Abraham (Hebrew: , Modern: '''', Tiberian: '''', Ashkenazi ''Avrohom'' or ''Avruhom'', '''', Ge'ez: '''', , ), whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to both the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, through his sons Ishmael and Isaac, Abraham is the forefather of many tribes, namely the Ishmaelites, Israelites, Midianites and Edomites. Abraham was a descendant of Noah's son, Shem. Christians believe that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham through Isaac, and Muslims believe that Muhammad was a descendant of Abraham through Ishmael. Abraham is notable for his advocation and promotion of monotheism.
The Book of Genesis narrative that records the life of Abraham presents his role as one that could only be fulfilled through a monotheistic covenant established between him and God. The Qur'an has stories about Abraham and his offspring that are similar to the Bible's. In Islam, Abraham is recognised as a prophet, patriarch and messenger, archetype of the perfect Muslim, and reformer of the Kaaba.
Joseph Blenkinsopp writes that a common view among modern scholars is that the Genesis story of Abraham was not transmitted by oral traditions, but originated from literary circles of the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, where it served to assure the Israelites in exile that despite the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and the Davidic kingship, Yahweh's dealings with their ancestors provided a historical foundation on which hope for the future could be built. Abraham's association with Mamre and Hebron, in the south, in the territory of Jerusalem and Judah, suggests that this region was the original home of his cult. Some oral traditions, however, may still hold an earlier history.
About Abraham
Etymology
Abraham first appears in the
Book of Genesis as ''Abram'', until he is renamed by
God in . The narrative indicates that ''abraham'' means “the father of a multitude" (
Hebrew: ʼaḇ-hămôn goyim), but although "ab-" means "father", "-hamon" is not the second element, and "-Raham" is not a word in Hebrew.
Johann Friedrich Karl Keil suggested that there was once a word ''raham'' (רָהָם) in Hebrew that meant "multitude", on analogy with the Arabic ''ruhâm'' which does have this meaning, but no trace of "raham" has been found; another possibility is that the first element should be ''abr-'', which means "chief", but this yields a meaningless second element, "-aham".
David Rohl suggests the name comes from the
Akkadian "the father loves."
Chronology
The standard
Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible places Abraham's birth 1,948 years after the Creation, or 1948 AM (
Anno Mundi, "Year of the World"). The two other major textual traditions have different dates, the translated Greek
Septuagint putting it at 3312 AM and the
Samaritan version of the Torah at 2247 AM. All three agree that he died at the age of 175. There have been over two hundred attempts to match the biblical chronology to dates in history, two of the more influential being the traditional Jewish dates (Abraham lived 1812 BCE to 1637 BCE), and those of the 17th century Archbishop
James Ussher (1976 BCE to 1801 BCE); but the most that can be said with some degree of certainty is that the standard Hebrew text of Genesis places Abraham in the earlier part of the second millennium BCE.
Historicity and origins
It is generally recognised by scholars that there is nothing in the Genesis stories that can be related to the history of
Canaan of the early 2nd millennium: none of the kings mentioned is known, Abimelech could not have been a
Philistine (they did not arrive until centuries later),
Ur would not become known as "Ur of the Chaldeans" until the early 1st millennium, and Laban could not have been an Aramean, as the Arameans did not become an identifiable political entity until the 12th century. Joseph Blenkinsopp, Emeritus Professor of Biblical Studies at the
University of Notre Dame, notes that the past four or five decades have seen a growing consensus that the Genesis narrative of Abraham originated from literary circles of the 6th and 5th centuries BCE as a mirror of the situation facing the Jewish community under the
Babylonian and early
Persian empires. Blenkinsopp describes two conclusions about Abraham that are widely held in biblical scholarship: the first is that, except in the triad "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," he is not clearly and unambiguously attested in the Bible earlier than the
Babylonian exile ; the second is that he became, in the Persian period, a model for those who would return from Babylon to Judah. Beyond this the Abraham story (and those of
Isaac and
Jacob/
Israel) served a theological purpose following the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and the Davidic kingship: despite the loss of these things, Yahweh's dealings with the ancestors provided a historical foundation on which hope for the future could be built. There is basic agreement that his connection with Haran, Shechem and Bethel is secondary and originated when he became identified as the father of Jacob and ancestor of the northern tribes; his association with Mamre and Hebron, on the other hand (in the south, in the territory of Jerusalem and Judah), suggest that this region was the original home of his religion.
