ESAB AND JACOB Isaac was forty years old when Rebekah became his wife. They had no children for twenty years, and then Rebekah gave birth to twins. The first child was all covered with red hair, and they named him Esau, and the second at birth held Esau by the heel, so he received the name Jacob, which

Jacob and Esau 19 Descendants of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Isaac was born to Abraham. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, an Aramean from Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban, an Aramean.21 Rebekah had no children, and therefore Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife. Answered

The sons of Isaac - Jacob and Esau 19 Here is the story of Isaac, the son of Abraham: Isaac was born to Abraham. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram c and sister of Laban the Aramean.21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren.

The theomachist Jacob and the sucker Esau How Jacob impaled Esau Isaac loved Esau, because his game was to his taste, and Rebekah loved Jacob. One day Jacob was cooking food, and at that time Esau came from the field tired. And Esau said to Jacob: “Oh, how delicious it smells! Give me brother

[Israel; heb. , Greek ᾿Ιακώβ; lat. Jacob; Sir. ], one of the patriarchs of the Old Testament, the ancestor of the 12 tribes of Israel (commemorated on the Week of the Holy Father and on the Week of the Holy Forefathers). I. is the youngest of the twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. From God, I. received another name - Israel (, - Gen. 32. 29), which became an eponym for his descendants, who were also called "sons of Israel" (- 1 Chr. 2. 1; Jer 49. 1; 50. 33) or “the house of Jacob” (- Ps 113.1; Is 2.5; Jer 5.20).

The name Jacob, in all likelihood, is a truncated form of the theophoric name (eg, - God protected). Dr. the forms of this name in the Bible are (1 Chronicles 4.36), (Jer 30.18), in the Mishna and Talmud there are names (or), (or), , (or), the last spelling is also recorded in manuscripts from Alexandria dating from 4th century according to R. Kh. Names containing the root are also found in extra-biblical sources: for example, on the tablets of the beginning. 18th century BC, open in the North. Mesopotamia, the name Ya-akh-qu-ub-il (um) occurs.

The story of I. is contained in Genesis 25-50 (chapters 25-35 - the story of I.; chapters 36-50 - about Joseph, where it is also reported about I.). Indications of certain events in the life of J., where he is represented by one of the patriarchs who had divine promises, are also contained in Deuteronomy 26. 5; in Joshua 24:5:32; in Ps 105.23; in Hos 12. 4-5, 13; in Mal 1. 2 etc.

The biblical story about

The composition of the biblical narrative about I. in the book. Being has a chiastic structure, which was analyzed in the works of M. Fishbon, J. Fokkelman, R. Handel (for details, see: Walters. P. 599). The whole narrative is divided into 2 equal parts (25.19 - 30.24 and 30.25 - 35.29), each consists of 7 interconnected, thematically located in reverse order sections. The cycle of stories about I. is framed by 2 genealogies - Ishmael (25. 12-18) and Esau (36), which are not connected with the main theme of the story, which additionally emphasizes the role of I. as the successor of divine blessings and promises given to Abraham and Isaac .

Part I, sections 1-7. 1. Start. The birth of I. as a foreshadowing of the conflict between I. and Esau (25. 19-34). 2. Relations with the indigenous population (26. 1-22). 3. Receiving a blessing (27.1-40). 4. I. flees from Esau (27.41 - 28.5). 5. Vision of angels and the Lord (28.10-22). 6. Arrival in Harran: Rachel, Laban (29. 1-30). 7. I. acquires children (30. 1-24).

Turning point: immediately after the birth of Joseph, I. intends to return to Harran.

Part II, sections 8-14. 8. I. acquires property (30.25-43). 9. Return from Harran: Rachel, Laban (31. 1-55). 10. Meeting with the angels of God (32. 2-3). 11. I. goes to meet Esau (32. 3-32). 12. Return of the blessing (33. 1-20). 13. Relations with the indigenous population (34). 14. Conclusion: I. and Esau bury their father Isaac (35).

Sec. 1. Like Sarah and Rachel, Rebekah remained barren for a long time. Through the prayer of Isaac, Rebekah conceived 2 sons who struggled in her womb. From the Lord, Rebekah is proclaimed that 2 nations will come from her, and the larger one will serve the smaller one. Esau is born first, and then, holding on to his heel (), I. appears (- the same root with the word “heel”, this verse contains the basis for the folk etymology of his name). IN short description brothers noticeably their bud. opposition: Esau was a skilled hunter, I. - “a meek man who lives in tents” (25. 27); Esau is a favorite of his father, I. - of his mother. This section ends with a story about how the hungry Esau neglects his birthright and sells him to I. for bread and lentil stew.

Sec. 2. The main events of this section (the resettlement of Isaac to Gerar; the incident with Rebekah, whom Isaac gave for his sister and who almost became the concubine of Abimelech, king of Gerar; the history of conflicts over wells, ending with an alliance between Isaac and Abimelech ) took place before the birth of the twins. The presentation of these events interrupts the chronology of the story about I., which is due to the chiastic structure (in the parallel 13th section of Part II it also tells about the relationship with the local population) and the development of the narrative. Twice in the 26th ch. (verses 2-5, 24) it is reported that the Lord appeared to Isaac, Who confirms that the oath that the Lord gave to his father Abraham will be fulfilled on the offspring of Isaac: “I will multiply your offspring like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your offspring all these lands; all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in thy seed” (v. 4). It is I., the youngest of the sons, who will become the heir of these promises.

Sec. 3. I., taught by his mother, disguises himself as Esau, taking advantage of his father's blindness, and instead of his brother receives the blessing promised by Isaac. In this fragment, another biblical etymology of the name Jacob is given - the indignant Esau exclaims: “Isn't the name given to him: Jacob () because he stumbled me (- outwitted) twice already? He took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing” (27:36). In response, Isaac says to Esau: “Behold, I have made him master over you, and I have given all his brothers as slaves to him ...” (27. 37).

Sec. 4. Esau's hatred and his threats to kill his brother force I. to flee. Referring to his unwillingness that I. take a wife from the daughters of the Hittites, Rebekah convinces Isaac to send I. to his brother Laban in Harran. Before parting, Isaac once again blesses I. and asks God to give him the blessing of Abraham (28. 4). Thus, the promises about the future multiplication of the race and the inheritance of the land, “which God gave to Abraham” (28. 4), are finally associated with I. and his descendants.

Sec. 5. These promises are confirmed by the Lord Himself: during one of the night stays on the way from Beersheba to Haran, I. sees in a dream a ladder between earth and heaven and the angels of God, who ascend and descend on it. From the top of the stairs, the Lord, turning to I., promises to return him to the ground, on which he lies, and give it as a legacy to him and his offspring, which will be “like the sand of the earth”, and also preserve him in everything. Waking up, I. calls this place Bethel (- the house of God) and makes a vow that in case of a safe return to Father's house the stone on which he slept and which he anointed and erected as a monument will become the house of God, and also that he will bring to God a tenth of all that He will give him.

Sec. 6 begins with a story about I.'s arrival in Haran, "in the land of the sons of the east", about meeting Rachel at the well, where her father's flocks were tending, and about how I. settles in the house of Laban, her mother's brother. A month later, I. and Laban agree that I. will serve Laban for 7 years in order to marry Laban's youngest daughter Rachel; “they appeared to him in a few days, because he loved her” (v. 20). After this period, Laban made a festive feast, but, obeying the local custom, which forbade giving the youngest daughter before the eldest, Laban introduces his eldest daughter Leah, whom I. mistook for Rachel. In the morning, when the deception was revealed, Laban promises that in a week he will give I. also Rachel, for which he must work for Laban for another 7 years.

Sec. 7 (29.31 - 30.24) begins with the words: "The Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and opened her womb, but Rachel was barren." Then it is told about the birth of 4 sons to Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, after which she "stopped giving birth." Rachel, seeing her barrenness, gives I. her maid Valla, "so that I also have children from her." Valla gives birth to 2 sons - Dan and Naphtali. Leah also stopped giving birth and gave I. her maid Zelf, from whom Gad and Asher were born. Having bartered a night with I. from Rachel for mandrake apples, Leah conceived and gave birth to the 5th son - Issachar, and then the 6th - Zebulun and daughter Dinah. In conclusion, it says that "God remembered Rachel, and God heard her, and opened her womb." Rachel gave birth to Joseph.

