After going through the pain of childbirth, naming their children, watching them grow, and dreaming of their future, filicide is usually far from the minds of most parents. The emotional bonds that parents share with their children are difficult to sever, yet in Genesis the culture accepted child sacrifice. The fear of the gods was strongest in ancient times, when science lacked adequate explanations and the gods were believed to be the cause of natural events. If the God of Genesis, who was much more powerful than any man and exponentially more vengeful, had told the parents to sacrifice their child, for the good of their family (and the rest of the population), then the pious parents would have sacrificed that child, even if the intent was not to kill, but to test the worshipers. Modern culture disapproves of the act of filicide and corresponds to the Greek society's view that child sacrifice was not an option. Yet, even in that society, Medea commits filicide with almost no involvement of a Greek god or seer. Medea willingly chooses to execute her offspring with proud malice in response to her unfaithful husband in a society she disapproves of, while Abraham in Genesis piously follows his God and the social norms of his time by offering up his beloved son - and is saved from his loss because of his great faith. Medea's audience would have been repelled by her selfish motives while Abraham (whose wife had been barren for many years) would have been praised for his unshakable trust in God's promises. God promises Abraham that he will “make your [Abraham's] descendants ] as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). Abraham is married to Sarah who “was barren; he had no children” (11.30). Ch... in the center of the sheet... their children, this was written by Euripides. The chorus, meaning the common people and women of Corinth, pleads with Medea to reconsider her choice after naming her an "impious woman" for considering this act. They have only heard of “only one other woman/who dared to attack, hurt her own children” and thus argues that killing children was not the norm (1323-24). Medea's hamartia would have been her intense arrogance and stubbornness that forced her to kill her children. The audience would not have felt as much sympathy for Medea as they would have shown for Abraham, the pious follower. Medea's power struggle was not something the average citizen would have to deal with, and the culture would not be supportive. Abraham, however, was justified in his culture and did what he believed was right, and so was rewarded by the salvation of his firstborn.