Narrative in Genesis
The life of Abraham is related in of the
Hebrew Bible.
Birth of Abram
Terah, the tenth in descent from
Noah, fathered Abram,
Nahor and
Haran, and Haran fathered
Lot. Haran died in his native
Ur of the Chaldees, and Abram married
Sarai, who was barren. Terah, with Abram, Sarai and Lot, then departed for Canaan, but settled in a place named
Haran, where Terah died at the age of 205. ()
Abram's calling
God appeared to Abram and told him to depart. After settling in Haran, where his father Terah died, God then told Abram to leave his country and his father’s house for a land that He would show him, promising to make of him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who blessed him, and curse those who cursed him. () Following God’s command, at age 75, Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the wealth and persons that they had acquired, and traveled to Shechem in Canaan.
The Covenant between Abraham and God
God appeared and said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
So Abram left as he was told. He was seventy-five years old at the time. Later on through his travels God spoke to him again, saying that he was confirming their covenant. That it will be kept with Abraham and his descendants. In exchange for land for his family to flourish, every male along them shall be circumcised as a sign of the covenant.
Abram and Sarai
There was a severe famine in the land of Canaan, so that Abram and Lot and their households, travelled south to
Egypt. En route, Abram told his wife Sarai, to say that she was his sister, so that the
Egyptians would not kill him. () When they entered Egypt, the princes of Pharaoh praised Sarai's beauty to the
Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace, and Abram was given provisions: "oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels." However, God afflicted the Pharaoh and his household with great plagues, () and after discovering that Sarai was really Abram's wife, the Pharaoh wanted nothing to do with them. He demanded that he and his household leave immediately, along with all their goods. ()
Abram and Lot separate
When they came back to the Bethel and Hai area, Abram's and Lot's sizeable numbers of livestock occupied the same pastures ("and the
Canaanite and the
Perizzite dwelled then in the land.") This became a problem for the herdsmen who were assigned to each family’s cattle. The conflicts between herdsmen had become so troublesome that Abram graciously suggested that Lot choose a separate area, either on the left hand or on the right hand, that there be no conflict amongst "brethren". But Lot chose to go east to the plain of
Jordan where the land was well watered everywhere as far as Zoar, and he dwelled in the cities of the plain toward Sodom. Abram went south to
Hebron and settled in the plain of
Mamre, where he built another altar to worship
God. ()
Abram and Chedorlaomer
During the rebellion of the Jordan River cities against Elam, () Abram’s nephew, Lot, was taken prisoner along with his entire household by the invading Elamite forces. The Elamite army came to collect booty from the spoils of war, after having just defeated the King of Sodom’s armies. () Lot and his family, at the time, were settled on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Sodom which made them a visible target. ()
One person that escaped capture came and told Abram what happened. Once Abram received this news, he immediately assembled 318 trained servants. Abram’s elite force headed north in pursuit of the Elamite army, who were already worn down from the Battle of Siddim. When they caught up with them at Dan, Abram devised a battle strategy plan by splitting his group into more than one unit, and launched a night raid. Not only were they able to free the captives, Abram’s unit chased and slaughtered the Elamite King Chedorlaomer at Hobah, just north of Damascus. They freed Lot, his household, possessions, and recovered all of the goods from Sodom that were taken. ()
Upon Abram’s return, Sodom's King (whom we do not know since the previous king Bera of Sodom perished in Gen14:10) came out to meet with him in the Valley of Shaveh, the "king's dale". Also, Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem), a priest of God Most High, brought out bread and wine and blessed Abram and God. Abram then gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom then offered to let Abram keep all the possessions if he would merely return his people. Though he released the captives, Abram refused any reward from the King of Sodom, other than the share his allies were entitled to. ()
Abrahamic covenant
The word of God came to Abram in a vision and repeated the promise of the land and descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram and God made a covenant ceremony, and God told of the future bondage of Israel in Egypt. God described to Abram the land that his offspring would claim: "the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” (Genesis 15)
