(17,15), and thereaderis leftto add the
threedays thatthetextmentions,whenitnotesthatAbrahamand Isaac
approach the mountainof theirdestination'on the thirdday' (18,3).
That would have been the fifteenthday, when Passover was being
celebrated(6).
Finally,Jubileesidentifies'the mount'called in Hebrew YahwehYir'eh as Mount Zion (18,13), i.e. Jerusalem.
III. The QumranText That Interprets
theAccount
textsretrievedfromQumranCave
Among the manyfragmentary
which
rewrite
the
Hebrew
4,
Scriptures, one in particular is
or
4QPseudo-Jubileesa(7). It is noteworthy,
noteworthy,4Q225
because it reveals thatthe sacrifice of Isaac was not passed over in
silence among the Essene Jews at Qumran, as has been thoughtat
times(8). The text is extantin only threefragments,and its account
J.C. VanderKam,"The Aqedah,Jubilees,and Pseudo(6) See further
TheQuestforContext
andMeaning.StudiesinBiblicalIntertextuality
Jubilees",
in Honorof JamesA. Sanders(ed. C.A. Evans - S. Talmon) (Biblical
Series28; Leiden1997)241-261,esp.245-248;also P.R. Davies,
Interpretation
"PassoverandtheDatingoftheAqedah",JJS30 (1979) 59-67.
(7)See J.C.VanderKam- J.T.Milik,"225.4QPseudoJubilees'",
Qumran
Cave4. VIII. Parabiblical
Texts,Part1 (ed. H. Attridgeetal.) (DJD 13;Oxford
1994)141-155.
(8)See R. Le Daut, La NuitPascale (AnBib22; Rome1963) 184,n. 134:
'Il esttrsremarquable
du sacrifice
d'Isaac dansle
qu'tantdonnela popularit
Judasme
de la
ancien,il soitpass sous silencedansce que nousconnaissons
littrature
.
qumrnienne'

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216

JosephA. Fitzmyer

resemblesthatof Jubilees.Althoughits vocabulary and phraseology

are similar to that of Jubilees,it differsclearly enough so thatone
cannotcall it simplya copy of Jubilees;hence Pseudo-Jubilees.This
texttells of an heir to be born of Abraham,the birthof
fragmentary
Isaac, and God's reward of Abraham forbeing willing to spare this
only son.
Fragment2, columnsi and ii are importantforthisdiscussion,and
thetextof col. i runsas follows:
] 7
[ro],i
Df-nji^a ornan] 8
p[ n]n p "ri np-rc^ aorrrn
noQ[o]onno Kimpno-ioo n mp-i[mat] 9
nom pneraorna n nwi D'm^R *?]10
11
[io ro]Trrripno' ns nan na npon[nas
'[man]onnnin bo riab^ mbrmnn[annn]12
[min i]n ba rman|G
Di]p'ina1?[im -kok]13
n [on-i]aK
nri[
]*?[
] 14
7
And [Abraham]
8 be[lieved]God, and righteousness
was reckonedto him(9).A son
was bornaf[ter]this
andhenamedhimIsaac. ButtheprinceMa[s]temah
9 [toAbraha]m,
came
10 [toG]od,andhe lodgeda complaint
againstAbrahamaboutIsaac.
[G]od said
11 [toAbra]ham,'Take yoursonIsaac, [your]onlyone,[whom]
on one of the
12 [youlo]ve, and offerhimto me as a burntoffering
mountains,
[hig]h
13 [whichI shallpointout]to you'. He aro[seand w]en[t]fromthe
wells(10)up to Mo[untMoriah].
14 [
]AndAb[raham]raised
Column ii continuesthetextof col. i directly:
[nrrla'n m prarba d'sot n] ]n["]iteanami]"3[-iJ]1
[nonrrworsrmoan nn ra] orna pne -on 2
ua pne f* nma -namrbsh 3
[nonnu nsT
ns' tiis ms]a ra
[
pric -m ft 4
naton]bvD'aia o'iquj o>p 'Dsbo 5
[
nano]onotftoipn ]D via ntc 6
[
"The
of thispartof thetext,see J.A.Fitzmyer,
O For an interpretation
ina Qumran
FaithandRighteousness
ofGenesis15,6:Abraham's
Interpretation
Text"(forthcoming).
of
(I0)In Gen 22,19Beer-sheba(ratoita) is givenas thedwelling-place
thenameto mean
The authorofthistextseemsto haveinterpreted
Abraham.
sometimes
lateron(see T. Nldeke,"Sieben
'sevenwells',as itwasunderstood
ARW7[1904]340-344).
Brunnen",

