Isaac Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Christian views== [[File:AbrahamIsaac.jpg|thumb|Early 1900s Bible illustration depicts Isaac embracing his father Abraham after the [[Binding of Isaac]]]] The [[Early Christianity|early Christian church]] continued and developed the New Testament theme of Isaac as a type of Christ and the Church being both "the son of the promise" and the "father of the faithful". [[Tertullian]] draws a parallel between Isaac's bearing the wood for the sacrificial fire with Christ's carrying his cross.<ref>Cross and Livingstone, ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'', 1974, art '''Isaac'''</ref> and there was a general agreement that, while all the sacrifices of the Old Law were anticipations of that on Calvary, the sacrifice of Isaac was so "in a pre-eminent way".<ref>Kelly, J.N.D. ''Early Christian Doctrines'', A & C Black, 1965. p. 72</ref> The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and the Roman Catholic Church consider Isaac as a [[saint]] along with other [[biblical patriarchs]].<ref>"The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the Church's liturgical traditions." – Catechism of the Catholic Church 61</ref> Along with those of other patriarchs and the Old Testament Righteous, his feast day is celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church on the Second Sunday before Christmas (December 11–17), under the title ''the Sunday of the Forefathers''.<ref>[http://www.metropolitancantorinstitute.org/liturgy/Christmas_Fast.html Liturgy > Liturgical year >The Christmas Fast] – Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh</ref> Isaac is commemorated in the [[Catholic Church]] on 25 March<ref>{{Cite web |title=Izaak |url=https://deon.pl/imiona-swietych/izaak,4424 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=DEON.pl |language=pl}}</ref> or on 17 December.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeno |title=Lexikoneintrag zu »Isaac, S. (2)«. Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon, Band 3. Augsburg ... |url=http://www.zeno.org/Heiligenlexikon-1858/A/Isaac,+S.+(2) |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=www.zeno.org |language=de}}</ref> ===New Testament=== The [[New Testament]] states Isaac was "offered up" by his father Abraham, and that Isaac blessed his sons.<ref name="Easton"/> Paul contrasted Isaac, symbolizing [[Adiaphora#Christianity|Christian liberty]], with the rejected older son Ishmael, symbolizing slavery;<ref name="EoR-Isaac">''Encyclopedia of Religion'', ''Isaac''.</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Galatians|4:21–31|KJV}}</ref> Hagar is associated with the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] covenant, while Sarah is associated with the covenant of grace, into which her son Isaac enters. The [[Epistle of James]] chapter 2, verses 21–24,<ref>{{bibleverse|James|2:21–24|KJV}}</ref> states that the sacrifice of Isaac shows that justification (in the [[Johannine]] sense) requires both faith and works.<ref name="EoC-Isaac">''Encyclopedia of Christianity'', Bowden, John, ed., ''Isaac''.</ref> In the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]], Abraham's willingness to follow God's command to sacrifice Isaac is used as an example of faith as is Isaac's action in blessing Jacob and Esau with reference to the future promised by God to Abraham.<ref>{{bibleverse|Hebrews|11:17–20|ASV}}</ref> In verse 19, the author views the release of Isaac from sacrifice as analogous to the [[resurrection of Jesus]], the idea of the sacrifice of Isaac being a prefigurement of the sacrifice of Jesus on the [[Christian cross|cross]].<ref>F.F. Bruce, ''The Epistle to the Hebrews'' Marshall. Morgan and Scott, 1964 pp. 308–313</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page