Abram and Hagar
Abram and Sarai were trying to make sense of how he would become a progenitor of nations since it had already been 10 years of living in Canaan, and still no child had been born from Abram's seed. Sarai then offered her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, for Abram to consort with so that she may have a child by her, as a wife. Abram consented and had sexual intercourse with Hagar. The result of these actions created a fiery relationship between Hagar and Sarai. ()
After a harsh encounter with Sarai, Hagar fled toward Shur. En route, an angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar at the well of a spring. He instructed her to return to Sarai for she will bear a son who “shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” She was told to call her son: Ishmael. Hagar then referred to God as “El-roi”, meaning that she had gone on seeing after God saw her. From that day, the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. She then did as she was instructed by returning to Abram in order to have her child. Abram was eighty-six years of age when Ishmael was born. ()
Abraham and Sarah
records the inauguration of Abram into God’s covenant that was initiated thirteen years ago, as was stated in Genesis 15. Abram is now ninety-nine when God declares Abram’s new name: “Abraham, a father of many nations.” Abram then received the instructions for the inauguration rite into God’s covenant because the time was approaching for him to have a son by his wife, Sarai. The initiation rite was that in order to be part of this “great nation”, whether by bloodline or inducted, every male must be
circumcised otherwise it was a breach of contract. Then God declared Sarai’s new name: “
Sarah” and blessed her. Immediately after Abram’s encounter with his God, he had his entire household of men, including himself and Ishmael, circumcised. ()
Abraham's three visitors
Not long afterward, during the heat of the day, Abraham had been sitting at the entrance of his tent by the terebinths of Mamre. He looked up and saw three men in the presence of God. Then he ran and bowed to the ground to welcome them. Abraham then offered to wash their feet and fetch them a morsel of bread of which they assented. Abraham rushed to Sarah’s tent to order cakes made from choice flour, then he ordered a servant-boy to prepare a choice calf. When all was prepared, he set curds, milk and the calf before them waiting on them, under a tree, as they ate. ()
One of the visitors told Abraham that upon his return next year, Sarah would have a son. While at the tent entrance, Sarah overheard what was said and she laughed to herself about the prospect of having a child at their ages. The visitor inquired to Abraham why Sarah laughed at bearing a child for her age as nothing is too hard for God. Frightened, Sarah denied laughing.
Abraham's plea
After eating, Abraham and the three visitors got up. They walked over to the peak that overlooked the ''Cities of the Plain'' to discuss the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah for their detestable sins that were so great, it moved God to action. Because Abraham’s nephew was living in Sodom, God revealed plans to confirm and judge these cities. At this point, the two other visitors leave for Sodom. Then Abraham turned to the Lord and pleaded incrementally with Him (from fifty persons to less) that 'if there were at least ten righteous men found in the city, would not God spare the city?' For the sake of ten righteous people, God declared that he would not destroy the city. ()
When the two visitors got to Sodom to conduct their report, they planned on staying in the city square. However, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, met with them and strongly insisted that these two “men” stay at his house for the night. A rally of men stood outside of Lot’s home and demanded that they bring out his guests so that they may “know” them. However, Lot objected and offered his virgin daughters to the rally of men instead. They rejected that notion and sought to break Lot’s doors down to get to his male guests, thus confirming the “outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah” and sealing their doom. ()
Early the next morning, Abraham awoke and went to the elevation that looked over the River Jordan plain, at the very spot where he stood before God, the day prior. From his vantage point, he saw what became of the cities of the plain as “dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.” () This meant that there was not even ten righteous people in any of those cities. ()
Abraham and Abimelech
Abraham settled between
Kadesh and
Shur in the land of the
Philistines. While he was living in
Gerar, Abraham openly claimed that Sarah was his sister. Upon discovering this news, King
