Hagar, Ishmael, And Abraham’s Household In Josephus’ Antiquitates Judaicae

Abstract

In sermons and commentary on Gen 12 and Acts 7, Calvin expatiated on the theme of Abraham and his exile. The connection between Abraham and exile becomes transformed into a major theme in his sermon on Genesis delivered in January. Various midrashim probe the reason for God's call to Abraham. The author examines one particular midrash, which in contrast to Calvin, undermines the universalistic elements that may be drawn out from the first three verses of Gen 12-indeed, whether it is using the old tradition of Ps 45 or using other proemial verses its purpose is patently particularistic. The first four sections of the midrash for the pericope lek leka , each of which is composed according to a specific literary or rhetorical structure, sheds light on the meaning of Abraham's call in Gen 12:1. Keywords:Abraham; Calvin; exile; midrashic tradition