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

217

nnor nr'Ton]!ntriedjjonoimdtt 7
[or normen
ovrfrtf?
ama] pw rcarv dmbtd rcar 8
[-ip-1
-dtot nn]j>-on
-on arra nn-QR 9
[
rn ^ ta pnjzrna mm*?"pm an mm 10
[n
pro rm (v^cfl)
"i]ri^ na mVnmpjnmpjr 11
arra "ir 12
[
"]-f7)
mpmprron
"10113
[
ipnOtfjQDn^]l?TIOK 7CDD
nocHDDn
*?
roctnni[0]on
-KB14
[
-HB]
1 [hisey]es,[andtherewas a] fire;andhe pu[tthewood on his son
Isaac, andtheywenttogether.]
2 Isaac saidtoAbraham,[hisfather,
'Herearethefireandthewood,
butwhereis thelamb]
3 forthe burntoffering?'Abrahamsaid to [his son Isaac, 'God
himselfwillprovidethelamb'.]
4 Isaac saidto hisfather,
'B[indme fast
]
5 Holyangelswerestanding,
]
weepingoverthe[altar
6 his sonsfromtheearth.The angelsofMas[temah
]
7 rejoicingand saying,'Now he will perish'.And [in all thisthe
PrinceMastemahwas testing
whether]
8 he wouldbe foundfeeble,or whether
A[braham]wouldbe found
unfaithful
[toGod. He criedout,]
9 'Abraham,Abraham!'And he said, 'Yes?' So He said, 'N[ow I
knowthat ]
10 he willnotbe loving'.The LordGod blessedIs[aac all thedaysof
hislife.He becamethefather
of]
11 Jacob(n), and Jacob became the fatherof Levi, [a third]
generation(12).(vacai) All]
12 thedaysofAbraham,
Isaac, Jacob,andLev[i were
]
13 The princeMastemah
boundon ac[countof them. Holy
angelswere
14 The prince Ma[s]temah,and Belial listenedto [the prince
Mastemah(?) (13) ]
thetextis fragmentary
Unfortunately,
just at thepointswhereone
findsthe different
distinctiveelements,e.g. the reactionof the angels
of heaven to Abraham's willingnessto sacrificeIsaac. In any case, six
pointsmay be singledout as significant:
(1) In 2 i 9-10, 'The Prince Mastemah came to God and lodged a
complaint against Abraham about Isaac'. Here we find an angelic
is a feminineabstractnoun
figureliving up to his name, since riosmn
oftheendofline10,see4Q226(4QPseudo-Jubileesb)
(n) Fortherestoration
7,2-3,whichoverlapswiththeendofline10 andthebeginning
ofline11.
(12)Fortherestoration
here,see 4Q226 (4QPseudo-Jubileesb)
7,3-4,which
overlapswiththisline.
(I3)See 4Q226(4QPseudo-Jubileesb)
7,7.

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218

JosephA. Fitzmyer

meaning 'opposition'. It is difficultto determinewhetherone should

translatenotoconnas 'the Prince of the Mastemah', as VanderKam
and Milik take it in the editio princeps, or as a name, 'Prince
Mastemah', as it often appears in Jubilees (e.g., 17,16; 18,9). The
name denotes 'opposition' of a legal or judicial nature,and the verb
taois used in thejuridical sense of lodginga complaintwitha higher
authorityor in a courtof law. Hence just as )oto,'Satan', in Job 1,6
comes into God's heavenly court and lives up to his name,
'Adversary',as he lodges a complaintagainst 'blameless and righteous
Job' (1,1), so too nooco, '(judicial) Opposition', is depicted as
Abraham's court-roomrival or prosecutore4). Whereas the only
'the angel of the
angelic figurethatappears in Gen 22 is mrr
Lord' (vv. 11, 15), who at times cannot be distinguishedfromGod
Himself,thisQumranrewritingof thebiblical accounthas introduced
a further
heavenlyfigure,as did Jubilees.
In
2 ii 1, Abraham 'raised his eyes, and therewas a fire'.This
(2)
detail about the fireremainsunexplainedin the Qumrantext,but it is
probably meant to mark the high mountainto which Abraham was
proceeding(15).
in eitherGen 22 or
(3) In 2 ii 4, in a sayingthathas no counterpart
his
me
Jub18, Isaac surprisingly
father,'B[ind
fast]'. That might
begs
the
seem like a gratuitousreconstructionof
fragmentarytext, but
VanderKamand Milik notethatthewordsthatprecedetheinitialkaph
of the last extantword of the line matchthe developed paraphraseof
Gen 22,10 in TargumPseudo-Jonathan,whichreads:
'Qt
pna-loen
'mai
'an
toss
cms]
tT
tw
rr ran
tioB
norn
tarn
sau'?
p
pmpa
in
AndIsaac said to hisfather,
'Bind me wellthatI maynotstruggle
and a
theagonyof mysoul andbe pitchedintothepitof destruction
blemishbe foundin youroffering'
(l6).
relatedtopto(therootof 'Satan'),since
04)Theverbalrootgiicis actually
bothofthemmean'oppose','be adversary
of, anddiffer
onlyinthefinalliquid
consonant.
Pseudo-Jonathan
ofGen22,4in thelaterTargum
may
(") Theparaphrase
explainit,whichreads:tnnobv "ropK~p'Rpa am,'and he saw thecloudof
i.e. themountain
towardwhichhe was going.
on themountain',
glorysmoking
'He
in
ofthesacrifice:
is
even
more
its
deRabbi
Eli'ezer
105
explicit version
Pirqe
earthtoheaven'.
sawa pillaroffire(rising)from
(") VanderKamand Milik restorethe line in the edittoprincepsthus:
ofIsaacfrom
butG. Vermes,
"NewLightontheSacrifice
4Q225",
[ns"Tilsrre]D,
"T n msD,'bind
therestoration,
JJSAl [1996]140-146,
esp.142,n. 12,considers

