Abraham Our Father: City of Port Phillip Mulitifaith Network

Dates: Sunday 15 March 2015      Time: 7:30pm to 9:15pm

Location: St Kilda-Elsternwick Baptist Church - 9 Pakington Street, St Kilda VIC 3182

 

Abraham has a special status in all three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism he is known as the firrst of the three Patriarchs and the first person in human history to recognise the unity of God. What does Jewish tradition mean when it calls Abraham 'our Father'? What sort of person is portrayed by the stories of Abraham in the Bible? And what role does the figure of Abraham play in the lives of Jews today? In this three-session course we'll be drawing on Jewish tradition to guide our reading of specific stories in the Abraham cycle: Abraham's call, the annunciation and birth of Isaac, and the sacrifice of Isaac. By the end we hope to bring new understandings to Abraham, Jewish tradition and ways that we can read the Bible.

 

About the Speaker: Rabbi Morgan is Emeritus Rabbi of Temple Beth Israel, St Kilda, where he served as Senior Rabbi for 16 years. He trained to be a rabbi in London and prior to coming to Australia, he served a synagogue in the UK for 13 years. He is currently Professorial Fellow in Theology and Interfaith Relations at Australian Catholic University, and he also coordinates the "Grass Roots Dialogue Project" for the Victorian Council of Christians and Jews. This is an innovative program designed to introduce principles of interfaith dialogue to Jews and Christians at a grass roots level. He is married to Sue and they have three children and one grandchild.