Abimelech had her brought to him. Later, God came to Abimelech in a dream and declared that taking her would result in death because she was a married woman to a prophet of God. Abimelech had not laid hands on her, so he inquired if he this God would slay an innocent man especially since Abraham had claimed that he and Sarah were siblings. In response, God told Abimelech that he did indeed have a blameless heart and that is why he continues to exist. However, should he not return the wife of Abraham back to him, God would surely destroy Abimelech and his entire household. ()
Early next morning, Abimelech informed his servants of his dream and approached Abraham inquiring as to why he had brought such great guilt upon his kingdom. Abraham stated that Gerar of Philistia had no fear of God in them and the only way for this kingdom to recognize the fear of God was to do what he had done. Then Abraham justified what he had said as not being a lie at all: "And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my wife." () Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham, then gave him sheep, oxen, and slaves, and invited him to settle wherever he pleased in Abimelech’s lands. Further, Abimelech gave Abraham a thousand pieces of silver to serve as Sarah's vindication before all. Abraham then prayed in behalf of Abimelech and the women in his household, so that they bore children, since God had stricken the women with infertility because of the taking of Sarah. ()
After living for some time in the land of the Philistines, Abimelech and Phicol, the chief of his troops, approached Abraham because of a dispute that resulted in a violent confrontation at a well. Abraham then reproached Abimelech due to his Philistine servant's aggressive attacks and the seizing of Abraham’s well. Abimelech, however, acted in ignorance. Then Abraham offered a pact by providing sheep and oxen to Abimelech. Further, to attest that Abraham was the one who dug the well, he also gave Abimelech seven ewes for proof. Because of this sworn oath, they called the place of this well: Beersheba. After Abimelech and Phicol headed back to Philistia, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree to invoke God’s name. ()
Abraham and Ishmael
Abraham was fond of his son
Ishmael who had grown up to be fourteen years old when his son
Isaac was born. However, with Sarah, things were never the same with Ishmael's mother
Hagar, back in her life. Now that Sarah had finally borne her own child, she could no longer stand the sight of either
Hagar or
Ishmael. When the teenager was jesting around, Sarah told Abraham to send the two of them away. She declared that Ishmael would not share in Isaac's inheritance. Abraham was greatly distressed by his wife's words and sought the advice of his God. The Lord told Abraham not to be distressed but to do as his wife commanded. God reassured Abraham that "in Isaac shall seed be called to thee." () He also said that Ishmael would make a nation, "because he is thy seed", too. ()
Early the next morning, Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael out together. He gave her bread and water and sent them away. The two wandered the wilderness of Beersheba until her bottle of water was completely consumed. In a moment of despair, she burst in tears. The boy then called to God and upon hearing him, an angel of God confirmed to Hagar that he would become a great nation. A well of water then appeared so that it saved their lives. As the boy grew, he became a skilled archer living in the wilderness of Paran. Eventually his mother found a wife for Ishmael from her native country, the land of Egypt. ()
Abraham and Isaac
At some point in Isaac's youth, Abraham was commanded by God to offer his son up as a sacrifice in the land of Moriah. The patriarch traveled three days until he came to the mount that God taught him. He commanded the servant to remain while he and Isaac proceeded alone to the mountain, Isaac carrying the wood upon which he would be sacrificed. Along the way, Isaac repeatedly asked Abraham where the animal for the burnt offering was, to which Abraham replied "God will provide." Just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, he was prevented by an angel, and given on that spot a ram which he sacrificed in place of his son. As a reward for his obedience he received another promise of numerous descendants and abundant prosperity. After this event, Abraham did not return to Hebron, Sarah's encampment, but instead went to Beersheba, Keturah's encampment, and it is to Beersheba that Abraham's servant brought Rebecca, Isaac's patrilineal parallel cousin who became his wife.
Later years
Sarah is said to have died at the age of 127, and Abraham buried her in the
Cave of the Patriarchs (also called the Cave of Machpelah), near
Hebron which he had purchased, along with the adjoining field, from Ephron the
Hittite.
