According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was born
under the name Abram in the city of Ur in Babylonia in the year
1948 BCE from Creation.He was the son of Terach, an idol merchant,
but from his early childhood, he questioned the faith of his father
and sought the truth.
Abram tried to convince his father, Terach, of
the folly of idol worship. One day, when Abram was left alone
to mind the store, he took a hammer and smashed all of the idols
except the largest one. He placed the hammer in the hand of the
largest idol. When his father returned and asked what happened,
Abram said, "The idols got into a fight, and the big one smashed
all the other ones." His father said, "Don't be ridiculous. These
idols have no life or power. They can't do anything." Abram replied,
"Then why do you worship them?"
The true God called to him, and made him an offer
he could not refuse after he had been thrown into the fire with
his brother who died, : if Abram would leave his home and his
family, then God would make him a great nation and bless him.
Abram accepted this offer, and the b'rit (covenant) between
G-d and the Jewish people was established. (Gen.12).
The idea of b'rit is fundamental to traditional
Judaism: we have a covenant, a contract, with G-d, which involves
rights and obligations on both sides. We have certain obligations
to G-d, and G-d has certain obligations to us. The terms of this
b'rit became more explicit over time, until the time of the Giving
of the.Torah. Abram was subjected to ten tests of faith to prove
his worthiness for this covenant. Leaving his home is one of these
trials.
Abram, raised as a city-dweller, adopted a nomadic
lifestyle, traveling through what is now the land of Israel for
many years. G-d promised this land to Abram's descendants. Abram
is referred to as the first Hebrew (Ivri), possibly because
he was descended from Eber or possibly because he came from the
"other side" (eber) of the Euphrates River.
But Abram was concerned, because he had no children
and he was growing old. Abram's beloved wife,Sari, knew that she
was past child-bearing years, so she offered her maidservant,
Hagar, as a wife to Abram. This was a common practice in the region
at the time. According to tradition, . Hager despised Sari and
subsequently ill-treated her. As a result she ran away from home
into the desert where an angel found her near a spring, the angle
told her" You are now with child and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ismael,
He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him, and will live in hostility towards
all his brothers.
Hagar bore , Ishmael, who, according to both Muslim and Jewish
tradition, is the ancestor of the Arabs. (Gen.16)
When Abram was 100 and Sarai 90, G-d promised Abram
a son by Sarai. G-d changed Abram's name to Abraham (father of
many), and Sarai's to Sarah (from "my princess" to "princess").
Sarah bore Abraham a son, Isaac. Isaac was the ancestor of the
Jewish people.
[Abraham died at the age of 175.]
Abraham
Abraham is known to be the first Hebrew and
the ancestor of the Jews.
There is no known account of his life independent of Genesis,
so it is not possible to know if he was a historical or fable
figure. If he was, he probably lived between 1500 BC and 2000
BC : Around the same time as the birth of the ancient Hindu
religion ,Brahman which
could intelligently spell Abraham .
Judaism, Christianity and Islam ( Tulmud , Bible and Quran
) are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions",due
there origins to Abram and later known as Abraham the father
of the People of Israel the through his son Isaac;
the Jews and his son Ishmael the
Arabs. In Islam, Abraham is considered to be
one of the most important of the many prophets sent by God.
His original name was Abram ;. Later in life he went by the
name Abraham. (See Genesis 17).
often glossed as "father of many (nations)" per Genesis 17:5,
According to the Bible, Abraham was brought by God from Mesopotamia
to the land of Canaan. There he entered into a covenant: in
exchange for sole recognition of Yahweh as supreme universal
deity and authority, Abraham will be blessed with innumerable
progeny. ( children )
Abraham origins
The account of his life is found in the Book of Genesis,
beginning in Chapter 11, at the close of a genealogy of
the sons of Shem (which includes among its members Eber,
His father Terah came from Ur of the Chaldees, the ancient
city in southern Mesopotamia which was under the rule
of the Chaldeans — They also say "Chaldees" refers to
a group of gods called Khaldis. Yahweh called Abram to
go to "the land I will show you", and promised to bless
him and make him a great nation. Trusting this promise,
Abram journeyed down to Shechem, and at the sacred tree
received a new promise that the land would be given unto
his seed (descendant or descendants). Having built an
altar to commemorate and called upon the name of Yahweh
(Gen. 12:1-9).
Jewish authorities like Maimonides all concur that Ur-Of-The-Khaldis
was in Northern Mesopotamia — now southeastern Turkey
(identified with Urartu, Urfa, and Kutha respectively).
This is in accord with the local tradition that Abraham
was born in Urfa, or with the nearby Urkesh, which others
identify with “Ur of the Chaldees”.
Kid Sacrificial
Offering
Some time after the birth of Isaac, 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 showed him, 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. Abraham then replied that God
would provide one. 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 a numerous seed and abundant prosperity
The near sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most challenging,
and perhaps ethically troublesome, parts of the Bible.
Although not un heard of, human sacrifice in canaanis
is rare, animal sacrifice for religious purposes are made
frequently by many tribes .
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