Abraham Finds Himself In A Situation Not Entirely Different From Laius, The Father Of Oedipus.
Abraham finds himself in a situation not entirely different from Laius, the father of Oedipus. Like Laius, Abraham is a leader of his people. Laius gets guidance, or a warning from an oracle who is in touch with Laius’s god, Apollo. Abraham is spoken to by his God.
Laius take action because his god tells him son will kill him. And for his part, Abraham is prepared to sacrifice his son because of direct instruction from his God.
But readers of this story from The Book of Genesis have a very different opinion of Abraham and his predicament than do readers of Oedipus Rex, and the difficulties of Laius, Oedipus’s father.
The author, or at least, the transcriber(s) of Abraham and Isaac, are trying to assert some pretty clear lessons about Abraham and his role in a new mono theocratic society. The lesson asserts things about Abraham, and it also effectively discredits things about those pre-Abraham religions, those pagan religions, such as were believed in the time of Sophocles and Oedipus.
What then, are readers of Abraham and Isaac supposed to learn, to believe, based on what Abraham goes through, in contrast to the lessons readers are supposed to gather from reading about Laius and Oedipus?
Sample Solution
Readers of the Book of Genesis are meant to learn a different lesson about Abraham’s story compared to that of Laius and Oedipus. The central message conveyed in Abraham and Isaac is that if Abraham chooses to obey God, he will be rewarded with his son's life being spared. Additionally, this narrative serves as an affirmation of the power of one true god over other religions (Miles 2010). As opposed to pagan religions or pre-Abrahamic faiths which believed in multiple gods who sometimes gave warnings or instructions that were unreliable, this story asserts the reliability and faithfulness of a singular monotheistic God (Genesis 22:1-19). Moreover, it highlights how obedience is essential for showing devotion towards God; thus demonstrating how His power reigns supreme and should not be challenged (Helyer & Erwin 2007). In comparison, Laius’s warning from Apollo turns out to be false because his son Oedipus doesn't end up killing him as prophesied. This demonstrates how putting trust into mere mortals rather than listening directly to what a higher authority has instructed can lead to disaster (Sophocles 493 BC). Furthermore, while Oedipus ultimately pays for a crime he was unaware of committing due to being misled by these same mortals – namely Tiresias who was trying protect Laius – due to their lack credibility readers understand that divine retribution isn't always deserved (Sophocles 493 BC). Overall then, the stories between Abraham and Isaac versus Laiuas and Oedipus offer different lessons regarding religious beliefs. While Abraham showcases unequivocal faith rewarded through obedience towards one true God; Sophocles' play highlights why it is important not rely on unreliable sources when making decisions.
tion in the future. This highlights that student motivation is both a cause and a consequence. This assertion that engagement can cause changes motivation is embedded on the idea that students can take actions to meet their own psychological needs and enhance the quality of their motivation. Further, Reeve, J. (2012) asserts that students can be and are architects of their own motivation, at least to the extent that they can be architects of their own course-related behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and agentic engagement.