In Journey to Moriah, Ken Wade promises to take the reader on a journey of faith based on Abraham’s spiritual experience. Beginning with the move of Terah, Abraham’s father, from Ur to Haran, the attention subsequently shifts to Abraham’s call in Genesis 12 until his ultimate triumph of faith on Mt. Moriah. On the whole, Ken Wade delivers on his promise based on careful attention to the text that reflects his life-long admiration of the patriarch Abraham.

Approaching the story with a desire to discern more than what lies on the surface of the text, the author brings out spiritual lessons that may not be immediately obvious to the casual reader. The biblical text is immensely illuminated in this regard by historical and archaeological reports that are deemed relevant to the cultural context of the story. Many readers will find this aspect of the book extremely helpful. It is all part of the author’s attempt to help the reader see the story through the eyes of the patriarch. Some readers, however, may find it somewhat unsettling when on occasion Ken Wade builds on archaeological and historical insight to make conjectures that seem to go beyond the facts. Possibly, equally unsettling are instances when the author wonders aloud about the possibility that the text may not reflect the way things actually were. A case in point concerns the ages of Abraham and Sarah when they set out on their journey. On the whole, however, Journey to Moriah makes a spiritual, refreshing and insightful reading.