Sec. 8. 30. 25 - the central verse with a climax in the story of I.: "After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban: let me go, and I will go to my place and my land." However, Laban begs I. to stay to serve him and suggests that he assign himself a reward. I. agrees on the condition that all cattle with specks and spots, as well as black sheep, will be his property. Using rods with white stripes cut out on them, which I. put in troughs, “where the cattle came to drink, and where ... conceived before the rods” (30. 38), I. manages to make Laban become cattle of variegated coloration are born.

Sec. 9 (31.1-55; MT: 31.1-32.1). I. again decides to return home. Despite the fact that his mother promised to send for him (27.45), this is not mentioned in the narrative. Instead, 3 reasons are given that influenced I.'s decision: the hostility of the sons of Laban, "who said: Jacob took possession of everything that our father had ..." (31. 1), the deterioration of Laban's attitude towards him, as well as a direct command from Lord (31. 1-3, 11-13). Having called his wives, Rachel and Leah, to the field, I. secretly discusses his decision with them. Having received their consent and support, I., together with his family and with all the property that he acquired in Mesopotamia, secretly leaves Laban and goes to his father Isaac in Canaan. At the same time, Rachel “stole the idols that her father had. Jacob stole the heart from Laban the Aramean, because he did not inform him that he was leaving” (31. 19b-20). On the 3rd day, Laban learns of I.'s departure and, taking his relatives, sets off in pursuit. After 7 days of persecution, Laban catches up with I. on Mount Gilead, but God, appearing in a night dream to Laban, warns him to beware and not say to I. “neither good nor bad” (31. 24). Enlightened by this vision, Laban is ready to let I. go, but blames him for stealing idols. Knowing nothing about the theft, I. invites Laban to inspect his property: “Whoever you find your gods will not live ...” (31. 32). When Laban reached Rachel's tent, she hid the idols under a camel's saddle, sat on it and refused to stand in front of Laban, referring to the "ordinary female" (31. 35). The meeting ends with the conclusion of an alliance between Laban and I., as a sign of which a memorial stone was placed and a stone hill was made. Having reconciled, I. stabbed the victim and arranged a feast for his relatives, and the next morning Laban, having blessed his daughters and grandchildren, returned back.

Sec. 10 (32.1-2; MT: 32.2-3). Just as during the flight from Esau I. was encouraged by the vision of the angels and the Lord in Bethel, so now, returning and going to meet Esau, I. sees the angels of God, whom he calls the camp of God. The place where he had a vision, I. calls Mahanaim (i.e., 2 camps - the camp of God and the camp of I.).

Sec. 11 (32.3-32; MT: 32.4-33) tells of the events leading up to the meeting between I. and Esau, which was last mentioned in sect. 4. Esau, having learned about the approach of I., advances to meet him, accompanied by 400 people. Fearing an attack, I. separates the people who were with him, and all the cattle into 2 camps (32. 8) and, turning with a prayer to the Lord so that He would deliver him from the hand of his brother (32. 9-13), sends forward herds of small and cattle, as well as camels and donkeys, in order to propitiate the gifts of Esau before they meet (32. 14-22). Having prepared, I. with his family and property moved to the south. bank of the stream Jabbok. Here at night “Someone () fought with him until dawn; and, seeing that he did not overcome him ”(32. 24b - 25a), he injured I. the hip joint. I. asks to bless him and receives a new name: “... henceforth your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you fought with God, and you will overcome men [lit. from Hebrew: “... for you fought with God and people, and prevailed”]” (32. 28). “And Jacob called the name of the place: Penuel; for, he said, I saw God face to face...” (32:30).

Sec. 12. The next story is about the meeting of 2 brothers. Seeing Esau, I. goes to meet his brother first, followed by maidservants with children, then Leah with children, behind Rachel and Joseph. I. "bowed down to the ground seven times, approaching his brother." “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and wept” (33. 3-4). I. implores Esau to accept the flock as a gift: “Receive my blessing () that I brought you” (33. 11). This expression correlates with the words of the parallel, 3rd section, where Esau is indignant that I. “took my blessing” (27. 36). Esau accepts the gift and invites I. to accompany him, but I. refuses and, having acquired part of the field from the sons of Emmor, he settles not far from Shechem, where he sets up an altar, which he calls “the Almighty God of Israel” (33. 20 according to MT).

Sec. 13. Shechem, the son of Emmor, the ruler of Shechem, dishonored Dinah, the daughter of I. and Leah, but, wanting to take her as a wife, asks his father to enter into negotiations with I. The sons of I., outraged that Shechem dishonored their sister, want to take revenge, demanding that the circumcision of the entire male population of Shechem be the condition for the marriage: “... and all the males were circumcised ... On the third day, when they were in illness, the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinin, took each his own sword, and boldly attacked the city, and killed all the male sex ”(34. 24b - 25). After that, the sons of I. plundered the city. I., who remained on the sidelines, reproaches his sons: “You have angered me, making me hated by the inhabitants of this land” (34. 30). To which, at the end of the story about Dinah, the sons answer I.: “... is it possible to treat our sister like a harlot!” (34.31).

Sec. 14, the final in the cycle of stories about I., consists of several. parts, and some of them repeat what is already known, focusing on the most important events (the name of I. Israel, the name of Luz Bethel). God commands I. to go to Bethel. I. urges the household members to cleanse themselves and throw away the “foreign gods”, which I. buries under an oak tree near Shechem. Having moved with his people to Bethel, I. arranges an altar there (35. 1-7). Further mention is made of the burial of Deborah, Rebekah's nurse (35.8). Then God appears and blesses I. at Bethel, names him Israel, and reaffirms His promises regarding a numerous offspring and inheritance of the earth (35. 9-13). In the place where God “spoke to him”, I. puts a memorial stone and pours oil on it. On the way from Bethel to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel dies during the birth of Benjamin (the 12th and last son of I.), whom she calls Benoni (son of sorrow), but I. gives him the name Benjamin (son of right hand). After burying Rachel and erecting a gravestone on the road to Ephrath, I. went on "and pitched his tent behind the tower of Gader" (35. 16-21). Followed by short message about the fact that Reuben, the first-born of I., "went and slept with Bilha, his father's concubine" (35. 22a). At the beginning of the story about I. (section 1), it was said that 2 peoples would come from Rebekah, therefore, in the end, 2 genealogies are given - I., indicating all the sons, the ancestors of the tribes of Israel (35. 22b - 26), and Esau (35. 36). After this, it is told about the arrival of I. in Haran, in the place of the wanderings of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac dies, and the story, which began with a description of the conflict between the brothers, ends with a description of the joint actions of I. and Esau: they bury their father, who prayed for their birth.

Further information about I. is known from the stories about Joseph. It is reported that Israel loved him more than other sons (37.3); he for many mourns Joseph for days (37:33-35). I. sends his sons to Egypt for bread, but wants to keep Benjamin with him (42. 1-4), whom only after much persuasion does he agree to let go with his brothers on the 2nd campaign in Egypt (42. 29 - 43. 14). After the brothers bring the news that Joseph is alive (45.26-28), I. goes to Bathsheba, where he makes sacrifices to God (46.1). In a night vision, God directs I. to Egypt, promises to make a great nation out of him and bring him back (46. 2-4). From Beersheba I. "with all his kind", livestock and property moved to Egypt (46. 5-7). Joseph meets I. in Gosem (46.29-30), introduces him to Pharaoh (47.7-10) and settles with his brothers "in the best part of the earth, in the land of Raamses" (47.11). At the age of 147, after 17 years in Egypt, "the time has come for Israel to die." I. takes an oath from Joseph that he will take his remains out of Egypt and bury him in the ancestral tomb (47. 28-31). Before his death, I. blesses the children of Joseph - Manasseh and Ephraim (48. 5-6), and also, having gathered all the sons, prophesies what awaits them in the coming days (49. 1-27). Having blessed 12 sons, I. once again appeals to them with a request to bury him in a cave in the Machpelah field, which Abraham bought for burial (49. 28-32). “And Jacob completed the testament to his sons, and laid his feet on the bed, and died, and was added to his people” (49.33). Joseph ordered the doctors to embalm the body of I. and after 70 days of crying he asks the Pharaoh for permission to bury his father in the land of Canaan. Accompanied by the servants of the pharaoh, Egypt. the elders and the whole house of I. are carried by the sons of I. to Canaan and buried in a cave in the field of Machpelah (50. 1-13).