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

219

SimilarlyTargumNeofitiI and the FragmentaryTargum 7), and also

Genesis Rabbah 56,8. This Qumran addition to the biblical account
because it
thusbecomes important
forthedevelopingJewishtradition,
reveals an aspect of Isaac's cooperationwithhis own sacrificialdeath
thatfiguresoftenin Jewishwritingsof a laterdate.
(4) In 2 ii 5, itis recordedthat'holy angels were standing,weeping
over the [altar] - or possibly 'over [Isaac's coming death]'. This
Qumran addition thus introduces other heavenly figures beyond
notooQ"i.They are ttnp'Ofc,'holy angels', and being plural,theyare
not merelya substitutefor 'the angel of the Lord' of Genesis. Their
standing and weeping are again unexplained because of the
stateof thetext(18).
fragmentary
(5) In 2 ii 6, 'the angels of Mastemah', who are probably the
attendantsof narro nto,are depicted 'rejoicing and saying, 'Now he
will perish',i.e. gloatingover thecomingdeathof Isaac. These angels
thus stand in contrastto the 'holy angels' of line 5. Their rejoicing
becomes partof the testingof Abraham to see whetherhe would be
foundfeeble or strongand faithful.
(6) Finally,in 2 ii 13 theprinceMastemah is said to be 'bound on
stateof the text,it
ac[count of them]'(19).Because of the fragmentary
is hard to explain the detail, but it could referto the binding of
Mastemah mentionedlaterin Jub48,15.
tothe'Targums'.
Whereas
hisrestoration
myhands',tobe morelikely,
referring
does agree withthe Fragmentary
TargumP of Gen 22,10, whichreads
m""NTrnED,
'bindmyhandswell',VanderKam
andMilik'srestoration
is found
notonlyinTargum
PseudobutalsoinTargum
I. Ineither
Jonathan,
case,
Neofiti
therestoration
mustbe right,
evenifnsDis a rareHebrewword,notappearing
in
BiblicalHebreworotherwise,
itseems,inQumran
Hebrewtexts;itoccursoften
inlaterTalmudictextsandrabbinic
writings.
Ms de la
(17)See A. Dez Macho, Neophyti1. Targumpalestinense
BibliotecaVaticana.TomoI: Gnesis(Textosy estudios7; Madrid1968) 127.
AlsoM.L. Klein,TheFragment-Targums
to Their
ofthePentateuch
According
Extant
Sources(AnBib76; Rome1980)I, 54; II, 16.
in thelater
08)Theirpresenceat theeventmaybe similarto thatrecorded
Tg.Ps.-J.:kqi-id'Dtibnb
pniri"inn piwr -nr-m]^non nrratn"irr,
'theeyesof Abrahamweregazingat theeyesof Isaac,butIsaac's eyeswere
gazingattheangelsoftheHeights'(Tg.Ps.-J.Gen.22,10).Theweepingofthe
inthetargum,
butitat leastrecords
theirpresence.
See
angelsis notmentioned
further
M.J.Bernstein,"AngelsattheAqedah:A StudyintheDevelopment
of
a Midrashic
Motif',DSD 7 (2000)263-291.
'
(19)As VanderKamnotes,"nocouldbe readas asur, thepassiveparticiple,
'bind!'
'bound',butalso as ysr
, theimperative,

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220

JosephA. Fitzmyer

These are the main differencesbroughtto the account of the

sacrifice of Isaac in this Qumran text,which reveals new ways in
which the basic biblical account was alreadybeing developed within
theJewishtraditionin pre-ChristianPalestinianJudaism.
Beforewe pass on to otherancientformsof theaccount,we should
in additionto
take note of how thisQumrantexthas been interpreted
the editio princeps. I have cited already another article of J.C.
VanderKam, in which he discusses furtheraspects of the text,
especiallyitsrelationto Passover(20).Geza Vermeshas also interpreted
thisQumrantext,and I have to commenton his treatment.
BeforetheQumrantextwas published,Vermeshad writtenearlier
on theAqedah, "Redemptionand Genesis xxn: The Binding of Isaac
and theSacrificeof Jesus"(2I).There he analyzed theJewishtradition
thatgrew out of Gen 22 and found its simplestdevelopmentin the
oldest Palestinian targumic tradition(found in the Fragmentary
Targurnand TargumNeofitiI). The main featuresof thatdevelopment
he maintainedto be thefollowing:
victim.
1. AbrahamtellsIsaac abouthisroleas a sacrificial
2. Isaac giveshisconsent.
3. Isaac askstobe boundso thathissacrificemaybe perfect.
4. Isaac is accordeda heavenlyvisionofangels.
his own obedienceand Isaac's
5. AbrahampraysGod to remember
on behalfofIsaac's descendants.
willingness
6. His prayeris answered(22).
Vermesalso noted an expanded formof thistraditionin what he
called 'Tannaiticand Amoraic sources', whichdo notconcernus now.
the
More important,
however,is the way in which Vermes interprets
Qumran text,4Q225, when he sees it as a refutationof
fragmentary
the thesis of P.R. Davies and B. Chilton(23).They restrictedthe term
Aqedah to the first meaning mentioned at the beginning of my
remarks,viz. the sense of the vicarious expiationof the
introductory
sacrificeof Isaac. They soughtto ascribethe 'invention'of theAqedah
in thissense to 'the Rabbis' (mostlyAmoraic), who 'went so faras to
(-")See J.C.VanderKam,"TheAqedah"(inn.6 above).
inJudaism.
and Tradition
8 inG. Vermes,Scripture
Haggadic
(2I)Chapter
studies(StudiaPost-biblica
4; Leiden1961;repr.1973)193-227.
a
195-197.Theyareformulated
and Tradition,
(") See Vermes,Scripture
inhisarticle,
littledifferently
id.,"NewLight",143.
History",
(") p.R.Davies - B. Chilton,"TheAqedah:A RevisedTradition
CBQ 40 (1978)514-546.

