Isaac (Hebrew, "laughter"), Old Testament patriarch, the son of Abraham,half brother of Ishmael, and father of Jacob and Esau. The birth of Isaac was promised (see Genesis 17:19, 21) to Abraham and his wife Sarah, after a long and childless marriage, as a sign that the blessings originally bestowed by God upon Abraham would be continued in Isaac, heir of the Covenant. The events of Isaac's life are recounted in Genesis
The dominant story in the narrative, and one of the most widely knownstories in the Bible, is that of the projected sacrifice of Isaac (seeGenesis 22). According to this account, God tested Abraham's faith byasking him to sacrifice his beloved son. At the last moment, after Godwas convinced of the perfect obedience of both father and son, heaccepted a ram as a substitute for the youth. This story is thought toexpress the Hebrew rejection of human sacrifice, practiced by surrounding nations. The ram is recalled today in synagogue ritual at the solemnblowing of the shofar, or ram's horn, during the Jewish High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The New Testament alludes to Isaac as a precursor of Christ and of thechurch (see Galatians 3:16, 4:21-31), and the obedience to his father tothe extent of self-sacrifice is associated with that of Christ (seeHebrews 11:17-19). These themes were developed by several of thepatristic writers, and Isaac appears often in Christian art, particularlyin association with the Eucharist.
Archaeologists and biblical scholars have drawn parallels between thebiblical narrative of Isaac and the history of the Semitic tribes.Abraham is thought to represent the nomadic stock out of which the Hebrewand Edomite tribes separated. Isaac is believed to represent the tribesthat joined to form the Hebrew confederacy and to give allegiance to the God, Yahweh, or Jehovah, originally a tribal deity; and Ishmael isbelieved to represent the tribes of Edom. Isaac was a relatively minorfigure compared to the other two great biblical patriarchs, Abraham, hisfather, and Jacob, his son; but a number of the details of the biblical account are believed by scholars to have major symbolic importance.
The story of his birth is believed to be a deliberate attempt by early Hebrew writers to alter the traditions of the Semitic tribes in order tostrengthen adherence to the Hebrew confederacy, a military and political alliance, by suggesting that it had divine inspiration. In making Isaac the legitimate son, and Ishmael the illegitimate son, of their commonancestor, the Hebrews claimed superiority over the independent Edomitetribes. Finally, the rivalry between Isaac's two sons is thought toreflect again the rivalry between Edom and the Hebrews.
Source: "Isaac," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Isaac (Hebrew, "laughter"), Old Testament patriarch, the son of Abraham,half brother of Ishmael, and father of Jacob and Esau. The birth of Isaac was promised (see Genesis 17:19, 21) to Abraham and his wife Sarah, after a long and childless marriage, as a sign that the blessings originally bestowed by God upon Abraham would be continued in Isaac, heir of the Covenant. The events of Isaac's life are recounted in Genesis
The dominant story in the narrative, and one of the most widely knownstories in the Bible, is that of the projected sacrifice of Isaac (seeGenesis 22). According to this account, God tested Abraham's faith byasking him to sacrifice his beloved son. At the last moment, after Godwas convinced of the perfect obedience of both father and son, heaccepted a ram as a substitute for the youth. This story is thought toexpress the Hebrew rejection of human sacrifice, practiced by surrounding nations. The ram is recalled today in synagogue ritual at the solemnblowing of the shofar, or ram's horn, during the Jewish High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The New Testament alludes to Isaac as a precursor of Christ and of th
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