Prot. Leonid Grilikhes

The image of I. in intertestamental literature

In the Old Testament apocrypha "The Book of Jubilees" I. is given a central role: he receives more blessings and revelations compared to what is indicated in the biblical text, he is credited with establishing many others. commandments and commands. I. successfully defends his relatives from the attack of the Amorite kings (ch. XXXIV), and also accidentally kills Esau (ch. XXXVIII). In the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, which is based on the blessing given by I. to the 12 tribes of Israel (Gen 41-50), I. prays earnestly for his sons (Test. XII Patr. I 7; XIX 2). In so-called. Qumran. texts preserved in fragments of the Apocrypha of James (4Q537) (c. 100 BC), which is a retelling in the 1st person of the text from the Book of Jubilees (ch. XXXII), in which the following is correlated the construction of a temple with a vision of I. in Bethel, where an angel also brings him a tablet with a record of the events of his life (4Q372 3. 9; cf. the so-called Temple scroll - 11Q19).

The image of I. in the New Testament

I. is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Mt 1.2; Lk 3.34). In the NT, the name I. is most often found in the known OT (Ex 2.24; 3.6, 15; Deut 1.8; 6.10; 9.27; Jer 33.26; 2 Makk 1.2; If 8 26) the formula "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." The names of the 3 patriarchs with whom God made His covenant as representatives of Israel are a symbol of Israel's faith and devotion. This formula is often found in rabbinical literature, where it shows that God's attitude towards Abraham, Isaac and J. is a guarantee of His fidelity to the people of the covenant (see, for example: Midrash Shemot 12. 1). In the NT, the Pharisees used this expression mainly in relation to themselves, since they are thus. emphasized their relationship with God. This phrase can be considered as equivalent to the expression "sons of the kingdom." Those who honored Abraham, Isaac, and J. as their fathers were the sons of the kingdom. Therefore, the words of the Savior from Mt 8.11-12 (Lk 13.29): “I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven; and the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” - could be perceived by the Pharisees as an unheard-of impudence that undermines the foundations of their faith, since they included in the concept of “sons of the kingdom” those wicked, who, in their opinion, did not belong to the people of the covenant. The same idea is contained in the words of the Savior about the resurrection of the dead: “And about the dead, that they will rise, did you not read in the book of Moses how God said to him at the bush: “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?” (Mk 12:26; Mt 22:32; Lk 20:37; cf. Ex 3:2, 6). Faith in the resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, and J. must also allow for the resurrection of their successors (cf. 4 Macc 7:19; 16:25), to whom all believers in Christ become in the NT. According to Acts 3. 13 next, the rejection by the Jews of Christ, Whom God raised from the dead, means for them the denial of the God of Israel - the God of Abraham, Isaac and I. According to ap. Paul, the true children of Abraham and the heirs of these promises to I. are Christians (both from Jews and Gentiles), while he uses the name I. to refer to the entire Jewish people (Rom 11. 26). Also app. Paul refers to the biblical story of Jesus' exaltation and Esau's rejection to show that the election of both Jews (Rom 9:6-23) and Gentiles (Rom 9:24-26) is an exclusively free act of God's mercy, which does not depend on human preferences and conventions (Rom 9:13). The expression "the house of Jacob" (Luke 1.33; Acts 7.46) refers to the collective understanding of the image of J. in the OT as the entire chosen people (Ps 113:1; Is 2:3; Am 3:13).

The image of I. in Christian exegesis

In Christ. tradition, the figure of I. was considered in 2 aspects: as the ancestor of the chosen people, from which the Lord Jesus Christ came according to the flesh, and in the context of a symbolic interpretation of his personality. St. Clement of Rome, describing the greatness of the gifts of God given to the patriarchs, reports that “all the priests and Levites who serve at the altar of God came from Jacob. From him the Lord Jesus according to the flesh ... kings, rulers, leaders ... and princes in Judea ”(Clem. Rom. Ep. I ad Cor. 32). Thus, for St. Clement I. is an image of the Old Testament Israel, to which Jesus Christ also belongs both in the flesh and as a high priest. Likewise, St. Ignatius of Antioch states that Christ "is the door to the Father, through which enter Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the prophets and apostles, and the Church" (Ign. Ep. ad Philad. V 9). This is the intermediary value of the figure of I. for Christ. theology is most clearly revealed in Origen, who says that all who partake of the Light of the world (i.e., Christ) become I. and Israel (Orig. In Ioan. comm. I 35).

The greatest attention in patristic exegesis was paid to 2 events in the life of I.: a vision during sleep in Bethel and a mysterious struggle with a heavenly creature near the river. Javok. At the core of Christ. interpretation of the legend about the vision of I. the heavenly ladder (Genesis 28.12) lay the words of the Savior from John 1.51: “... truly, truly, I say to you: from now on you will see the sky open and the angels of God ascending and descending to the Son of Man” (see ., for example: Ambros, Mediol, De Iacob, II 4, 16). The stone on which I. fell asleep during this vision symbolizes Jesus Christ (Hieron. In Ps. 41; 46), and the ladder is the Cross of Christ, located between 2 testaments, through which believers reach heaven (Chromatius Aquileiensis. Sermo. I 6 // Chromace d "Aquil é e. Sermons. P., 1969. T. 1. P. 132. (SC; 154)). The plot of I.'s vision of the heavenly ladder becomes in Christian ascetic literature a symbol of the spiritual ascension to God through the acquisition of virtues and perfection.This biblical story is connected famous work Christ. ascetic literature - "Ladder" of St. John of the Ladder (end of the 12th century), who calls I. "the stammerer of passions" and adds that all Christ. "virtues are like Jacob's ladder" (Ioan. Climacus. Scala paradisi. Praef.; 9.1).

Already Philo of Alexandria (20 BC - 40 AD), based on the story of the mysterious night struggle of I. when crossing the river. Jabbok (Gen. 32.21 following) interpreted the meaning of the new name I.-Israel as "seeing God" (ὁρῶν θεὸν) (Philo. De confus. ling. 56.2; 147.1; Idem. De cong. erud. 51 4), and called I. himself ἀθλητής (Idem. De sobr. 65. 5) or ἀσκητής (Idem. De confus. ling. 80. 1). This interpretation had a significant impact on Christ. tradition (see, for example: Ioan. Chrysost. In Gen. LVIII 2), and the plot of the biblical story formed the basis of the patristic teaching about the need for spiritual warfare or achievement in order to achieve the contemplation of God: “What does it mean to fight with God, how not to start a competition in virtue, to get along with the strongest and become a better imitator of God than others ”(Ambros. Mediol. De Iacob. 7. 30). Thus, in Christ. exegesis, this scene became an example of the meaning of the spiritual life. The struggle of I. points to this imitation of Christ (Mt 11.12): “... The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away” (Ibidem; Aug. Serm. 5.6). In Christ. In exegesis, attention was mainly paid to the symbolic interpretation of the mysterious struggle of I., while various opinions were expressed regarding the personality of the one who fought with I.. Origen, apparently under the influence of Jewish commentators, believed that I., with the help of God, under the guise of an angel, "fought against some of those forces that ... are at enmity and raise battles against the human race, mainly against the saints" (Orig. De princip. III 2.5). Blzh. Hieronymus Stridonsky, interpreting his name, believed that I. fought with an angel (Hieron. Quaest. hebr. in Gen. 32. 28-29). Mch. Justin the Philosopher, interpreting the name Israel as "conquering power", believed that the struggle of I. figuratively indicates the feat of Christ, who defeated the power of the devil (Iust. Martyr. Dial. 125). Mn. Christ. commentators saw both in I., and in the one with whom he fought, the image of Christ. According to Clement of Alexandria, the Logos fought with I. - the Son of Man (that is why I. could contemplate Him), Who taught him in the fight against evil (cf. John 14.9) (Clem. Alex. Paed. I 7). The mysterious adversary defeated by I. was an angel, who at the same time represented Christ, Who was also taken prisoner during His earthly life (Caes. Arel. Serm. 88.5; Aug. Serm. 229; Idem. De civ. Dei 16 39). The hip of the patriarch, injured during the struggle, means both bad Christians and unbelieving Jews in Christ (Ambros. Mediol. De Jacob. 7.30; Aug. Serm. V 8). The new naming of Israel gives the idea that God mysteriously reveals himself with whom I. fought. Thus, I. fought both with man and with God, which indicates the divine-human nature of the Savior (Novat. De Trinit. 14. 30; 19. 80; Hilar. Pict. De Trinit. V 19. 1).