After the death of Sarah, he took another wife, or concubine, named Keturah, who bore Abraham six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
Abraham is said to have died at the age of 175 years. Jewish legend says that he was meant to live to 180 years, but God purposely took his life because he felt that Abraham did not need to go through the pain of seeing Esau's wicked deeds. The Bible says he was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael in the Cave of the Patriarchs.
Narrative in the Qur'an
''This is a summary of all the references to Abraham in the Qur'an''
There are numerous references to Abraham in the Qur'an, including, twice, to the Scrolls of Abraham (87: 18–19; 53: 36–37); in the latter passage, it is mentioned that Abraham "fulfilled his commandments" (53: 37), a reference to all the trials that Abraham had succeeded in. In a whole series of chapters, the Qur'an relates how Abraham preached to his community as a youth and how he specifically told his father, named Azar in 6:74, to leave idol-worship and come to the worship of God (37: 83–98; 26: 69–89). Some passages of the Qur'an, meanwhile, deal with the story of how God sent angels to Abraham with the announcement of the punishment to be imposed upon Lot's people in Sodom and Gomorrah (51: 24–34; 25: 51–60). Other verses mention the near-sacrifice of Abraham's son (37: 100–111), whose name is not given but is presumed to be Ishmael as the following verses mention the birth of Isaac. The Qur'an also repeatedly establishes Abraham's role as patriarch and mentions numerous important descendants who came through his lineage, including Isaac (25: 53), Jacob (29: 49) and Ishmael (2: 132–133). In the later chapters of the Qur'an, Abraham's role becomes yet more prominent. The Qur'an mentions that Abraham and Ishmael were the reformers who set up the Kaaba in Mecca as a center of pilgrimage for monotheism (2: 124–141; 3: 65–68, 95–97). The Qur'an consistently refers to Islam as the "religion of Abraham" (''millat Ibrahim'') (2: 135) and Abraham is given a title as ''Hanif'' (''The Pure''; 3: 67). The Qur'an also mentions Abraham as one whom God took as a friend (''Khalil''; 4: 125), hence Abraham's title in Islam, ''Khalil-Allah'' (''Friend of God''). The term is considered by some to be a derivation of the Patriarch's Hebrew title, Kal El (קל-אל), which means "voice of God". Other instances in the Qur'an which are described in a concise manner are the rescue of Abraham from the fire into which he was thrown by his people (37: 97; 21: 68–70); his pleading for his father (28: 47); his quarrel with an unrighteous and powerful king (2: 58) and the miracle of the dead birds (2: 260).
All these events and more have been discussed with more details in Muslim tradition, and especially in the ''Stories of the Prophets'' and works of universal Islamic theology. Certain episodes from the life of Abraham have been more heavily detailed in Islamic text, such as the arguments between Abraham and the evil king Nimrod, the near-sacrifice of his son, and the story of Hagar and Ishmael, which Muslims commemorate when performing pilgrimage in Mecca. In some cases, some believe these legends in Islamic text may have influenced later Jewish tradition.
Abraham in religious traditions
In Islamic and Jewish traditions, Abraham is referred to as "our Father" (Hebrew: ''Avraham Avinu'', Arabic: ''abeena Ibraheem'').
In Jewish and Christian tradition, Abraham is the father of the Israelites through his son Isaac, whose mother was Sarah. His oldest son is Ishmael, whose mother is Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian handmaiden.
In Islamic tradition, Abraham is considered a prophet of Islam, the ancestor of Muhammad, through his son Ishmael, whose mother is Hagar (هاجر).
Judaism
Abraham’s life can be read in the weekly
Torah reading portions, predominantly in the
Parashot:
Lech-Lecha (
לֶךְ-לְךָ ),
Vayeira (
וַיֵּרָא ),
Chayei Sarah (
חַיֵּי שָׂרָה ), and
Toledot (
תּוֹלְדֹת )
Rabbinic Judaism faced a seeming contradiction with Abraham, in that he lived before the laws of the Torah had been revealed to Moses. Therefore, Abraham would not have been knowledgeable of all of the Torah's commandments, besides the instruction of practicing circumcision. The rabbis (traditional teachers and interpreters of the Torah), however, interpreted the narratives of the Torah in Genesis to say that Abraham had in fact known and practiced the Law in its entirety, although there are different interpretations as to how exactly Abraham practiced different aspects of the law.
