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| Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > Theological Q&A > How old was Isaac? | Forum Quick Jump
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Jake
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2001
Total Posts : 17
| Posted 4/17/2002 12:23 PM (GMT -6) |   |
Can anybody help me out on the age of Isaac when he was almost sacrificed by Abraham? the text seems to indicated that he was a boy, or possibly a teenager. but i heard that Lot was 37 at the time. can anybody shed some light on this?
Jake
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Electra
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2002
Total Posts : 611
| Posted 4/17/2002 3:17 PM (GMT -6) | | I don’t think there is any consensus on this question. Since it is clear in the text that he can walk and talk, Isaac was not a baby. I wonder if this tradition of portraying Isaac as a baby is associated with infant baptism? Another reason for this confusion may be that Ishmael is portrayed as an infant in Gen. 21. If Gen. 21 and Gen. 22 are arranged in chronological order, then Isaac would have to be younger than Ishmael at the time of the aqedah. But it is more likely these chapters are arranged topically rather than chronologically.
Isaac was old enough to make a three day journey into the wilderness. On the third day, he carried the wood for the sacrifice that the donkey had been carrying, as they ascended Mount Moriah. He was old enough to have at least this amount of strength and stamina.
In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard portrays him as 30 years old. But this may have more to do with Kierkegaard (who was 30 when he wrote the book) than any textual evidence.
I think if it were important for us to know Isaac’s exact age, the text would have specified it.
Electra
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PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890
| Posted 4/17/2002 3:41 PM (GMT -6) | | | Electra, I think I remember read/hearing that this sort of sacrifice was not out of place in the culture. (Is that true?) So.... if THAT were the case, might it offer any hints? | | Back to Top | | |
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Electra
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2002
Total Posts : 611
| Posted 4/17/2002 5:08 PM (GMT -6) | | quote:
Electra, I think I remember read/hearing that this sort of sacrifice was not out of place in the culture. (Is that true?) So.... if THAT were the case, might it offer any hints?
Yes and yes, but not conclusively so, as far as I know. Levenson is a good resource here. Electra
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