Conference organized by Florentina Badalanova Geller, 2022-23 Paris IAS Fellow, and David Hamidovic, Lausanne University, under the auspices of the Paris Institute for Advanced Study, the Institut romand des sciences bibliques (Lausanne University), the Royal Anthropological Institute (London), and the Institute of Jewish Studies (London).

Day 1 : Closed to the public
Day 2 : Open to the public upon registration, see form at the bottom of this page

Presentation

The conference will focus on the foundational scriptural narrative of the FILIAL SACRIFICE which appears to be the conceptual kernel of the most fundamental ritual practices shared by the adherents
of Abrahamic religions.
Christians consider Isaac’s binding as a prefiguration of the Crucifixion, Jews remember the Akedah at Rosh Hashonah, and Muslims refer to the same narrative at the feast of Kurban-Bayram. In all three monotheistic faiths, Abraham is regarded as the ultimate forefather whose readiness to sacrifice his son while submitting
to a divine command embodies the supreme manifestation
of unshakable faith and pious obedience to God’s will.
In Jewish and Christian sacred history, “THE CHOSEN SON” whom the Patriarch intends to sacrifice is Isaac, while in Islamic tradition this is Ishmael. Respectively, the role of the “CHOSEN MATRIARCH” in Judaeo-Christian tradition is played by Sarah, while in Islamic tradition by Hagar. Thus, the family tree of Abraham comes to embody the sacred lineages of the communities concerned and shape their respective kinships and social institutions. The iconic theologeme of the Filial Sacrifice is therefore crucial for the confessional identity of the representatives of the three faiths,
since sacrificial practices were generally perceived as the primary means of communicating with the Divine.

The programme will focus on how the collective memories and identities are defined according to the social norms, ethics and belief system of the communities, and how the transmission of knowledge was managed.

Programme

March 16, 2023
(Closed to the public)

09.00 - 9.15
WELCOME AND GREETINGS
Saadi Lahlou (Institut d’études avancées de Paris),
David Hamidovic (University of Lausanne),
Florentina Badalanova Geller (Institut d’études avancées de Paris/Royal
Anthropological Institute, London)

SESSION 1: Chair Mark Geller
09:15 - 10:05
Thomas Römer (Collège de France)
Sacrifice of the Son or Sons? Genesis 22 and the Question of Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel

10:05- 10:55
Simon Mimouni (École Pratique des Hautes Études/LEM, Paris)
La figure d’Abraham dans les traditions du judaïsme, du christianisme et de l’islam: Quelques remarques et réflexions introductives à la tradition du sacrifice

10:55-11:10 Break

11:10 - 12:00
David Hamidovic (University of Lausanne)
The Aqedah in the Dead Sea Scrolls: the Interpretation in Pseudo-Jubilees

12.00-14:00 Lunch break

SESSION 2: Chair David Hamidovic
14:00 - 14:50
Markham Geller (University College London / Institute of Jewish Studies)
Sacrifice and Temple

14:50 - 15:40
Wout Jac. van Bekkum (University of Groningen)
The Aqedah in Late Antique Jewish Hymnography

15:40-16:00 Pause

16:00 - 16:50
Anna Sapir Abulafia (University of Oxford)
Abraham’s Jewish Martyrs in the Context of the Jewish-Christian Debate

March 17, 2023
(Open to the public, see registration form at the bottom of the page)

SESSION 3: Chair Marc Aymes
10:00 - 10:50
David Shankland (Royal Anthropological Institute, London/University College London)
Ritual Sacrifice: Anthropological Considerations (the case of Alevi Communities)

10:50 - 11:40
Guillaume Dye (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Réflexions sur le « cycle d’Abraham » dans le Coran

11:40-12:00 Break

12:00 - 12:50
Mathieu Terrier (CNRS/LEM, Paris)
La vérité du sacrifice d’Abraham selon une interprétation chiite du Coran 37:107

13:00-14:30 Lunch break

SESSION 4: Chair David Shankland

14:30–15:20
Pierluigi Piovanelli (École Pratique des Hautes Études/LEM, Paris)
Abraham sens dessus dessous : La figure du patriarche dans le débat sur la justification par la foi (Galates 3 ; Romains 4)

15:20-16:00
Florentina Badalanova Geller (IAS, Paris /Royal Anthropological Institute, London)
The Iconography of « Abraham’s Sacrifice »

16:00
GENERAL DISCUSSION AND CLOSING REMARKS