The Image of I. in Rabbinic Literature

Since I. received a new name Israel, which became the eponym of Heb. people (Genesis 32.38), who became the progenitor of the 12 tribes of Israel, in the rabbinic tradition, the events of his life were interpreted as symbolic indications of episodes in the later history of Heb. people. Also, his main opponents, such as Esau (and also Edom; Gen. 25.30; 36.1) and Laban (Gen. 32.24 following), were types of the opposing Heb. the Greco-Roman people. peace. The struggle of I. and Esau in the womb of their mother Rebekah was interpreted as a confrontation between Israel and Rome: whenever their mother passed by the synagogue (or “house of the righteous”), I. began to move inside it, and when Esau passed by the pagan sanctuary ( Bereshit Rabbah 63.6; cf. Gen. 25.22). Description appearance babies born from Rebekah: Esau - “red (the color of blood) and shaggy”, and I. - smooth (Genesis 25.25) - emphasizes the contrast between the spiritual beauty and purity of Israel and the ugliness of the pagan world, which was manifested in a special way in its bloody wars (Genesis Rabbah 63.7-8; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 25.25). In addition, this opposition had a historical basis, since King Herod the Great, an adherent of the Hellenistic culture, was an Idumean.

I. was regarded as the greatest of the Old Testament patriarchs (Genesis Rabbah 76.1), so that even the forefather of the Heb. of the people Abraham was born and saved from the fire of the furnace of Nimrod (their confrontation is legendary) only for the sake of the fact that I will be born from him in the future (Genesis Rabbah 63.2; Vayikra Rabbah 36.4; Sanhedrin 19b). The phrase "God of Jacob" Heb. commentators attached more value than the phrases "God of Abraham" and "God of Isaac" (Babylonian Talmud. Berakhot 64a; cf.: Ps 20.1). Even after death, I. suffers with his people in troubles and rejoices at their release (Midrash Techellim 14.7; Pesikta Rabbati 41.5). Subsequent successes of the Heb. people are also mystically linked with the merits of I. (Shir Hashirim Rabba 3.6), moreover, it is said that the whole world was created only for the sake of I. (Vayikra Rabba 36.4). God glorified I., raising him almost to the host of angels (Ibid.); the image of I. was received by one of the angels with a human face in the chariot of God (Tankhuma Leviticus 72-73). In the Targum on Genesis 28.12, it is reported that during the vision of the heavenly ladder, the angels came down to look at I. precisely because his image was on the divine throne (Genesis Rabbah 62.23; 69.3). The patience and wisdom of I. in relation to Laban (represented in the Talmud as a dishonest person), whom he managed to pacify without bringing the conflict to violence (Genesis Rabbah 74.10), are especially emphasized. I. was the one who tasted the sweetness of paradise in life and was not even subject to the angel of death (Bava Batra 17a); such an idea of ​​the personality of I. is symbolic and emphasizes the immortality of the people of Israel. In the Samaritan sources, his righteousness is noted (Memar Mark II 11; V 2; compare the testimony of Jn 4. 7-12 that the Samaritans revered I. as a father). On the basis of the Biblical Tradition, which was reflected in the prophetic literature (Hos 12.4), most Jewish commentators believed that in Penuel I. fought with an angel (for example, with the arch. Michael - Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Gen 32.25). It has been suggested that this could be a fallen angel or Esau's patron angel, who did not let I. into his territory (Genesis Rabbah 77-78; 82).

Nevertheless, a number of unseemly actions of I. (especially the way he received the birthright and blessing from Isaac) were criticized in Judaism (see also: Os 12. 3-4), while there were attempts to give a symbolic understanding of these actions. So, for example, the desire to receive the birthright was explained not by selfish motives, but by the intention of I. to gain the right to offer sacrifices to God by the right of the firstborn (Genesis Rabbah 63.13; Bemidbar Rabbah 4.8), and all the blame for the deed was placed on his mother Rebekah, to-ruyu I. could not disobey. Receiving a blessing from Isaac with the help of cunning (Gen 27.35) means that I., clothed with "wisdom", received what was due to him (Targum Onkelos on Gen 27.35). A serious violation was seen in I.'s marital relations with 2 sisters at once - Leah and Rachel (Pesachim 119b; cf.: Lev 18. 18). I.'s relationship with his beloved son Joseph (special affection for him - Gen. 37.3), which led to grave consequences and conflict with the rest of the sons, receives severe condemnation (Shabbat 10b; Megilla 16b; Genesis Rabbah 84.8). I.'s inability to save his offspring from Egypt is also condemned. slavery (Shabbat 89b; cf. Isaiah 63:16).

In the Quran

there is no exact evidence of the origin of I. (arab.): whether he was the son of Isaac or his brother (Quran VI 84; XI 71). Perhaps it was only during Muhammad's stay in Medina that he was told that the ancestors of I. were "Ibrahim, Ismail and Ishak" (Quran II 133, 136). Like his predecessors, I. is called a prophet (Koran XIX 49). Basically, the life of I. is narrated in connection with the story of Joseph (Koran XII); it is told how I. went blind because of sadness over his missing son and regained his sight when Joseph was found (Quran XII 84, 93, 96). On the eve of his death, I. commanded his sons to be steadfast in faith, and they promised him to worship the One God of “your fathers” (Quran II 132-133). Once Muhammad mentions the 2nd name I. - Israel () (Quran III 93) in the story about the establishment of food prohibitions for the descendants of I. (possible reference to Genesis 32.33). In other places, the name I. is used as a designation for the people of Israel (- "sons of Israel" - Koran II 40; V 70). The history of the relationship between I. and Esau is considered in detail in later Islamic literature - the so-called. stories about the prophets ().

A. E. Petrov

Reverence I.

In the Orthodox Churches I. has a common memory with other forefathers. In Byzantium. In the synaxaries, the legend about the forefathers was also placed after the legends about the saints between 16 and 20 December. (SynCP. Col. 315 sq.). Dec 18 there is a separate celebration in honor of the first 3 patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and I. sometimes a prophet also joins the patriarchs. David (SynCP. Col. 321 sq.).

The allocation of Abraham, Isaac and I. into a special group, which has its basis in the text of the Bible (Exodus 3.6; Mt 22.32, etc.), is characteristic of the Roman Catholic and ancient East. churches. In zap. traditions, they are commemorated on the 3rd Sunday of Advent. In the XIV-XVI centuries. in the West, there has been a tendency to fix a specific date (February 5) for the celebration in honor of the patriarchs from Abraham to the sons of Joseph (for example, in the "List of Saints" by Peter Natalis (ActaSS. Febr. T. 1. P. 594)), but in This date has not been fixed since.

In the Coptic Church, the memory of Abraham, Isaac and I. is celebrated on Mesor 28 (Aug. 21), probably because earlier, as can be seen from the Coptic Arab. Synaxarion of Alexandria, this day was the eve of the Copts. of the Nativity (29 Mesorah) (PO. T. 10. Fasc. 2. N 47. P. 208). In the Ethiopian version of the Alexandrian Synaxarion, the memory of 3 patriarchs is given under 28 Hamle (July 22) (PO. T. 7. Fasc. 3. P. 438). In the Maronite Church, it is fixed under 20 Aug. in a calendar from a 17th-century manuscript. (PO. T. 10. Fasc. 4. N 49. P. 353), and also 29 Dec. together with the memory of the prophet. David and right. Joseph the Betrothed (Mariani. Col. 339). In the Minologies of the Syrian Jacobite Church, the memory of Abraham, Isaac and I. occurs on August 21 or 22. (with the memory of the prophet David and the right. Joseph), prop. Daniel, Isaac and I. - 17 Dec. (PO. T. 10. Fasc. 1. P. 44, 84, 106, 116). In the Armenian Church, the memory of I. is included in the general feast in honor of the forefathers (beginning with Adam) on the Thursday before the 2nd Sunday after the Transfiguration.

