Abraham on Trial: The Social Legacy of Biblical Myth analyzes the Father of Faith as a progenitor of pathology. Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, argues author Carol Lowery Delaney, left an ethical legacy of abuse that has overpowered the biblical imperative to protect and nurture one's children. Delaney finds this legacy not only in the violence between sibling religions Abraham spawned (Islam and Judaism) but also in subtler realms. Most importantly, Delaney argues that the Bible endorses without question Abraham's interpretation of God's command to sacrifice Isaac. For Delaney, this endorsement undergirds western culture's assumption that the father is the ultimate authority in a family.
These are provocative ideas, and they will force readers to ponder how Judaism and Christianity have been forces not only of good but also of evil in everyday life.
In the end, the tragedy of Abraham on Trial is not the abusive legacy that Delaney describes, it's the culture that makes such an argument credible--a culture where even sophisticated people like Delaney have a hard time getting past literal readings of stories like Abraham's. --Michael Joseph Gross