Abram’s birthplace disputed
11th and 12th century Rabbis Rashi and Abraham ibn Ezra agree that Abram’s native homeland was Ur Kaśdim, better known as ''Ur of the Chaldees'', a Mesopotamian location settled by the descendants of Ham. Some modern Jewish studies identify this location to be the same as the Sumerian city-state of Ur. However, this Persian Gulf city in Iraq is only a candidate among others to be the actual Ur Kaśdim, as well as the most popularly debated one since 1927. The city of Urfa (classical Urha Turkey, not too far from Haran also claims to the birthplace of the Patriarch. Urfa is famous for its monuments, pools and shrines associated with Patriarch Abraham.
Rabbi Nahmanides, known as ''the Ramban'', was a medieval Jewish scholar of the 13th century who disagreed with Rashi and Ibn Ezra concerning Abram’s birthplace. The Ramban states that because Ur Kaśdim was settled by Ham’s descendants, this could not be Abram’s birthplace as he was a descendant of Shem. However, everyone does agree that Abram’s family under the headship of his father, Terach, had all lived in Ur Kaśdim before being called to move to Canaan. The promise in Genesis is considered to have been fulfilled through Abraham's seed, Jesus. It is also a consequence of this promise that Christianity is open to people of all races and not limited to Jews.
The Roman Catholic Church calls Abraham "our father in Faith", in the Eucharistic prayer of the Roman Canon, recited during the Mass (see Abraham in the Catholic liturgy). He is also commemorated in the calendars of saints of several denominations: on 20 August by the Maronite Church, 28 August in the Coptic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East (with the full office for the latter), and on 9 October by the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. He is also regarded as the patron saint of those in the hospitality industry.
The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him as the "Righteous Forefather Abraham", with two feast days in its liturgical calendar. The first time is on 9 October (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, 9 October falls on 22 October of the modern Gregorian Calendar), where he is commemorated together with his nephew "Righteous Lot". The other is on the "Sunday of the Forefathers" (two Sundays before Christmas), when he is commemorated together with other ancestors of Jesus. Abraham is also mentioned in the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, just before the Anaphora. Abraham and Sarah are invoked in the prayers said by the priest over a newly married couple at the Sacred Mystery of Crowning (i.e., the Sacrament of Marriage).
Islam
Abraham ("Ibrahim") is an important figure in the
Quran, mentioned in 25 chapters, briefly or in detail.
Muslims regard him as a
prophet and
patriarch, the archetype of the perfect Muslim, and the revered reformer of the
Kaaba in
Mecca. and has claimed a lineage of descent from Abraham through
Keturah and
Sarah. Additionally Bahá'u'lláh actually did lose a son,
Mírzá Mihdí. Bahá’u’lláh, then in prison, eulogized his son and connected the subsequent easing of restrictions to his dying prayer and also compared it to the intended sacrifice of Abraham’s son.
Abraham in the arts
Paintings
Paintings on the life of Abraham tend to focus on only a few incidents: The sacrifice of Isaac; Meeting Melchizedek; Entertaining the three angels; Hagar in the desert; and a few others. Many artists have been inspired by the life of Abraham:
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528),
Caravaggio (1573–1610),
Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669) created at least seven works on Abraham,
Petrus-Paulus Rubens (1577–1640) did several,
Donatello,
Raphael,
Philip van Dyck (Dutch painter, 1680–1753),
Marc Chagall did at least five on Abraham, Gustave Doré (French illustrator, 1832–1883) did six,
Claude Lorrain (French painter, 1600–1682),
James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French painter and illustrator, 1836–1902) did over twenty works on the subject.
