Jon Levenson
Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies, Harvard University
The image of Abraham as an uncompromising monotheist challenging the idolatry of his father and his townsmen and preaching the one God, creator of the world, is very familiar to traditional Jews and Muslims, but it is actually quite different from the way Abraham is presented in Genesis. The new Abraham of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism reflects important cultural, theological, and political changes that have taken place. He also sets the stage for a point of continuing contention in Jewish thought.
go.osu.edu/abraham-philosopher
Program supported by the Allene N. Gilman Charitable Trust and co-sponsored with the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures and the Department of Comparative Studies.
