Abraham’s reinterpretation and life’s meaning

Abstract

This article contributes to the theme of life’s fullness by emphasising the struggle for meaning during the Persian era as reflected in Genesis 15 and 17. The community’s ‘strategy’ was to reflect on their identity in order to find their place in the Persian-ruled society and experience something of life’s meaning. Different answers were given and each must be understood separately. In order to survive, one group opted for a broader view of the community and God (Genesis 17), while others were of the opinion that a narrower view had to be followed (Genesis 15). The arguments of both groups are discussed in this article.