Lit.: Odeberg H. L. ᾿Ιακώβ // TDOT. Vol. 3. P. 191-192; Mariani B. Giaccobe, patriarca // BiblSS. Vol. 6.Col. 332-340; Walters S. D. Jacob Narrative // ​​ABD. Vol. 3. P. 599-608; Good R. Jacob // EncDSS. Vol. I. P. 395-396; Gen. 12-50 / Ed. M. Sheridan. Downers Grove (Ill.), 2002. P. 187-191, 219-222, 382-383. (Ancient Christian Comment. on Scripture. OT; 2); Rippin A. Jacob // Encycl. of Qur "an. Leiden, 2003. Vol. 3. P. 1-2; Hayward C. T. R. Interpretations of the Name Israel in Ancient Judaism and Some Early Christian Writings. Oxf .; N. Y., 2005; Sarna N. M., Aberbach M., Hirschberg H. Z. Jacob // EncJud. Vol. 11. P. 17-25.

Ferrua A. Le pitture della nuova catacomba di Via Latina. Vat., 1960. Tf. 12, 27).

A cycle of 3 scenes associated with I. was located in the c. San Paolo fuori le Mura (440-461, known from copies of the 17th century, see: Waetzoldt S. Die Kopien des 17 Jh. nach Mosaiken u. Wandmalereien in Rom. W., 1964. Add. 344), from 5 - in Santa Maria Nuova in Montreal, Sicily (between 1183 and 1189), out of 14 - in Santa Maria Maggiore, out of 16 - in the "Viennese Genesis", out of 9 - in the Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris. lat. Nouv. acq. 2334, 7th century). Later cycles are more extensive in composition (for example, in the Byzantine Oktatevhe Vat. lat. 747, XI century, - 25 scenes). In the Middle Ages art I. was perceived as a prototype of the Savior, and his 12 sons - as a prototype of the apostles. On a miniature from the Minology (Ath. Esph. 14. Fol. 411v, 11th century), illustrating the Word of John of Damascus on the genealogy of Christ, I. is presented with the whole house: next to him is Leah with his sons, below - Rachel and Zelfa with by their sons. I., a gray-haired old man with long hair and a beard, is dressed in a blue chiton and a brown himation. Mn. scenes from the I. cycle were interpreted in the same way as prototypes or repetitions of events mentioned in the acts of the Old Testament prophets, for example. Moses.

"The Dream of Jacob". From the early Christ. time in this scene I. was represented as lying on the ground, his head on a stone, a ladder was placed diagonally next to it, 2 or 3 angels ascended (fragmentary preserved in the synagogue in Dura Europos and in the catacombs on Via Latina). On a destroyed fresco in c. San Paolo fuori le Mura is presented as I. erects a stone, like an altar, and for the first time a winged angel is depicted. The story of I., including his battle with an angel, a dream, an image of a ladder standing at the altar, along which angels ascend to heaven, is present in the miniatures from the Words of Gregory of Nazianzus (Paris. gr. 510. Fol. 2r, 880-883). ; see: Lazarev. 1986. Il. 94), where I. is represented by a young, beardless husband in white clothes. In the Middle Ages period, eg. in book illumination, I. in this scene is depicted as a bearded medievalist, lying at the foot of the stairs, along which angels move from Christ and towards Him (Homilies of James of Kokkinovafsky - Vat. gr. 1162. Fol. 22r). The scene "Jacob's Dream" next to the figure of I., a gray-bearded old man in antique clothes (a dark tunic with a clave on his shoulder and a light himation), with a scroll in his left hand, with his right pointing to the Mother of God with the Child, is shown in the centerpiece on the icon "The Mother of God with the Child , with saints in the fields ”(1st half of the 12th century, monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine on Sinai), and in the dream scene I. is depicted in the same clothes, but young, with dark long hair. Since the time of Rev. John of the Ladder, I.'s ladder was associated with the ladder of virtues, by which pious monks ascend to heaven. In Byzantium. In art, the composition “Jacob’s Dream” gained significance as a representative one, foreseeing the birth of the Virgin Mary (miniatures in the Homilies of Jacob of Kokkinovafsky, XII century; frescoes in the parekklision of the monastery of Chora (Kahriye-dzhami) in K-field, c. 1316-1321). I.'s staircase could also be interpreted as a prototype of the Savior's death on the Cross, especially if it appeared in the decoration of service utensils, for example. on a silver cross from c. San Giovanni in Laterano (XIII century). In art Dr. Rus', this scene is included in the cycle of acts of arch. Michael (for example, an icon from the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, 1399, GMMK), the image of the stairs I. is included in the iconographic scheme of the icon of the Mother of God "Burning Bush". The image of I. with a ladder in his hand as with his attribute and with a scroll with an explanatory text is part of the composition “Praise Holy Mother of God”, including scenes from the akathist.

"Jacob wrestling with an angel." In the early Christ. monuments, both standing figures were depicted in profile, clasping each other by the shoulders, reproduced thus. antique wrestling compositions (lipsanotheca (ivory reliquary), 360-370, Santa Giulia Museum, Brescia; "Vienna Genesis" (Vindob. Theol. gr. 31. Fol. 12)). Sometimes the bodies could cross. Byzantine monuments. time, the angel can be depicted much larger than I. (Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus - Paris. gr. 510. Fol. 2r), which emphasized the Divine patronage of I. This composition is reproduced on the bronze gates (1076) in c. arch. Michael in Monte Sant'Angelo, Apulia, Italy. On the mosaics of Sicily, another option was used, when I. raises an angel above him (mosaics of the Palatine Chapel and the Cathedral in Montreal).

"Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh". The oldest example is in the painting of the synagogue in Dura-Europos, where this scene is also compared with the scene "Jacob blesses his children" (the figure of I. has not been preserved). The main features of this composition include the image of I. with arms crossed on his chest (paintings of the catacombs on Via Latina, 4th century, a fragment of a sarcophagus from the Roman catacombs of San Callisto, 4th century). On the miniature from the "Viennese Genesis" (Vindob. Theol. gr. 31. Fol. 23) I. sits straight, in front of him - Ephraim and Manasseh, on the left - Joseph. In Byzantium. monuments there are both options - lying or sitting I. - ivory relief (British Museum).

A special type of image of I. is presented in the composition “The Last Judgment”: I. in the guise of a gray-haired old man in white clothes sits next to the forefathers Abraham and Isaac in the scene “Abraham's Bosom” - from the 15th century. in Russian, Romanian and Serb. frescoes (for example, on the frescoes by St. Andrei Rublev in the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, 1408). From the XVI-XVII centuries - in Russian. icons of the Ascension of Christ with hallmarks among the forefathers and prophets. There are known examples of the inclusion of an icon with the image of I. in the forefathers of the row of Rus. high iconostasis with con. XVI - beginning. 17th century, for example. icon "Forefather Jacob" from the Trinity Church. Trinity-Sergius Monastery in Sviyazhsk (beginning of the 17th century, Pushkin Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan).