Sculpture
The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus depicts a set of biblical stories, including Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. These sculpted scenes are on the outside of a marble Early Christian sarcophagus used for the burial of Junius Bassus. He died in 359. This sarcophagus has been described as "probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture." The sarcophagus was originally placed in or under Old St. Peter's Basilica, was rediscovered in 1597, and is now below the modern basilica in the Museo Storico del Tesoro della Basilica di San Pietro (Museum of Saint Peter's Basilica) in the Vatican. The base is approximately 4 × 8 × 4 feet. The Old Testament scenes depicted were chosen as precursors of Christ's sacrifice in the New Testament, in an early form of typology. Just to the right of the middle is Daniel in the lion's den and on the left is Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac.
''Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael'' by George Segal. The artist created figural sculptures by molding plastered gauze strips over live models. The human condition was central to his concerns. On several occasions, Segal turned to the Old Testament as a source for his imagery. This sculpture depicts the dilemma faced by Abraham when Sarah demanded that he expel Hagar and Ishmael. In the sculpture, the father's tenderness, Sarah's rage, and Hagar's resigned acceptance portray a range of human emotions. The sculpture was donated to the Miami Art Museum after the artist's death in 2000. This footnote provides a link to a picture of the sculpture.
Literature
''
Fear and Trembling'' (original
Danish title: ''Frygt og Bæven'') is an influential philosophical work by
Søren Kierkegaard, published in 1843 under the pseudonym ''Johannes de silentio'' (''John the Silent''). Kierkegaard wanted to understand the anxiety that must have been present in Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son.
Music
In 1994,
Steve Reich released an opera named "
The Cave". The title refers to
The Cave of the Patriarchs. The narrative of the opera is based on the story of Abraham and his immediate family as it is recounted in the various religious texts, and as it is understood by individual people from different cultures and religious traditions.
Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" is the title track for his 1965 album ''Highway 61 Revisited''. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked the song as number 364 in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song has five stanzas. In each stanza, someone describes an unusual problem that is ultimately resolved on Highway 61. In Stanza 1, God tells Abraham to "kill me a son". God wants the killing done on Highway 61. Abram, the original name of the biblical Abraham, is also the name of Dylan's own father.
See also
Abraham in History and Tradition (book)
Bosom of Abraham
Gathering of Israel
Genealogies of Genesis
Islamic view of Abraham
Jewish Kabbalah
List of founders of religious traditions
The Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham
Abraham's Gate at Tel Dan
Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions
Notes
References
Further reading
: |title=Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=1973 |isbn=0-8028-3436-1 |oclc= |url= }}
: | authorlink=Lawrence Boadt |title=Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction |publisher=Paulist Press |location=New York |year=1984 |isbn=0-8091-2631-1 |oclc= |url=http://books.google.com/?id=LGQNT6G_do8C&dq;=Reading+the+Old+Testament:+an+introduction++By+Lawrence+Boadt&printsec;=frontcover&q;= }}
: |editor= Harriet Szold tr
|title=Legends of the Jews, Volume 1 |publisher=Jewish Publication Society |location=Philadelphia |year=2003 |isbn=0-8276-0709-1 |oclc= |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext98/1lotj10.txt }}
: |editor=Biddle, Mark E. tr |others= |title=Genesis |edition= |publisher=Mercer University Press |location=Macon, GA |year=1997 |origyear=1901 |isbn=0-86554-517-0 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=-ZtH3hbGITkC&pg; }}
: |title=An Introduction to the Old Testament |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, MI |year=1969|isbn=0-8778-4881-5 |oclc= |url= }}
: |title=Genesis |publisher=Inter-Varsity Press|location=Downers Grover, IL |year=1967|isbn= |oclc= |url= }}
: |title=Ancient Orient and Old Testament |publisher=Inter-Varsity Press|location=Chicago |year=1966|isbn= |oclc= |url= }}
: |chapter=The Conversion of Abraham to Judaism, Christianity and Islam |title=The Idea of Biblical Interpretation: Essays in Honor of James L. Kugel |editors=Hindy Najman, Judith Newman (eds) |publisher=Koningklijke Brill |location= Leiden|year=2004 |isbn=90-04-13630-4 |oclc= |url=http://books.google.com/?id=Wde9LO-_FPIC&dq;}}
: |title=Abraham: the first historical biography |publisher=Basic Books |location=New York |year=2006 |isbn=0-465-07094-9 |oclc= }}
: |title=The Old Testament Speaks |edition=4th |publisher=Harper |location=San Francisco|year=1990|isbn=0-0625-0767-2 |oclc= |url= }}
: |title=The Bible unearthed: archaeology's new vision of ancient Israel and the origin of its sacred texts|publisher=Free Press |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-684-86912-8 }}
: |title=Handbook to Life in Bible Times |edition= |publisher=Inter-Varsity Press|location=Downers Grove, IL |year=1986 |isbn=0-8778-4949-8 |oclc= |url= }}
: |title=The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives: The Quest for the Historical Abraham |publisher=Trinity Press International |location=Valley Forge, Pa |year=2002 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=lwrzapZYqFAC&dq; |isbn=1-56338-389-6}}
:
: |title=Scripture and tradition in Judaism. Haggadic studies |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |year=1973 |isbn=90-04-07096-6 |oclc= }}
:
External links
"Abraham." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 29 May 2011.
