Hagar

Hagar (Hebrew הָגָר Hagar, "strangers"; Arab هاجر Hajar, hāǧar DMG ) is a figure of the Old Testament, a slave of Egypt.

Biblical narrative

Since the pair Abraham and Sarah seems to remain childless, Abraham lives on the request of his wife at the Egyptian slave Hagar. The born of the slave child should be considered a child of the barren mistress according to the fashion. Hagar becomes pregnant. Become jealous, Sara humiliates the slave and Hagar flees. It appears on the way to the fountain in the way to Shur an angel and asks them to return and to be docile Sara. The angel prophesied to Hagar that she shall bring forth a son, and she should call Ishmael. This become the progenitor of many nations.

" The angel of the Lord said unto her, I will make your descendants as numerous that they can not count. And the angel of the Lord said to her: You are pregnant, you will give birth to a son, Ishmael ( God hears ) to call him; for the Lord has listened to you in your suffering. "

Hagar calls the Lord who spoke to her: El Roi ("God who sees me / look at me "). That's why they called the fountain Beer Lahai - Roi ( " Fountain of living, looking after me "). It lies between Kadesh and Bered.

Hagar returns and then bring Ishmael to the world. 14 years later, Sara is still mother and gives birth to Isaac. Since making Ismael Isaac funny, he and Hagar be sent away to Sara's desire of Abraham. Sara does not want both sons inherit together. First, Abraham is unwilling, but when an angel appears to him at night, confirmed the Sara's wish and it also promises of Ishmael a great nation to make (Gen 21:12-13 EU), he gives in and sends Hagar and Ishmael away with food. When their stocks have gone into the desert to an end and her son is near death, Hagar appears again an angel and shows her the saving fountain of Zamzam. The angel repeated the already more than fourteen years earlier promise given (Gen 21 EU). The two continue to live in the wilderness of Paran, and Hagar chooses an Egyptian as a wife for Ishmael.

Theological interpretation

The story of Hagar and Ishmael was for the Christian theologians as well as that of Cain and Abel, and Esau and Jacob is an example of how the firstborn son violated and the younger is preferred. You mean by the elders, the disadvantaged Judaism and Christianity under the happier younger. Even the apostle Paul described this symbolism in his letter to the Galatians.

" You, who want you insinuate the law, because you do not have heard what the law says? In Scripture it is said that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave, the other by a freewoman. The son of the slave was conceived naturally, the son of the free because of the promise. Therein lies a deeper meaning: These women represent the two Testaments. One Testament comes from Mount Sinai, bringing slaves to the world; which is Hagar - for Hagar 's name for Mount Sinai in Arabia - and it corresponds to the present Jerusalem, who lives in bondage with her children. The heavenly Jerusalem but is free, and this Jerusalem is our mother. For it is written: Rejoice, O barren one, who has never been born, break forth into singing and cry aloud, thou never wast in labor! For many children, the lonely, more than the newlyweds. But ye, brethren, are children of promise like Isaac. But as it was the son who was conceived naturally, persecuted him that was born by virtue of the mind, as it happens now. In the Scripture it says: breach the slave and her son! For it is not the son of the slave to his heir, but the son of the freewoman. It follows, then my brothers, that we are not children of the slave but children of the free. "

Hagar in Islam

In the Islamic tradition, Hagar is also the second wife of Abraham / Ibrahim. Notwithstanding the biblical narrative, he brings Hagar and Ishmael / Ismail to Mecca. There, Ibrahim discovered that the Kaaba, the first house of worship built by the first Prophet Adam fell into obscurity and into ruin has degenerated. Ibrahim announced that he should leave Hagar and his son in this place. Hagar's search for water in the desert is, symbolically understood by Muslims during the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. The holy well of Zamzam, according to Islamic belief, the gift of to Hagar in their extreme distress by God (Allah ) source.

Ismail is the sequel to the ancestor of the Arabs, he and his father are considered to be the Prophet of Islam.

The graves of Hagar and Ismail intended to be within the Hatim said semi- circular white marble wall on the north-west wall of the Kaaba.

Artistic design

Fine Arts

The motif of Hagar was designed especially in the Dutch art and in Baroque painting.

Drama, literature

• The expulsion of Hagar. Tragedy of Dietz Schmidt 1916.
• Hagar source poem by Karl Gerok 1855.
• The son of Hagar Critical Social novel by Paul Keller in 1907.

Music

• Hagar's lawsuit is the first fully surviving work for voice and piano of the young Franz Schubert (D 5, dated March 30, 1811, text: Clemens August Schücking ( 1759-1790 ) ).