Lit.: Gebhardt O., von, ed . The Miniatures of the Ashburnham Pentateuch. L., 1883. Pl. 9; Kutna G. Der Patriarch Jacobus in der bildenden Kunst // Ost und West: Illustrierte Monatsschr. f. d. gesamte Judentum. B., 1908. Bd. 5. N 8/9. S. 429-438; Wilpert. Mosaiken. bd. 1.Add. 434s, 526, 607s, 705; Goldschmidt A., Weitzmann K . Die byzant. Elfenbeinenskulpturen des 10.-13. Jh. B., 1930. Bd. 1.pl. 96; Gerstinger H., hrsg. Die Wiener Genesis: Farbenlichtdruckfaksimile der griechischen Bilderbibel aus dem 6. Jh., Cod. Vindob. Theol. gr. 31. W., 1931. Bd. 2; Cecchelli C. I mosaici della Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore. Torino, 1956. P. 101, 110. 43; Buchtal H. Miniature Painting of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Oxf., 1957, pp. 71, 74; Lazarev V.N. History of the Byzantines. painting. M., 1986. Ill. 253, 328; LCI. bd. 2. Sp. 370-383.

Isaac and Rebekah

After the death of Sarah, his beloved wife and mother, Abraham, in order to comfort Isaac, sends his servant Eliezer (translated as "God's help") to look for a bride in Harran, where Abraham's brother Nahor remained. From Isaac "the people of God" should come, therefore, his wife should be a girl not from the pagan Canaanites, but from an environment "clean" in relation to faith and benefactor.

Lopukhin's "Bible Story" omits a detail that seemed to me important and very touching. Eliezer, having arrived in Haran, stopped at the well at the gates of the city; women came here in the evening for water. And he turned to God with prayer : let the girl who will give him and his caravan drink, and become the wife of his master's son. It turned out to be Rebekah, the granddaughter of Nahor, who did exactly as Eliezer had thought before, bringing water for the whole caravan, and even inviting her to stay overnight at her father's house; so this marriage was arranged and blessed by God himself.

(Pan Abel. Rebekah)

Twins Esau and Jacob

Rebekah was barren for a long time, but through the prayer of Isaac, the Lord sent her children, twins. The motif of a miraculous, bestowed from above (after prayers to God, or arranged by God himself) birth from previously barren parents begins to be repeated in the Bible and emphasizes the special fate and mission of children born in this way - not according to the "wish of the flesh", but " by promise ".

Even in the womb, the twins "fought", pushed each other; so much so that Rebekah was embarrassed, began to pray, and God said to her: from her sons two nations will come, and the larger one will serve the smaller one. Boys born:

• Esau ("shaggy, red"), was born either red or hairy; he grew up as a hunter, a "man of the fields"; personifies the earthly, animal nature in man; rough and wild start; "sold" the birthright to his brother for a bowl of lentil soup (i.e. did not attach importance to the spiritual mission of Abraham and Isaac); contrary to the family, he married two girls at once, moreover, pagan Hittites, violating the establishment to marry girls from his own family (and his faith).
• Jacob ("following / leaving a trace"), was born holding the heel of the "older" brother; increased "the meek who dwell in tents" where under the tent one can understand the temple of God; it was he who was destined from above to inherit Isaac, and understood the significance of the mission of his kind; for the bride he went to Mesopotamia, following the example of his father.

(Esau sells the birthright for lentil soup)

"Let's think: why does Jacob so want to receive the birthright, so longs for it? Is it really in order to have some material advantages? No way. He knows Esau's temper, he foresees that later he himself will have to run away from home and be a wanderer and wanderer, fearing the revenge of his brother, he knows that he will not receive any material advantages.When we read the story of Jacob to the end, we will find out that he never received them: the wealth that he acquired was sent to him by God, the property Esau took possession of Isaac's father.

Obviously, Jacob, who studied at tents Abraham and Isaac, who knew the mysteries of God, was well aware of the greatest spiritual benefits that the birthright would bring him - he wanted to become heir of promise given from above to Abraham and Isaac, and understood that his brother, Esau, was not worthy of them. And so he agreed to endure any hardships - want, wandering, wandering - just to get living relationship with God , this is an incomparable blessing, this is the greatest blessing.

And Esau, as we see, treats his birthright with extreme disdain. He says: “Here I am dying, what is this birthright to me?” This is the reasoning of the carnal man, who is completely does not believe in any promises : I am mortal, I will die, why do I need your ghostly spiritual blessings? Why is spiritual life necessary at all? Give me now a real, material good, let me get enough, and, as he says, I will gladly give all my spiritual advantages for this.

So, Esau is a man who does not believe in the immortality of the spirit, in the future life; a person who wants now, at this moment, to enjoy the material world. He completely identifies himself with his mortal body, with animal nature: “Here I am dying, what is this birthright to me?” (Shchedrovitsky)

Blessing through deceit

Isaac's favorite son was lively, agile and warlike Esau; Rebekah loved the quiet, "domestic" Jacob. Under old age, Isaac became blind (which can also be understood as a weakening of spiritual vision), and, feeling the approach of his hour, he decided to give a blessing to his son and heir (only one could be such; by seniority - the first of the twins, Esau). But Rebekah saw that he was not meant to be an heir, especially in a spiritual sense, and helped her beloved Jacob by deceit receive the blessing of the father (which had a sacred meaning). Funny detail: Jacob pretended to be his brother by covering himself with a goatskin imitating Esau's profuse hairiness.

“But what does this fight mean? Indeed, from his very birth and until now, Jacob constantly struggled with the circumstances of life, and for a believer, this means with God. God constantly confirmed that he remains on his side, but set new tasks and obstacles Perhaps this is how a wise parent reminds the child that he is there and ready to help, but at the same time gives the child time and space to make their efforts. dialogue form in which a person can resist and say "no" to God, but they eventually come to an agreement. This is a communication between two persons, God and man, who are very dear to each other and only therefore can enter into an argument. And God seems to like that more than respectful indifference.

Why were there all these tricks and deceptions? Yes, it just happened, Jacob is very in a hurry . He was not perfect person, like other patriarchs, like ourselves. But if a person aspires to God, in the end, he will find his way to him. And who knows, maybe if Jacob had not been cunning, this path would have been much shorter?
(Andrey Desnitsky. Sly Jacob)

Anyway, this is where the story begins. Israel ("God fighter" or "warrior of God").

Twelve tribes of Israel

So Jacob was given a new name by God: Israel . It is from him that "the people of Israel" will come; his twelve sons (and their descendants) are the very ones twelve tribes of Israel (the number is symbolic: the twelve tribes of Israel - and centuries later will appear twelve apostles ...)

After the Assyrian captivity (in 732-722 BC), ten tribes of Israel were "lost"; assimilated: these were the tribes of the sons of Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun; Manasseh and Ephraim - the sons of Joseph; the sons of Ziltha and Wallah - Dan, Naphtali, Gad. Asira.

Esau, who received the name Edom , became the progenitor of the Edomites - Edomites, and they will have a very difficult relationship with the Israelites. Interestingly, in the 1st century BC. for the first time, an Idumean, a protege of Rome, will ascend the throne in Judea Herod - in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaac with the blessing of his grandson Judah, the son of Jacob: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the legislator from his loins, until the Conciliator comes, and to him is the obedience of the nations."(Gen. 49, 10) - "i.e., the king ("scepter" - a symbol of royal power) from the Jewish tribe will rule, and the plenipotentiary legislative council in Judea will act, until the Reconciliator comes, i.e. the Messiah. "... And to him the obedience of peoples": The Messiah will "conquer" the nations, converting them to faith in one God.

When, according to this prophecy, should we expect the Messiah? Obviously, when "the scepter will depart from Judas". From the time of David, Jewish kings ruled in Jerusalem. During the Babylonian captivity, their reign ceased for a time, but the descendants of David were considered "kings in exile." His direct descendant Zerubbabel returned from Babylon and became the ruler of Judah, taking part in the construction of the second Temple. In the II century. BC e. The Hasmonean dynasty reigned in Judea. And only in 40 BC. e. the Roman authorities appointed the Idumean Herod as king of Judea, who reigned in Jerusalem in 37 BC. e. Being a descendant of Esau, and not Jacob, Herod (otherwise called Herod the Great) testified by his accession that "The scepter departed from Judas." He was a king over Judea, but not a Jew by origin. And those who remember prophecy of Jacob then began to expect the appearance Messiah , who was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod (Mic. 5, 2; Matt. 2, 1). "(Shchedrovitsky)

Repetition is the mother of learning:

Travels of the Patriarchs:

In general, the journey at the call of the Lord is the most beautiful biblical image. "The Lord was a vagabond, I want to be like him at least in this..." (c) By the way, the images of these three patriarchs themselves are symbolically associated with the three Christian virtues: Abraham is the incarnate Faith , Isaac - symbol hopes , Jacob - love .

