Article 9(b) - Patriarchal History - Abraham Cycle contd.
Disclaimer – The following article is meant for educational purposes only and not for any commercial purpose. By Emmanuel Gomes Edited by Fr Trevor D'Souza, OFM In our previous article , we discussed on the literary structure of Genesis 12-50 which consists of Patriarchal History. We also discussed one of the three promises God made to Abraham - the promise of a great nation ( Genesis 15 ). In this article, we will discuss the remaining two promises or covenants God established with Abraham - The Great Name and the Covenant of Circumcision ( Genesis 17 ) Universal Blessing and the Sacrifice of Isaac ( Genesis 22 ) The Great Name and the Covenant of Circumcision ( Genesis 17 ) Before we go into the covenant, we must understand what “Great Name” means. "Great name" was associated with kingship in the ancient Near East, as can be seen from the inscription from Shamshi-Adad I, king of Assyria, ca. 1800 B.C: "I erected a stela in my great name in the land of Lebanon,