Abraham and Hagar: paragons of fugitives

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    Abstract

    In post-Biblical interpretations of Abraham, much emphasis is placed on him being persecuted. Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldeans is interpreted as an escape from the tyranny of Nimrod. Curiously, Abraham is instrumental afterwards in expelling the bond-maid Hagar into the desert. In Black feminist theology, Hagar becomes the paragon of the experience of women made slaves. Even more surprising is the transformation of Hagar in Islam, in which she becomes the first person to perform the Hajj. As such, these examples (of Abraham and Hagar) show how the experience of being a fugitive is constitutive to religious identity.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)279-290
    Number of pages12
    JournalSchweizerische Zeitschrift für Religions- und Kulturgeschichte
    Volume114
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2020

    Keywords

    • Abraham
    • Feminist interpretation
    • Hagar
    • Islam
    • Midrash
    • Nomadic existence
    • Oral tradition

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