Theses Master's

Hagar and Sarah and Mary and Elizabeth: Reading Luke 1 with Genesis 16/21

Barber, Mary

This paper undertakes an intertextual reading of Luke 1 through the lens of the Hagar stories. We find there are parallel characters which sometimes cross over each other, and echoes of the Genesis text in the Lukan story. Examining the texts closely helps peel away some of the history of interpretation around Hagar and around Mary, to perceive parts of each story that are often downplayed. There is a temptation to tie up the conflict between Hagar and Sarah in the affirmation and closeness of Mary and Elizabeth, but this paper does not find the Lukan text to be a reconciliation text, and pushes back on the reader's desire to make hard stories better.

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More About This Work

Academic Units
Union Theological Seminary
Thesis Advisors
Kahl, Brigitte W.
Carr, David M.
Degree
M.Div., Union Theological Seminary
Published Here
April 26, 2021

Notes

Keywords: cross-testament, biblical studies, close textual reading