"The practice of human
sacrifice, which was well known to the ancients and central to the cults of
Israel's neighbors, stands as a backdrop to chapter 22 [of Genesis]. In the
framework of his time and experience, Abraham could have considered the command
to sacrifice his son entirely legitimate. ... God's demand must have struck
Abraham as harsh and bitter but not as ungodly. But when the sacrifice is about
to be performed, it is Abraham's God, Adonai, who stays his hand. ...
[God] will ask extreme devotion, but it will never again take this form.
Abraham's religion not only rejects the sacrifice of a son by a father but
rejects, as well, its use as a theological theme. ... Why must God test
man? Does he not know all things? Maimonides answers that God tested
Abraham precisely because he knew that he would pass the test. Abraham's faith
would shine like a beacon and be a sign to the nations. The emphasis is
therefore not on Abraham's ordeal but on his strength." - The Torah: A
Modern Commentary (published by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations,
N.Y.), pp.149ff.
The faith of Abraham was a
remarkable, personal trust in God informed by his experience of God; his was
not an uninformed, naive, or "blind" faith. Likewise, the Episcopal Church
promotes our personal faith built on the experience of Jewish and Christian
communities throughout the ages. The combination of worship, learning, and
pastoral care helps us to grow faithfully in our relationships with God,
our neighbors, and ourselves. Fashioned by Scripture, reason, and tradition -
illumined by ongoing human experience, the evolving Church as a descendant of
Abraham celebrates informed faith lived not only with diversity, but also
devotedly with both heart and mind.