Joseph the Beautiful

The story of Joseph is a real adventure novel. He was Jacob's favorite son; his brothers from other wives of his father were jealous and did not love him, and once they decided to die from the world; plotted to kill him, but ended up selling him for 20 pieces of silver into slavery to passing merchants on their way to Egypt. And they brought to Jacob his clothes, stained with the blood of a goat...

(Mosaic triptych, Chapel, Keble College, Oxford, designed by William Butterfield)

In Egypt, Joseph makes a "career" as a steward with a noble priest, but, having rejected the harassment of his wife (and Joseph was divinely handsome), he is slandered by her and thrown into prison. There he, with the help of God, interprets the dreams of the servants of the pharaoh; subsequently he is called to the pharaoh himself, and correctly interpreting his dream, he saves the country from famine and becomes the second person in Egypt after the pharaoh ...

(Pharaoh rewards Joseph for interpreting a dream. Illustration, 1869)

Then he again meets with the brothers, forgives them, and all of them, together with Jacob, move to Egypt...

Here is the answer to the question: how did the Jews end up in Egypt, from where Moses later brought them out! But that's a completely different story (c) :)

This story is retold in the Koran, where a whole sura is dedicated to Joseph - Yusuf.

Mystical interpretation: "And The story of Joseph, whom the brothers sold through the providence of God in order to save themselves from death and save all Egypt, is a story about the events through which the evil committed by people, God turned into good.
... Symbolically, Egypt means the pagan peoples, and Joseph, taken into captivity and suffering in slavery, is the people of Israel, scattered among the pagans ... Let us recall that the opportunity for preaching Christianity, and then Islam, arose precisely thanks to the existence of the Jewish diaspora .. .
Another deepest symbolic meaning of Joseph's life is that it represents the life of Jesus Christ ... Jesus Christ was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, like Joseph, who was sold for twenty pieces of silver. Jesus Christ sent his disciples to the pagan nations - to "spiritual Egypt"... The one who was considered dead turned out to be alive - he seemed to come to life, rose again and now rules over all of Egypt! But it is said that the heart of Israel was “confused” by this news, he did not immediately believe it, did not immediately accept it, for some time remained in disbelief, demanded proof ... "(Shchedrovitsky)

***
Extracurricular reading: Thomas Mann, tetralogy novel "Joseph and His Brothers" (read or download -).

This is a Talmud of a fair weight, written in a complex but tasty language (with sentences per paragraph :) - but refined natures, passionate about Dostoevsky and hardened by Tolstoy, you won’t be scared by this :) I look forward to immersing myself in the atmosphere of the ancient Near East and a real literary feast!

"Young Joseph, for example, the son of Jacob and the pretty Rachel, who went so early to the West,
Joseph, who lived at the time when on the Babylonian throne sat the Kosseite Kurigalzu, very dear to the heart of Bel-Marduk, the ruler of four countries, the king of Sumer and Akkad, a strict and brilliant ruler, who wore a beard, the curls of which were so skillfully arranged that they looked like skillfully lined up detachment of shield-bearers;
and in Thebes, in the underworld, which Joseph used to call "Mizraim" or also "Keme, the Black", on the horizon of his palace, to the delight of the blinded sons of the desert, shone his holiness the good god, the third bearer of the name "Amun-pleased", the corporeal son sun;
when, thanks to the power of its gods, Assur grew, and along the great seaside road that led from Gaza to the passes of the Cedar Mountains, between the court of the pharaoh and the courts of Mesopotamia, royal caravans with courtesy gifts - lapis lazuli and chased gold;
when in the cities of the Amorites, in Bet-Shan, Ayalon, Ta "Anek, Urusalim, Ashtarti served, when in Shechem and in Bet-Laham there was a seven-day cry for the torn True Son, and in Gebal, the city of the Book, they prayed to El, who did not need any the temple, nor in the rites;
So, Joseph, who lived in the district of Kenana, in the land which in Egyptian was called Upper Retenu, not far from Hebron, in his father's camp, overshadowed by terebinths and evergreen sessile oaks,
this notoriously pleasant youth, who, by the way, inherited pleasantness from his mother, for she was beautiful, like the moon when it reaches fullness, and like the star Ishtar when it floats quietly in a clear sky,
but, in addition, having received from his father remarkable mental abilities, thanks to which he even surpassed his father in a certain sense -
Joseph, therefore, for the fifth and sixth time we call this name, and we call it with pleasure: there is something mysterious in the name, and it seems to us that, by owning the name, we acquire conjuratory power over this boy himself, who has now sunk into depths of time, but once so talkative and lively, -
So, for Joseph, for example, everything in the world, that is, everything that concerned him personally, began in the South Babylonian city of Uru, which he called in his language “Ur Kashdim”, which means “Ur of the Chaldees.”
(I arbitrarily broke this sentence, which stretched over a huge paragraph, into paragraphs, to facilitate reading by readers tired of narzan and burnish, starting with me :)

Roman Mann - of course, piece of art(and judging by the prologue, the author does not press on the idea of ​​the truth of this story as part of the Holy Scriptures, for him it is rather a legend). So for a religious (namely Orthodox) interpretation and commentary on this story - you can, for example, here: the cycle of conversations of the same name by Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev "Joseph and his brothers". For now, I say goodbye. The next stop is the Exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, where they came as close associates of the Pharaoh's favorite, and a generation later, with the change of dynasty, they found themselves in the position of slaves for a long four hundred years...
This entry was originally posted at

(Gen. 25:26); however, from an etymological point of view, this name is a truncated form common in 2 thousand BC. e. among the Semitic peoples of the Middle East, the name yahqub-el, or ya‘akub-el, the original meaning of which is `God protected [me]` (cf. the Hebrew name Akiva - עֲקִיבָא ).

The story of Jacob, set forth mainly in the book of Genesis, begins with God revealing to the pregnant Rebekah that she will give birth to twins who are destined to become the ancestors of two peoples, and the people who come from the eldest of the brothers (see Edom) will be subject to descendants junior.

As the twins grew older, their characters emerged: Jacob was “a meek man who dwells in tents,” and Esau was “a man skilled in hunting, a man of the fields” (Gen. 25:27). The father was more disposed towards Esau, while the mother favored Jacob (Gen. 25:28). Taking advantage of Esau's fatigue and hunger when he returned from hunting, Jacob traded his birthright for bread and lentil stew (Gen. 25:29–34). With the help of Rebekah, Jacob fraudulently obtained from Isaac the blessing intended for the firstborn (Gen. 27:1–29). The whole further life of Jacob, as it is told in the book of Genesis, is a retribution for the deceit, thanks to which he received the birthright and the blessing of his father (forced flight from home, hard many years of service in a foreign land, replacement of a bride, return home fraught with dangers, night struggle at Pnuel, rape of a daughter, death of a beloved wife, disappearance of a beloved son); only gradually purified in these trials, Jacob was able to spend the last years of his life in peace and contentment.

To save Jacob from the revenge of Esau, who intended to kill his brother, Rebekah persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to the city of Haran (Northern Mesopotamia - Aram-Nakh araim), so that he would marry there the daughter of her brother Laban, his cousin (Gen. 27:42–46 ; 28:1-2).

During an overnight stay on the way to Haran, God appeared to the sleeping Jacob and repeated the promise given earlier to Abraham and Isaac to give them the Promised Land and give them numerous offspring, which will be a blessing to the whole world (Genesis 28:11-15). The next morning, Jacob dedicated this place to God, giving it a new name Bet-El ('House of God'), and made a vow in case of a safe return home to dedicate a tenth of his property (see Tithing) to God (Gen. 28:18-22).

