San Antonio College Library

This program features The Test, the story of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac, and Blessed Deception, the story of how Rebekah tricked Isaac into blessing Jacob instead of Esau. Bill Moyers' guests include theologians Marianne Meye Thompson and Francisco Garcia-Treto; Phyllis Trible, Baldwin Professor of Sacred Literature at Union Theological Seminary; Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr; P.K. McCary, author of Black Bible Chronicles; psychotherapist...

The biblical story of Jacob and his children must have troubled ancient readers. By any standard, this was a family with problems. Jacob's oldest son Reuben is said to have slept with his father's concubine Bilhah. The next two sons, Simeon and Levi, tricked the men of a nearby city into undergoing circumcision, and then murdered all of them as revenge for the rape of their sister. Judah, the fourth son, had sexual relations with his own daughter-in-law....

This program scrutinizes the story of Jacob grappling with the angel in God Wrestling and the story of Joseph's years in Egypt in Exile. Joining Bill Moyers are ecumenical Christian scholar Roberta Hestenes; theologians Dianne Bergant and John Kselman; Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr; authors Avivah Gottleib Zornberg and P.K. McCary; biblical studies scholar Francisco Garcia-Treto; artist Hugh O'Donnell; Old Testament scholar Renita Weems, an...

This program features: Call and Promise, in which God makes his covenant with Abraham, and A Family Affair, which describes Abraham's relationship with Sarah's servant Hagar. Joining Bill Moyers are theologian Lewis Smedes, author Bharati Mukherjee, scholar Robert Alter, law professor Azizah al-Hibri, pastor Eugene Rivers, theatrical writer and performer Elizabeth Swados, and Rabbi Burton Visotzky. Together they address topics such as what it means...

This program focuses on the story in which Rebekah procures Isaac's blessing for Jacob through deceit. Sibling rivalry, the idea of women as the carriers of faith, the nature of blessing, and the uses of deception are all explored in the program. Featured are philosopher Leon Kass; biblical translator Stephen Mitchell; Elaine Pagels, professor of religion at Princeton Univ.; psychotherapist Naomi Rosenblatt; priest and scholar Jean-Pierre Ruiz; theologian...

This program looks at the story of Jacob's wrestling with the angel. "What a wonderful thing ... to begin by struggling with an adversary, only to discover that you are in the embrace of a lover," says theologian John Kselman in this program, which explores such ideas as personal transformation, reconciliation, and the mystery of the angels. The program features Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, ecumenical Christian scholar Roberta Hestenes,...

This program explores the story of Abraham's relationship with the slave girl Hagar, examining the role of Sarah, her importance for the idea of faith, and the issues of race and class. Featured in the program are scholar Robert Alter, law professor Azizah al-Hibri, author Bharati Mukherjee, pastor Eugene Rivers, theologian Lewis Smedes, theatrical writer and performer Elizabeth Swados, and Rabbi Burton Visotzky.

This program focuses on Joseph's exile in Egypt and explores the issues of national and spiritual exile, assimilation, coming of age, and the dilemma of beauty. "A person who has a yearning for the spirit feels like an exile in this world, no matter how much he serves it," says Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr in this program. Also featured are theologian Dianne Bergant; author and scholar Norman Cohen; biblical studies scholar Francisco Garcia-Treto;...

This program examines the story in which God makes his covenant with Abraham. "If it's hard not to be chosen, it's harder to be chosen," observes Azizah al-Hibri, professor of law at the Univ. of Richmond. The program explores what it means to be "called" by God, what it feels like to be in exile looking for a homeland, and how the covenant led to the founding of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Featured in the program are scholar Robert Alter, author...