Noble, John T.: A Place for Hagar's Son

Hagar and Ishmael are portrayed in ambivalent ways: dispossessed, yet protected; abandoned, yet given promises that rival those of the covenant with Abraham. John T. Noble argues that conventional characterizations of the Priestly writers theology have failed to take into account the significance of these two non-chosen figures. Noble carefully examines their roles and depictions in Genesis and concludes that Ishmael is a key figure whose ambiguous status requires a rethinking of the goals and values of the Priestly work.