Jacob was welcomed by Laban (Gen. 29:13–14). He fell in love with Laban's youngest daughter Rachel and contracted to serve Laban for her for seven years (Gen. 29:18). When it was time for the marriage after the stipulated time, Laban replaced Rachel in the dark with her older, less attractive sister, Leah. Laban, who discovered the substitution the next morning, explained to Jacob that, according to local custom, the youngest daughter should not be married off before the eldest; he gave Jacob also Rachel, obliging him to work for her for another seven years (Gen. 29:25-28). As a dowry for his daughters, Laban gave two servants - Zilpa (in the Russian tradition of Zelfa) for Leah and Bilkh u (in the Russian tradition of Valla) for Rachel.

During the twenty-year stay of Jacob in the house of Laban (Gen. 31:38, 41), ten of his eleven sons were born, who later became the ancestors of the tribes of Israel. Unloved Leah gave birth to Reuven, Shim'on, Levi and Jeh udu. Rachel, who remained barren, gave Jacob her maid Bilh y, so that she would "bear on her knees" Rachel; from Bilkh and Dan and Naftali were born. Following the example of Rachel, Leah gave Jacob her maid Zilpah, and she gave birth to Gad and Asher. Following this, Leah gave birth to Issachar and Zevulun, as well as a daughter, Dinah. Finally, Rachel gave birth to Joseph (Gen. 29:32-35; 30:1-13, 18-24).

After the birth of Joseph, Jacob decided it was time to return to Canaan. Jacob responded to Laban's offer to reward him for many years of service with a request to separate for him all the motley cattle of Laban's flock, and then, resorting to cunning, he achieved a significant increase in the number of motley cattle in the herd (Gen. 30:32–42). Becoming the owner of a large flock and other riches (Gen. 30:43), Jacob caused the envy of the sons of Laban. Noticing that Laban's attitude towards him had changed, Jacob secretly left Haran and went to Canaan. God appeared in a dream to Laban, who set off in pursuit, and warned not to harm Jacob, and, having overtaken Jacob in Gil'ad, Laban reconciled with his son-in-law and made an alliance with him (Genesis 31).

Fearing Esau's vengeance, Jacob sent him a gift of some of his livestock. When Jacob spent the night near Pnuel (in Transjordan), "Someone fought with him until dawn", could not overcome Jacob, but injured his thigh. At dawn, the Unknown blessed him and called him Israel (Israel) - literally `wrestling with God` (Genesis 32:25-33). Contrary to Jacob's fears, Esau greeted his brother in a friendly manner.

Having crossed the Jordan, Jacob came to Canaan, bought a plot of land near Shechem and pitched a camp there. Here Jacob's daughter Dinah was dishonored by the king's son, who then desired to marry her and entered into negotiations with Jacob. The sons of Jacob, indignant at the desecration of their sister's honor, devised a trick and made it a condition of consent to marriage that all the inhabitants of Shechem should be circumcised. When they fulfilled the demand, Shim'on and Levi attacked the townspeople who had lost their combat capability, exterminated them and plundered the city. Jacob, who had remained aloof from events all this time, reproached his sons for making him "hateful to the inhabitants of this land" (Gen. 34:30).

In obedience to the divine command, Jacob went to Beth-el, where he erected an altar; there God blessed Jacob, confirming his name Israel and promising numerous offspring and the promised land to Abraham and Isaac (Gen. 35:7, 10-12). From Bethel, Jacob went to Bethlehem, where on the way Rachel died during the birth of Benjamin. Jacob buried his beloved wife and erected a monument over the grave (Gen. 35:16–20). Arriving in Hebron, Jacob found Isaac there in last days his life, and then attended his father's funeral (Gen. 35:27–29), himself at the age of 120 (cf. Gen. 25:26; 35:28).

The subsequent fate of Jacob is inseparable from the story of his beloved son Joseph, whose disappearance caused him deep grief (Genesis 37:33–35). A famine in Canaan a few years later prompted Jacob to send his sons—with the exception of Benjamin—to Egypt to buy bread (Gen. 42:1–4). Joseph, who by this time had become an Egyptian dignitary, revealed himself to the brothers during their second visit to Egypt with Benjamin and sent for his father. Jacob went to Egypt, and God appeared to him “in night visions” near Beersheba, promising to accompany Jacob to Egypt, to make a great nation out of him there, and subsequently to lead this people out of Egypt (Gen. 46:1-4).

Jacob arrived in Egypt with all his family, household and property. Here Jacob met Joseph, who then introduced his father to Pharaoh. With Pharaoh's permission, Joseph settled Jacob and his brothers in "the best part of the land of Egypt", in the land of Goshen (Gen. 47:6,11), where Jacob spent the last 17 years of his life. Shortly before his death, Jacob took an oath from Joseph to bury him next to his ancestors in Canaan (Gen. 47:29-31). Jacob blessed his sons before his death (Gen. 49) and died at the age of 147. According to Egyptian custom, his body was embalmed, transported to Canaan, and his sons solemnly buried him in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 50:1-13).

According to some modern scholars, the Genesis narrative is the result of a selection made in a vast corpus of legends, which are based on the idea of ​​Jacob being chosen as the heir of the forefathers of the Jewish people Abraham and Isaac, to whom the land of Israel was promised. However, in order to fulfill his calling, Jacob was often forced to resort to immoral acts that brought divine punishment upon him. This existential conflict permeates Jacob's entire life, giving it a tragic coloring: he is destined to go through many trials, spend most of his life outside the Promised Land and die outside of it. Despite this, Jacob does not lose faith in the final fulfillment of the destiny, which finds expression in the blessing that he gives to his sons before his death: Jacob blesses the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel in his sons and proclaims to them the future of their descendants in the Promised Land.

Researchers believe that in bible books echoes of other versions of the tradition about Jacob have been preserved (especially in the prophet Xhoshea book 12:4–5, 13). However, the possibility is not ruled out that these discrepancies are the result of a later interpretation of the Genesis version.

The story of Jacob makes up a large part of the biblical epic about the patriarchs. Like grandfather Abraham and father Isaac, Jacob wanders from one Canaanite kingdom to another with herds of cattle, and although the country is promised by God to his descendants, Jacob, like his ancestors, does not have his own land and behaves like a foreigner. He does not recognize local religious cults and maintains a close spiritual connection with the "God of the Fathers", who made a Covenant with them. Jacob sees his life and the life of his descendants through the prism of a historical mission.

Various elements of the epic about the patriarchs, and, in particular, the story of Jacob, indicate the deep antiquity of the tradition, which arose many centuries before being fixed in writing in the era of the Kings (10-8 centuries BC). So, for example, forms of marriage and family relations in the story of Jacob are parallel to those that existed in northern Mesopotamia in 2000 BC. e. and known from documents of the 15th century. BC e., found in Nuzi. The same documents show that the redemption of the birthright was widely practiced among the peoples of the Middle East. The biblical epithets “God of Abraham”, “God of Isaac”, “God of Jacob” or “God of my father” find a complete analogy in the epithets “God of my father”, “God of your father” in ancient Syriac documents of the 19th century. BC e., found in Cappadocia. The deep antiquity of the narrative is also evidenced by other epithets of God, especially Shaddai (see God. Names of God; God. In the Bible. Names). The story of the attack on Shechem, according to some researchers, reflects a very early (before the Exodus) attempt by some Israelite tribes to settle in Canaan.

In rabbinic literature, Jacob is seen as a symbol of the Jewish people, the chosen one among the patriarchs (Gen. R. 76:1), a model of virtue and justice, to whom God even revealed the mystery of messianic deliverance (Mede. Ps. 31:7: see also Messiah) and , placing him above all other mortals and slightly below the angels (Mid. Ps. 8:7), imprinted his face on His throne (Gen. R. 82:2). After death, Jacob - unlike other patriarchs - continues to remain connected with the fate of Israel, suffering when adversity falls on Israel, and rejoicing when the hour of deliverance comes for Israel (Mid. Ps. 14:7; Psi. R. 41:5 ). The opposition of the characters of Jacob and Esau is interpreted in rabbinic literature as a substantial antagonism between the spiritual beauty of Israel and the ugliness of the pagan world, the inevitable conflict between which is symbolized by the struggle between Jacob and Esau, which they began in their mother's womb (Gen. R. 63:6, 8).

The personality and life story of Jacob served as the basis for numerous works of literature and art, in particular the novel "Jacob's Past" in T. Mann's tetralogy "Joseph and His Brothers".