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Adam and Noah's Failures and Abraham's Success

Jae Gu Kim 1

1협성대학교

Candidate

ABSTRACT

This paper stands on the premise that the worth of Abraham's being cannot be properly evaluated without regard to Adam and Noah before him. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to prove that through the comparison between Adam-Noah and Abraham, Abraham would be rather closely connected to the primeval history(Gen. 1-11) than to the patriarchal history. To deal with this connectedness, the methodology is spontaneously limited. Here is adopted the canonical approach based on the literary and theological integrity of the book of Genesis, not on the historical criticisms, such as the source, form, and traditio-historical criticisms. Adam's good start with the great complements, "It was very good," ends in a disobedient failure. Obedience and true worship intended in the Garden of Eden are destroyed, curse is poured upon the land, and the split between brothers and human hubris are everywhere. As a second Adam, Noah starts his new creation-journey with the complements, the one "blameless among the people of his time," and "walking with God." But because of his failure allusive to the incest and pagan worship, Noah curses the descendants of Ham. Then, cursed land has more curses. These two persons have blown away the dreams of God, that is, obedience and true worship. Likewise, Gen. 1 - 11, called the primeval history, repeats the same failures, one by Adam and the other by Noah. But in the beginning and end of Abraham's life journey, his faithful response, related to obedience and true worship, to the order of God opens up a new horizon to the human world. It is because the will of God which Adam and Noah did not realize has finally come true by Abraham. For this reason, the worth of Abraham is focused not on the person who opens up the patriarchal age, but more on the person who has brought the primeval age to perfection. Likewise, the comparison between Adam-Noah and Abraham demonstrates, firstly, the reason God calls out Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans and, secondly, the reason Abraham's faith is so cherished. Through this comparison, it can be contended that Abraham be a third Adam, and a second Noah. And it is more emphasized that Abraham belongs more with Adam and Noah stories than with the patriarchal history.

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