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

221

appropriatedetails of the Passion [of Jesusfromthe New Testament]

to heightenthe drama of Isaac's Offeringand to deny therebythe
uniqueness of Jesus' offering'(24).Their understandingof theAqedah
in this sense was not new, for a formof it was proposed already in
1872 by A. Geiger(25).
Exaggerationsin thethesisof Davies and Chiltonhave been noted
by others, which I shall not rehearse(26). The real question now,
however,is whetherthe Qumran fragmentreveals 'the pre-Christian
skeletonof the Targumic-midrashic
of the sacrificeof
representation
Isaac', and whetherit renders'the hypothesisof an Amoraic originof
theAqedah at least highlyimprobable'(27).
In his article,Vermes,afterdiscussingcertainaspects of thenewly
publishedQumrantext,concludes witha 'SynopticTable', whichlines
up twelve elements thathe considers 'the pre-Christianskeleton'. I
reproducethetable here(28):
B.C.E.

1stC.E.
Jos

Tan
F
PsJ/FT/N
PsJ
Jos/LAB
FT/N
Jos/LAB/4Macc
PsJ/FT/NSifDt
FT/N

1. Isaacadult
2. Fire/bright
cloud
4Q225
3. Isaacinformed
4. Isaacconsents
4Q225?
5. Askstobebound 4Q225?
6. Presence
ofangels 4Q225
7. Crying
4Q225
angels
8. Merit
ofIsaac
LAB
4Q225?
9. Temple
Mount
Jub Jos
2Chr,
10.Passover
Jub
11.Lambsacrifice
12.Isaac'sblood/ashes
LAB

Amor/Later
GenR
PRE
GenR,
GenR
GenR

GenR
GenR
Mekh GenR
FT/N
GenR
FT/N
Mekh GenR
FT/N/PsJ <LevR(bar.)>
Sifra GenR/y/bTaan

(24)Ibid.,516-517.
undVershnungstod:
DerenVersuchin das
(25)See A. Geiger,"Erbsnde
Judenthums
Jdische
Zeitschrift
undLeben10
einzudringen",
frWissenschaft
(1872) 166-171.
(26)See R. Hayward,"The PresentStateof ResearchintotheTargumic
Account
oftheSacrifice
ofIsaac",JJS32 (1981) 127-150.
(27)Vermes,"NewLight",145.
=
Amor/Later
(28)PT = Palestinian
Targums;Tan = TannaiticWritings;
Amoraicor LaterWritings;
Jos= Josephus;
PsJ= Tg.PseudoFT =
Jonathan',
Liberantiquitatum
; N = Tg.Neofiti
/;LAB = Pseudo-Philo,
Fragmentary
Targum
Jub= Jubilees;SifDt= SifreDeuteronomium;
Mekh= Mekhilta;
biblicarum'
GenR= GenesisRabbah;PRE = Pirqede RabbiEli'ezer;LevR = Leviticus
= Jerusalem/Babylonian
Talmudictractate,
Taanith.
Rabbah;y/bTaan

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222

JosephA. Fitzmyer

To be noted in this Table, firstof all, is the question mark that

Vermesadds to 4Q225 on threeelements:4, 5, 8. If one looks again at
col. ii of theQumranfragment,
thereis nottheleast traceof a wordor
phrase about Isaac's consent (element 4), which Vermes separates
fromIsaac's request to be bound. That is, there is nothingin the
Qumrantextsimilarto whatone finds,forinstance,in Josephus,Ant.
1.232: 'Isaac . . . receivedthesewords [ofhis father]withjoy, declaring
thathe was notworthyto be bornat all ifhe were to rejectthedecision
of God and of his father';or even as impliedin 4 Macc 16,20; 13,12;
7,14; or in Pseudo-Philo, LAB 32,2-4 (29). That 'consent' mightbe
implied in Isaac's asking to be bound (element5), which is foundin
4Q225 2 ii 4 (as correctlyreconstructed
by theeditors);but thenwhy
make a distinctelement of it in this Qumran text? Here Vermes is
readingintotheQumrantexta notionfoundin othertextscomingfrom
thefirstChristiancenturyat theearliest,buthow does he know thatthe
'consentof Isaac' was alreadypartof 'the pre-Christianskeleton'?
Second, thereis not a trace of the 'meritof Isaac' in the Qumran
fragment(element 8). Not even the words, 'his sons fromthe earth'
(line 6) can be said to referto such an idea, because the fragmentary
textdoes not tell us whose 'sons' are meant. Being plural,the word
most likely does refer to Isaac, since this embellishmentof the
Abrahamstoryin Gen 22 knows nothingas yetof thechildrenbornto
AbrahamfromKeturah(25,2). Yet even if theyare Isaac's sons, the
fromany of the phraseology
phrase 'fromtheearth'is quite different
of thelatertraditionabout Isaac's merit.So thatfragmentary
line 6 can
refer
to
such
a
hardly
topic.
Third,whyshouldelements1 (Isaac's adultage), 9 (relationto the
Temple Mount), 11 (Lamb sacrifice), and 12 (Isaac's blood/ashes)
even be listedin theTable? They do not appear in 4Q225, and even if
A.D. writings(such as Josephusor
theyare attestedin first-century
are
not
Pseudo-Philo,LAB), they
partof the 'pre-Christianskeleton'.
for
the
first
time
in
the
Christianera.
They appear
Fourth,even if 2 Chr 3,1 mentionsSolomon's building of the
house of theLord on 'Mount Moriah,wheretheLord had appeared to
his fatherDavid', thereis not the slightestconnectionin thatpassage
of thatmountwiththe sacrificeof Isaac ("'). Why is it,then,given as
evidence forthe 'pre-Christianskeleton'?
themuchlaterembellishment
inGenR56,4:'I acceptmyfate'.
(29)Contrast
in56,8.
Notealsotheformal
consent
deduced
fromthebinding
expressly
Paul,andthe
(30)A.F. Segal, '"He whodidnotsparehisownson...': Jesus,

