Abram the One from Beyond-the-River, and King Chedorlaomer of Elam (Genesis 14)
Persia and the Formation of Judaean Ethnic Identity in a Late Patriarchal Narrative
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4768636 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gard Granerød (0000-0002-9162-2096, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 632 |
| Publication date | 2021-08-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel12080632 |
| OpenAlex | W3188749049 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
The perception of Persia in Judaean/Jewish texts from antiquity contributed to the construction of a Judaean/Jewish identity. Genesis 14 gives an example of this; in it, Abra(ha)m wages war with a coalition headed by King Chedorlaomer of Elam. The article argues that Genesis 14 is one of the latest additions to the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12-36), composed in the Persian or early Hellenistic period. It was conceived and used as an ethnic identity-forming story. The characters in the narrative represented groups and nations in the neighbourhood of the province of Judah. Abra(ha)m was perceived as the ancestor of the Judaeans and the inhabitants of the province Beyond-the-River. The King of Elam represented the Persian Empire. The article uses redaction criticism to argue that Genesis 14 is among the latest additions to the patriarchal narrative in the late Persian or Hellenistic period. Moreover, it uses a combination of philological and historical methods to argue that the description of Abra(ha)m as hāʿibrî (traditionally translated "the Hebrew," Gen 14: 13) characterises him as a person from the region Eber-nāri (Beyond-the-River). The article uses similar methods to argue that the names of people and places in Genesis 14 referred to political entities in and around Judah. Eventually, the article uses Anthony D. Smith's theory of ethnic community and elements from postcolonial theory as "reading lenses" and a framework for analysing Genesis 14. Reading this way underscores that Genesis 14 originated and worked as an ethnic identity-forming story
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Biblical studies · Empire · Ethnic group · Genealogy · Hebrew Bible · Judaism · Literature · Narrative · Persian · Philology · Sociology · Theology · Anthropology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Classics · Gender Studies · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Philosophy
The Elamite World
Studies in Historical Geography and Biblical Historiography
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Abraham's Victory over the Kings of the Four Quadrants in Light of Darius I's Bisitun Inscription
By the Favour of Ahuramazda I Am King”
Edom and the Fall of Jerusalem, 587 b.c
The Babylonian Kings and Edom, 605–550 b.c
The Governor of Babylon and Across-the-River in 486 B. C
The Religion of Idumea and Its Relationship to Early Judaism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |