Description
Book SynopsisQuestions the foundations of faith that have made a virtue out of the willingness to sacrifice a child. This book offers a perspective on what unites and divides the peoples of the sibling religions derived from Abraham and, implicitly, a way to overcome the violence among them.
Trade ReviewFinalist for the 1998 National Jewish Book Award in Jewish Scholarship, Jewish Book Council "This provocative and thoughtful analysis will resonate with all who are bothered by a father's readiness to sacrifice his son in order to demonstrate his unquestioning devotion to God."--National Jewish Post and Opinion "A thought-provoking argument."--Library Journal "Many scholars would be wary of charging a single biblical myth with aiding and abetting such a vast array of lethal power structures and ideologies as Delaney catalogues throughout the book. Yet she marshals extensive evidence and prosecutes her case with great care and competence."--Cynthia M. Baker, Bible Review
Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction5Pt. 1Abraham on Trial15Ch. 1Abraham on Trial: Case for the Prosecution17Ch. 2Abraham as Alibi? A Trial in California35Pt. 2Archaeological and Biblical Evidence69Ch. 3Child Sacrifice: Practice or Symbol?71Ch. 4Child Sacrifice in the Bible87Pt. 3Religious Defenses and Their Silences105Religious Defenses: Prolegomenon107Ch. 5Jewish Traditions111Ch. 6Christian Commentary137Ch. 7Muslim Interpretations162Pt. 4The Testimony of Psychoanalysis187Ch. 8Freud's Blind Spot189Ch. 9Sa(l)vaging Freud211Pt. 5The Social Legacy231Ch. 10Sacrificing Our Children233Conclusion251Notes255Select Bibliography295Index317