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

223

In Jub 18,13, 'Mount Zion' is named by Abraham as the place

wherehe sacrificesthe ram. In Ant. 1.224, 226 Josephusrecordsthat
Abrahamwent 'withhis son alone to thatmount,on whichkingDavid
[sic] afterwardsbuiltthetemple',whichhas alreadybeen identifiedas
'the Morian Mount'(3I). In any case, the identificationof Mt. Moriah
withtheTemple Mount is a minordetail and of littlesignificancefor
thedevelopingdoctrineof theAqedah. One wonderswhyVermeshas
introducedit intothediscussion of the Qumrantext?The same has to
be said about element11 (relationof the sacrificeof Isaac to the lamb
sacrificed in the Temple as Tamid), and element 12 (Isaac's
blood/ashes).
Fifth,the crucial element in the Table is the so-called meritof
Isaac. Vermesclaims thatit is attestedin Pseudo-Philo,LAB. In LAB
18,5, however,the sacrificeof Isaac is said to be 'acceptable' to God,
and forthatreason God 'has chosen' Israel to be His people (facta est
oblatio eius in conspectumeo acceptabilis, et pro sanguine eius elegi
istos)C2). The divine decision about Israel as the Chosen People is
FromJesustoPaul. StudiesinHonourofFrancisWright
Beare(ed.P.
Akedah",
Richardson- J.C.Hurd) (Waterloo,
Ont.1984) 169-184,esp. 173,seekingto
establishthepre-Christian
rootof theJewishteaching
aboutIsaac, says,'The
of interpretation
of thesacrificeof Isaac beginsrightin theBible.In
history
2 Chronicles
Mt.Moriah,sceneof thesacrifice,
is identified
withtheTemple
Mount(2 Chron.3,1);so anexplicit
connection
between
thestory
ofthesacrifice
of Isaac andthesacrificial
cultin Jerusalem
is established'
. Theremaybe an
betweenMountMoriahandtheJerusalem
explicitconnection
Temple,butthe
verseofChronicles
towhichSegalrefers
doesnotsaya wordaboutsacrifice
or
aboutIsaac. Segalhasextrapolated
andanachronistically
introduced
a reference
tothesacrifice
ofIsaacintoa non-committal
statement
aboutSolomon'sbuilding
theTempleon Mt.Moriah.The merefactthatMt.Moriahis mentioned
in the
Bibleonlyin Gen 22 and2 Chr3 does noteo ipsomeanthat2 Chronicles
is
tothesacrifice
ofIsaac.
alluding
(31)Thackeraynotesthat 'the localityhere intendedis unknown;its
identification
tradition
withthetemple
(226) andbytheRabbinical
byJosephus
mount
cannot
be sustained';
seeJosephus.
WithanEnglishTranslation
byH.St.J.
Books I-IV
[Edition]in EightVolumes.IV: JewishAntiquities,
Thackeray.
(LCL; London- NewYork1930)111.
(32)See D.J.Harringtonetal.,Pseudo-Philon
(SC 229-230;Paris1976)I,
150.Theeditors
ofthistextcomment:
'DansLABXVIII,5, il n'estpas question
du rachatdespchsoprparle sangd'Isaac- la manire
de Hebr.9,22(et
T.b.Yoma5a) sanseffusion
de sangil n'ya pas de rmission.
Ici,le sangd'Isaac,
considr
commeunvritable
scellel'lection
etl'alliancede Dieuavec
sacrifice,
sonpeuple'(ibid.,II, 126). See further
B.N. Fisk,"Offering
Isaac Againand
s Use oftheAqedahas Intertext",
Again:Pseudo-Philo'
CBQ 62 (2000)481-507.

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224

JosephA. Fitzmyer

fromtheexpiatoryvalue of the sacrificeof Isaac. Why

quite different
is thispassage cited?
In LAB 32,3, Isaac does speak to his fatherAbraham,comparing
his coming death to thatof animals to be killed because of human
iniquities:
. . .proiniquitatibus
hominum
suntin occisionem. . .
pecoraconstituta
et in me annunciabuntur
et per me intelligent
generationes
populi
Dominusanimamhominisin sacrificium,
quoniamdignificavit
...generationswill be instructedby my case and peoples will
understand
becauseof me thattheLord has consideredthelifeof a
humanbeingworthy
in sacrifice.
[tobe offered]
Here Isaac concludes that his death would have a vicarious,
expiatoryeffect.Similarlyperhaps in LAB 40,2, the same mightbe
moriens,videnspopulumliberatum, 'and
implied(quis est qui tristetur
who would be sorryto die, seeing a people freed'), if that liberty
means freedomfromsins or iniquities.
This text,however, is usually dated between A.D. 70 and 100.
Even if it does formulatethe sense of Isaac's meritoriousdeath in at
least one passage, on whatgroundsmay one extrapolatethatevidence
and say thatit builds up the 'pre-Christianskeleton'.
Sixth,in the Mekhiltaon Exod 12,13, the words, 'When I see the
blood' (12,13), are relatedto Gen 22,
I see thebloodof thesacrificeof Isaac (priTbv nipr en). For it is
said: 'AndAbrahamcalledthenameofthatplace Adonai-jireh'
(The
lordwillsee),etc.(Gen.22.14) Whatdidhebehold?He beheldthe
blood of thesacrificeof Isaac, as it said: 'God Himselfwill see the
lamb',etc.(Gen.22.8).
Yet even theeditor,J.Z. Lauterbachadds in a notethat'actuallyno
blood of Isaac was offeredin sacrifice'and 'accordingto Gen. Rab. on
Gen. 22. 12 Abrahamwas notallowed to shed even one dropof Isaac's
blood' (33).Consequently,thereis in this passage no question of the
'merit'of Isaac. Similarly,lateron in Mekhilta,the same midrashis
repeated(34),again withoutany referenceto Isaac's 'merit'. Still later,
theMekhiltaquotes R. Jose theGalilean as saying:
At themomentwhenthechildrenof Israelwentintothesea, mount
Moriahbeganto movefromitsplace withthealtarforIsaac thathad
beenbuilton itandthewholescenethathadbeenarranged
uponitPA 1976)
Ishmael(Philadelphia,
de-Rabbi
(33)See J.Z.Lauterbach,Mekilta
I, 57,n. 7.
(34)Ibid.,I, 88.

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

225

Isaac as ifhe wereboundandplaceduponthealtar,Abrahamas ifhe

werestretching
forth
hishandandtakingtheknifetoslayhisson.God
thensaidtoMoses: Moses,Mychildren
areindistress,
thesea forming
a barandtheenemypursuing,
andyoustandso longpraying?
Moses
said beforeHim:WhatthenshouldI be doing?ThenHe said to him:
'Liftthouup thyrod',etc.- you shouldbe exalting,glorifying
and
. . Himinwhosehandsarethefortunes
ofwar'(35).
praising.
This passage may indeed relate the sacrifice of Isaac to Mt.
Moriah, meaning the Temple Mount, but it scarcely says anything
about the meritoriousor expiatory value of Isaac's sacrifice. It is
relatingAbraham'swillingnessto sacrificeIsaac to thecrossingof the
Red Sea, with scarcely a word about the iniquities of Israel or any
expiationof its sins.
In the fifth-century
A.D. Genesis Rabbah 56,7 God does ascribe
meritto Abraham: 'forindeed I ascribe meritto thee as thoughI had
bidden thee sacrificethyselfand thou hadst not refused'(36).Yet no
indicationis given of what thatmeritmightbe, and it says nothingof
meritdue to Isaac himself.
The upshotof thisdiscussion is thatVermeshas amassed dubious
evidence fortheinterpretation
of thisQumrantext.It is clear thatthis
pre-Christian Qumran fragment reveals important steps in the
developing traditionabout the sacrificeof Isaac, especially in (1) the
testingof Abrahamat thePrince Mastemah's request;(2) themention
of 'fire'thatidentifiesthemountainto whichAbrahamwas going; (3)
Isaac's requestthatAbraham 'bind' him fast;(4) the mentionof holy
angels standingby, weeping over (the altar or Isaac's death); (5) the
mentionof 'angels of Mastemah' rejoicingand saying, 'Now he will
perish'; and (6) an unclearreferenceto the 'binding'of Mastemah.
That,however,means thatthereis no mentionin theQumrantext
of six of theelementsthatVermeshas put in his 'SynopticTable' : no
mentionof Isaac's adult age, of Isaac being informedby Abraham
about his status as a victim, of Isaac's consent separate from his
request to be bound, of the connection with the later Temple, or
Passover, or theTamid lamb sacrifice,or Isaac's blood or ashes, and
especially of the 'meritof Isaac'. One wonderswhytheextraelements
have been putintothatTable, because theyhave nothingto do withthe
(3S)Ibid.,I, 222-223.
intoEnglishwithnotes,glossaryand
(36)See MidrashRabbah.Translated
indicesundertheeditorship
ofRabbiDr.H. Freedman
andMauriceSimon.With
a foreword
byRabbiDrI. Epstein.Vol I: GenesisI (London1939)497.