"Abraham" in ''Christian Iconography''
Abraham smashes the idols Accessed 24 March 2011
Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael. ''George Segal.'' Miami Art Museum. Collections: Recent Acquisitions. Accessed 10 April 2011.
Abraham, Hagar and Sarah Paintings portrayed at Bible Art. Accessed 10 April 2011
*Main
Category:Babylonian people
Category:Biblical patriarchs
Category:Book of Genesis
Category:Burials in Hebron
Category:Fertile Crescent
Category:Founders of religions
Category:History of Iraq
Category:Jewish religious leaders
Category:Old Testament saints
Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar
Category:Prophets of Islam
af:Abraham
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ar:إبراهيم
an:Abrahán
arc:ܐܒܪܗܡ
az:İbrahim
zh-min-nan:Abraham
be:Аўрам
be-x-old:Абрам
bg:Авраам
bo:ཨབ་ར་ཧམ།
bs:Abraham (prorok)
br:Abraham
ca:Abraham
ceb:Abraham
cs:Abrahám
cy:Abraham
da:Abraham
de:Abraham
et:Aabraham
el:Αβραάμ
es:Abraham
eo:Abraham
eu:Abraham
ee:Abraham
fa:ابراهیم
hif:Abraham
fr:Abraham
gl:Abraham
gan:阿卜拿咸
ko:아브라함
hy:Աբրահամ
hi:अब्राहम
hr:Abraham
ig:Abram
id:Abraham
ia:Abraham
is:Abraham
it:Abramo
he:אברהם
kn:ಅಬ್ರಹಮ್
ka:აბრაამი
kk:Ибраһим
sw:Abrahamu
ku:Îbrahîm
lbe:Ибрагьим идавс
la:Abraham
lv:Ābrams
lt:Abraomas
ln:Abrahama
lmo:Abram
hu:Ábrahám (Biblia)
mk:Аврам
ml:അബ്രഹാം
mr:अब्राहम
arz:ابراهيم
ms:Abraham
mn:Абрахам
nl:Abraham
ja:アブラハム
no:Abraham (bibelsk person)
nn:Patriarken Abraham
oc:Abraam
pa:ਅਬਰਾਹਮ
pnb:ابراهيم
pl:Abraham
pt:Abraão
ro:Avraam
rm:Abraham
rue:Абрагам
ru:Авраам
sah:Абыраам
sco:Aubraham
sq:Abrahami
simple:Abraham
sk:Abrahám (biblická postava)
sl:Abraham
so:Nabi Ibraahiim C.S.
ckb:ئیبراھیم
sr:Аврам
sh:Abraham
fi:Abraham
sv:Abraham (patriark)
tl:Abraham
ta:ஆபிரகாம்
kab:Brahim
tt:Ибраһим пәйгамбәр
th:อับราฮัม
tr:İbrahim
uk:Авраам
ur:ابراہیم علیہ السلام
vi:Abraham
fiu-vro:Aabraham
war:Abraham
yi:אברהם אבינו
yo:Abrahamu
bat-smg:Abrauoms
zh:亞伯拉罕
