Gen 22 - The Unbinding of Isaac: Beyond Kierkegaard

Guest: Dr. Aaron Koller. For generations, the Binding of Isaac has been read through the lens of Søren Kierkegaard: the supreme test of Abraham's willingness to obey God, even when commanded to suspend ethics itself.

But what if that reading misses the climax of the story?

In this episode, we speak with Professor Aaron Koller (University of Cambridge) about a provocative new interpretation of Genesis 22. Koller argues that the story reaches its true theological climax not when Abraham binds Isaac, but when God commands that Isaac be unbound. The Akedah is not primarily about sacrifice—it is about God's rejection of child sacrifice.

Along the way, the conversation explores:

• Why Kierkegaard's interpretation has dominated modern readings of Genesis 22.
• Why ancient Israelites may not have regarded child sacrifice as an unimaginable practice.
• Archaeological and textual evidence for child sacrifice among Israel's Phoenician neighbors.
• Why the command to sacrifice Isaac would have sounded plausible in its ancient context.
• Why the angel's command, "Do not lay your hand on the boy," is the decisive turning point of the narrative.
• How Genesis 22 reshapes Israel's understanding of devotion to God.

One of the most provocative moments in the conversation comes when Koller insists that we cannot understand Genesis 22 unless we first understand why child sacrifice could have appeared religiously compelling in the ancient world. He argues that:

• Child sacrifice was not irrational or barbaric to its practitioners but formed part of a coherent religious worldview.
• From the standpoint of total devotion, offering one's own child could seem an even greater sacrifice than offering an animal.
• Simply dismissing the practice as monstrous misses the theological force of Genesis 22.
• The biblical narrative invites readers to inhabit, however briefly, the logic that made child sacrifice attractive before revealing God's rejection of it.
• In Koller's words, "It's not as simple as just saying, child sacrifice is bad... there are good philosophical reasons why your neighbors do it... and despite that, I reject it."

The conversation centers around ideas found in Dr. Koller's monograph, Unbinding Isaac: The Significance of the Akedah for Modern Jewish Thought (Jewish Publication Society, 2020).