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JosephA. Fitzmyer

226

Qumrantextand, apartfromtheleast-relevantelementsof theTemple

Mount and Passover, which are mentionedin Jubilees,the othersare
not attestedin any pre-Christianwriting,or even in a writingof the
firstcenturyA.D. The six extra elements, which may have some
pertinenceto the later traditionabout the Aqedah, provide only a
of theQumrantext,in whichwe still
camouflagefortheunderstanding
have noteven foundthetermAqedah .
Althoughone mustagree withthe methodologicalprinciplewith
thesetexts,as he expressedit in his book, 'to
whichVermesinterprets
follow thedevelopmentof exegeticaltraditionsby means of historical
criticism'(37),one mustalso heed thecriticismof Vermes' application
of thatmethodologygiven by A.F. Segal:
muchmoreslowly,so as to see exactly
We musttakehis arguments
oftheAkedahwasjustpriortothetimeofJesus,to
whatthetradition
definewhatweretheChristianadditionsto thattext,and finallyto
definewhat may have been the Jewishreactionto the Christian
(38).
interpretation
Or again,
themesare missingin
Althoughhe [Vermes]noteswhereimportant
is
in sumhe operatesas if thewholeconstellation
each document,
are
attested
of
the
tradition
once
the
(39).
parts
alwayspresent
That is whyone musttryto distinguishclearlyjust whatelements
of theAqedah traditionare indeed pre-Christianand what may have
and itsNew Testament
withtherise of Christianity
been contemporary
andTradition
, 1.
(37)Vermes,Scripture
of
171-172.- I citehereSegal'scriticism
(38)Segal, '"He whodidnot..
thrust
of
with
the
it
difficult
to
but
I
find
with
it;
Vermes,
Segal's
agree
agreeing
(ibid.,174),whenhe citesPhilotheElder(in Eusebius,Praeparatio
argument
andAlexander
9.20.1),Demetrius
(ibid.9.19.4),Sir44,19Polyhistor
Evangelica
Jesus'.
before
of'popularhermeneutical
21,andJdt8,25-27as instances
activity
thepassagesmentioned,
Whenone scrutinizes
theyareat mostallusionsto the
or exegetical
storyin Gen 22 andhardlyeverreveala traceof embellishment
of thetext,notto mentionwhatSegal calls a 'martyrological
development
De Abrahamo
whenI readPhiloofAlexandria,
35.198-199,
analogy'.Similarly,
whichhe finds
I findthereno 'conceptofgivingone's lifeforothers'benefit',
'clearly'expressed.
Jewish
ForPhilotheElder,seeC.R. Holladay, Fragments
fromHellenistic
Authors.Vol. II: Poets (SBLTT 30/12;Atlanta,GA 1989) 234-237.For
JewishAuthors
see C.R. Holladay, Fragments
,
Demetrius,
fromHellenistic
62-63.
CA
Vol. I: Historians
Chico,
20/10;
1983)
(SBLTT
(39) Segal "'He who did not... , 179. See also L. Kundert,Die
Isaaks, 96.
Opferung/Bindung

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

227

writings(40).To thispurpose we mustturnto the laterdevelopmentof

thetradition.
IV. Later Developmentsof theUnderstanding
of the Sacrificeof Isaac
The questionof themeritoriousvalue ofAbraham's willingnessto
sacrifice Isaac, although it is not expressed in the pre-Christian
Qumran text,is clearly mentionedin the Palestiniantargums.I shall
cite only the FragmentaryTargum P, which has preserved a few
importantverses of Gen 22 (41):
8 And Abrahamsaid: 'FromtheLord a lambwill be
preparedfora
burntoffering,
myson;andifnot,thenyouarethelamb'; andthetwo
of themwalkedtogether
Abrahamto slay,and Isaac
wholeheartedly,
tobe slain.
10Abrahamextendedhishandandtooktheknifeto
slayIsaac hisson.
Isaac spokeup,sayingto Abrahamhisfather:'Father,bindmyhands
well,thatI maynotstrugglein thehourof mydistressand confuse
wouldbe foundblemishedand we wouldbe
you,and youroffering
into
the
of
destruction
in theworldto come'. Abraham's
pitched
pit
eyesweregazingattheeyesofIsaac,buttheeyesofIsaac weregazing
at theangelsoftheheights.Isaac saw them,butAbrahamdidnotsee
them.At thatmomenta voice came forthfromheaven and said,
menwho are in theworld,one
'Come, look at twouniquerighteous
who is slayingand one who is being slain; he thatslays has no
compassion,andhe thatis beingslainextendshisneck'.
11The
angeloftheLordcalledtohimfromheaven,saying,'Abraham,
Abraham!'Abrahamansweredin thelanguageof theHoly Temple,
14
saying,'Here I am!' Abrahamworshipedand prayedtherein the
nameof thewordof theLord,saying,'You are theLordGod, Who
sees butis invisible;everything
is manifest
and knownbeforeYou:
thattherewas no division[i.e.hesitation]
atthemoment
thatYou said:
'Offerup yoursonIsaac inMypresence'.Immediately
I aroseearlyin
themorning
and I did whatYou commandedand keptYour decree.
Now, I beg mercyfromYou, Lord God, thatwhenthechildrenof
Isaac mysonenteran hourofoppression,
thatYou willremember
for
theirsake thebindingof Isaac theirfather,
and releaseand forgive
as 'theexample
(40)Segal, "'He whodidnot..
176,findsIsaac's sacrifice
ofmartyrdom'
in '4 Maccabees,datedtotheearly30sbutdevoid
par excellence
ofChristian
as thebestevidence'thatsomekindoftradition
formed
influence',
thebasisof [the]Christian
viewofJesusas a typeof Isaac'. Yet Segal has to
admitthat'evenintheGreekparaenesis
of4 Maccabees,Isaac's sacrifice
itself
is neverdirectly
linkedwithvicarious
atonement'
(ibid.,177).
butitcontains
(41)The textof Tg.Neof andTg.Ps.-J.is fuller,
onlya few
tothisdiscussion
ofthelaterdevelopments;
pointsthatarepertinent
theywillbe
mentioned
below.

