Tendências atuais no estudo de Gênesis 12–25

SONEK, K. The Abraham Narratives in Genesis 12–25. Currents in Biblical Research, Volume 17, Issue 2, February 2019, p. 158-183.

Este artigo tenta traçar o desenvolvimento da exegese de Gênesis 12–25 em trabalhos acadêmicos publicados desde o ano 2000. Gênesis 12-25 traz as narrativas sobre Abraão e sua família.

Cinco tipos de estudos são apresentados e brevemente avaliados:
1. Comentários sobre as perícopes bíblicas em questão
2. Obras que discutem a formação histórica das narrativas de Abraão
3. Estudos sincrônicos e teológicos
4. Estudos de recepção do texto
5. Outros estudos detalhados de Gênesis 12–25.

O artigo apresenta uma ampla gama de abordagens metodológicas e visa delinear as tendências atuais no estudo de Gênesis 12–25

Currents in Biblical Research, Volume 17, Issue 2, February 2019

Genesis 12–25, which relates the call, journeys, and life of Abraham and his family, continues to inspire and puzzle readers. Some of its stories have long been a source of controversy. Some have given rise to a variety of academic questions. Modern readers wrangle over the meaning of these ancient narratives. They investigate their historical formation, literal sense, and subsequent interpretation (…) Abraham is a figure of national, historical, and theological importance. His story has given rise to a vast array of scholarly works. This article looks at some of those works with a view to outlining the current state and future development of research related to the Abraham narratives.

The academic literature on Genesis 12–25 exceeds the possible limits for a concise survey, and a presentation of recent works in this field can no longer be comprehensive. In a sense, the real question is about the scholarly works that have to be excluded from the survey. Many important studies on the Abraham narratives, both short and lengthy, could not be taken into consideration in this review. However, an interested reader will find them in the bibliographies of the books and articles presented below. For this reason, the present survey does not attempt to be comprehensive, but only representative.

This article attempts to trace the development of exegesis of Genesis 12–25 in scholarly works published since 2000. Five types of studies are introduced and briefly evaluated: (1) commentaries on the biblical pericopes in question; (2) works discussing the historical formation of the Abraham narratives; (3) synchronic and theological studies; (4) reception studies; and (5) other detailed studies of Genesis 12–25. The article presents a wide range of methodological approaches, and aims to delineate current trends in the study of Genesis 12–25.

Kris Sonek: Department of Biblical Studies, Catholic Theological College, University of Divinity, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.