Beautiful Sarai (Claire)
Claire E. O'Connor claireoc@softdisk.com
Sat, 22 Nov 1997 02:48:55 -0600 (00880210135, 34769C77.2125@softdisk.com)
Ian & Pam Dorion wrote:
>
> Dear Claire,
>
> Since you have ‘studied’ Genesis in your Bible class, I am
> sure they ran through the stories about Abram/Abraham and
> Sarai/Sarah. There is good reason for them to ‘run’ through
> these stories because if one takes the time to think them
> through, they become absolutely absurd. In fact, they are so
> absurd, that even Abraham ans Sarah had to fall on their
> faces laughing at God. Here are the facts and fallacies of
> these stories. They are not told in sequential order in the
> Bible which is why they are rarely questioned.
>
> NOTE: I keep track of time by counting the years after the
> creation of Adam, AA = After Adam.
>
> Abram was born of Terah in 1948AA (After Adam) when Terah
> was 70 years old (Ge. 11:26 & 12:10-20).
>
> Sarai was born of Terah (by a different woman) in 1958AA
> according to Abram (Ge. 17:17)
>
> Abram leaves Haran for Egypt in 2023AA at the age of 75
> (Sarai is 65).
>
> Because Sarai (at age 65) is so beautiful, Abram fears for
> his life and concocts this story about Sarai being his
> beautiful ‘virgin’ sister.
>
> He then meets Pharaoh and pawns Sarai off to him (Ge. 12:
> 10-20). (This is as believable as O.J. Simpson getting his
> mother married off to David Duke since the Israilites were
> as well loved in Egypt as the blacks were in the South in
> the ‘50s.)
>
> Anyway, God intervenes and Pharaoh not only gives Sarai back
> to Abram, he makes Abram rich by giving him lots of
> livestock, servants (that’s slaves) and other goods, and
> sends him on his way.
>
> Time passes and in 2033AA Abram at age 85 is given Hagar
> (Ge. 16: 4) and a year later, Ishmael is born (Ge. 16: 16).
>
> In 2047AA, Abram, at age 99 and Ishmael, aged 13, are both
> circumcised (Ge. 17:24). (A tough time for a boy to be
> circumcised.)
>
> In the same year, Abram and Sarai move to Gerer (Ge. 20:01)
> where they pull the same stunt on King Abimelech that they
> pulled on Pharaoh (Ge. 20: 2-16)
>
> Again they are found out and again Sarai is returned to
> Abram, along with livestock, slaves and other goodies, and
> sent on their way.
>
> It is during this year that God tells Abram (first) and
> Sarai (later) that Sarai is going to have a child. Because
> Abram (now Abraham) knows that Sarai being 89 years old and
> all dried up couldn’t possibly have a baby, he laughs right
> in God’s face. (Now how could he have possibly pawned her
> off to Pharaoh as his beautiful ‘virgin’ sister knowing
> this?) Sarai also fell on her face laughing when God told
> her about the upcoming blessed event.
>
> Anyway, that’s the story as never told to you in your Bible
> study and it just won’t take much to check it out.
>
> Regards,
> Ian
Dear Ian:
In the _Collegeville Bible Commentary_: Book of Genesis, by Pauline A.
Viviano, there is a long discussion of the Abraham and Sarah stories. I
don't have time to reproduce the whole commentary right now - I'll try
to type it in later. The entire Abraham story (both Bible text and
commentary) is about 35 pages long in the _Collegeville Bible
Commentary_. Of course, the issues you raised didn't take up all 35
pages. :)
We were taught that the Yahwish, Elohist, and Priestly narratives were
woven together for the stories about Abraham and Sarah. The fact that
there were three different sources could account for some discrepancies.
I can try to answer your questions in more detail at another time. I am
sorry I have taken so long just to write this brief note.
Best wishes,
Claire