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228

JosephA. Fitzmyer
theirsinsand save themfromeverydistress.For futuregenerations
destinedto arisewill say: 'On theMountof theHolyTempleof the
Lord,Abrahamofferedup his son Isaac; and on thismountainthe
gloryoftheDwellingoftheLordwas revealed"(42).

i rrrnpy,'the bindingof
Here one notes the explicit use of prrcr"
Isaac', the Aramaic counterpartof the phrase used above in the
Mekhilta. Other noteworthyfeaturesof this developed version of
Gen 22 are thefollowing:
1. Isaac is informed
victim
byAbrahamof hisroleas thesacrificial
(v. 8)(43).
2. Isaac askstobe bound(v. 10)C").
3. Isaac is accordeda visionofangels(v. 10)(45).
4. Both Abrahamand Isaac are declared righteousby heaven
(v. 10)H.
5. AbrahamanswersGod in the 'languageof the Holy Temple'
(v. 11).
6. Abraham'sprayer,
recallinghisobedience(v. 14)(47).
'thebindingof Isaac' whenhis
7. Abrahambegs God to remember
descendantsenter'an hourof oppression'and to 'release and
forgivetheirsinsandsave themfromeverydistress'(v. 14)(48).
ofIsaac is relatedtotheMountoftheHolyTempleof
8. Theoffering
theLord(v. 14)(49).
9. Onlyin Tg.Ps.-J.is Isaac's age given(37 years).
10. Onlyin Tg.Ps.-J.AbrahambuildsthealtaratthespotwhereAdam
hadbuiltone andwhereNoahrebuiltitafterthedeluge.
In thistargumictraditionone thusfindsa clear statementof what
Vermescalls the 'meritof Isaac', and itis whatone would expectby the
timethisdevelopedtraditionemerges.None of itis earlierthanthethird
centuryA.D., and some of these targumsmay come froma still later
date,especiallyTg. Ps.-J.and Tg. Neof.(50).It shows,however,how the
, I, 54.
(42)See M.L. Klein, The Fragment-Tar
gumsof thePentateuch
NationaleHbr.110. Very
TargumP is MS ParisBibliothque
Fragmentary
V, whichis MS VaticanEbr.440;
similar
toitforGen22 is Fragmentary
Targum
itstextcanbe foundinKlein,I, 140-141.
, butnotinTg.Ps.-J.
(43)AlsoinTg.Neof.
AlsoinTg.Neof.andTg.Ps.-J.
C*4)
(45)AlsoinTg.Neof.andTg.Ps.-J.
46)AlsoinTg.Neof.andTg.Ps.-J.
(47)AlsoinTg.Neof.andTg.Ps.-J.
(48)AlsoinTg.Neof.andTg.Ps.-J.
(49)AlsoinTg.Neof.
whichSegalhas
ofthetexts,
withVermes'treatment
(50)Thistoois a problem
"'He whodid
514-515.
"The
Davies
Segal,
Chilton,
noted,
Aqedah",
following
to develop
not...'", 172-173writes:'...it has so farbeen almostimpossible

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The sacrificeof Isaac in Qumranliterature

229

text4Q225 developed stillfurther

traditionreflectedin thefragmentary
and graduallybecame theclassic topic of 'the Bindingof Isaac'.
In conclusion,then,one realizes how importantthe Qumran text,
fragmentarythough it be, is not only for the background of New
Testamentreferencesto the sacrificeof Isaac, but especially forthe
latertargumicand rabbinicteachingabout theAqedah , as the Jewish
expressionof thatsacrificeas an expiatoryand redemptiveact forall
Israel.
Departmentof Biblical Studies
Catholic Universityof America
Washington,DC 20064

JosephA. Fitzmyer,S.J

SUMMARY
Gen22,1-19theaccountofAbraham's
to sacrifice
hissonIsaac,is
willingness
initsHebrewandOld Greekform;
discussed
first
thenas itwasdeveloped
inthe
BookofJubilees
andespecially
intheform
ofPseudoas it
17,15-18,16,
Jubilees,
is preserved
in4Q2252 i andii (4QPs-Juba2
i 7-14,2 ii 1-14),inordertoascertain
how muchof thedevelopment
of theaccountcan be tracedto pre-Christian
Palestinian
Jewish
tradition
to
onsuch
prior theNewTestament.
Finally,
building
thearticletracesthedevelopment
in othertextsof thefirstChristian
evidence,
andinthelatertargumic
andrabbinic
tradition
abouttheAqedah.
century
consistent
criteria
forisolating
thefirst
traditions
inthetargumim.
In such
century
a case,though
we can appreciate
thecreativity
ofthetargum
andmustcometo
someunderstanding
of its method,
we mustbracketthetargumic
evidenceof
Vermesto bringthehistorical
problemto theforeagain:just whatcan be
established
as thecommonly
understood
textof Gen. 22 in thefirstcentury?
Vermes'methodological
about
the
of thebiblicaltextcomes
question
meaning
backtohaunt
himwhenonetakesawaythetargumic
evidence
onwhichhebuilds
hisowncase'.
At issuehereis thedatingof thePalestinian
WhenDez Macho,
targums.
thetextofTg.Neof.
7,95*,published
, heclaimedthatit 'pertinece
Neophyti
ya a
la pocaneotestamentaria'; thePT [= Palestinian
evenifit in its
Targum],
in theMs Neofiti1, seemsto belongto thefirst
or
recension,
present
preserved
secondcentury
version'
A.D.,is onthewholea prechristian
(A. Dez Macho,"The
Discovered
Palestinian
ItsAntiquity
andRelationship
withthe
Recently
Targum:
Other
1959[VTS7; Leiden1960]236).That
Volume,
Targums",
Congress
Oxford
the Fragmentary
claim,of course,is an exaggeration.
Klein,in publishing
seeKlein,TheFragment-Tar
, wasmorecircumspect;
I, 23-25.See
Targums
gums,
further
A.D. York, "TheDatingof Targumic
JSJ5 (1974) 49-62;
Literature",
J.Heinemann,
JJS25 (1974) 114"EarlyHalakhainthePalestinian
Targumim",
122,esp.122.

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